Macro Calculator
Turn your calorie target into daily protein, carbs, and fat grams — pick a proven split or dial in your own.
Split your calories into macros
The three percentages must add up to 100. Numbers or formulas both work.
What Are Macronutrients?
Every calorie you eat comes from one of three macronutrients — "macro" just means your body needs them in large amounts:
- Protein (4 kcal/g): builds and repairs muscle, keeps you full, costs the most energy to digest. The priority macro in almost every diet.
- Carbohydrates (4 kcal/g): your body's preferred quick fuel — brain, muscles, training performance. Includes fiber, which most people undereat.
- Fat (9 kcal/g): the densest fuel, essential for hormones, vitamin absorption, and satiety. "Low fat" is outdated advice; enough fat (usually 20–35% of calories) is what matters.
Counting macros (sometimes called "IIFYM" — if it fits your macros) just means hitting daily gram targets for each, instead of only watching total calories. It's more flexible than rigid meal plans and teaches you what food is actually made of.
How Your Macro Targets Are Calculated
The math is simple once you know the energy densities. Pick a calorie target and a percentage split, then convert:
The presets above cover the common approaches: balanced for everyday healthy eating, high protein for cutting fat while keeping muscle, lower carb for people who feel better with fewer carbs, and high carb for endurance athletes burning through glycogen. Or choose "Custom split..." and set your own percentages.
Worked Example: Cutting at 2,000 Calories
Profile: 2,000 kcal/day, high-protein split (40/30/30)
Protein: 2,000 × 40% ÷ 4 = 200 g (800 kcal)
Carbs: 2,000 × 30% ÷ 4 = 150 g (600 kcal)
Fat: 2,000 × 30% ÷ 9 = 67 g (600 kcal)
Check: 800 + 600 + 600 = 2,000 kcal. ✔
At 80 kg body weight, 200 g protein is 2.5 g/kg — generous but reasonable for an aggressive cut; most lifters land well at 2.0–2.2 g/kg.
Adjusting Macros for Your Goal
- Set protein first. It's the only macro with a body-weight-based target (1.6–2.2 g/kg for active people). Everything else fills around it.
- Cutting fat? Keep protein high (it protects muscle and hunger), cut mostly from carbs and a little from fat — but keep fat above ~0.5 g/kg for hormones.
- Building muscle? A small calorie surplus (+200–300) with protein at ~2 g/kg and plenty of carbs to fuel training.
- Stalled for 2+ weeks? Adjust by ~100–150 kcal (about 25 g carbs or 11 g fat), not by overhauling the whole split.
- Endurance training? Carbs are performance fuel — runners and cyclists often thrive at 50–60% carbs.
Tips for Tracking Macros
Tracking works best when it's low-friction:
- Weigh food for 2–3 weeks with a cheap kitchen scale. After that you'll eyeball portions surprisingly well — most people only need periodic "calibration weeks."
- Pre-log your protein. Plan the day's protein sources first thing in the morning; carbs and fat are easy to fill around them.
- Don't chase exact grams. Landing within ±5 g of protein and ±10 g of carbs/fat is a perfect day. Consistency across weeks beats precision on any single day.
- Eat mostly whole foods. Hitting macros on ultra-processed food is possible but miserable — fiber and volume keep hunger down.
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Save a number once — like your rent or hourly rate — then just type its name instead of the number, in any calculator here. You can also type formulas like 5000 * 1.1 right into any box.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What macros should I eat per day?
It depends on your calories and goal. A common starting point at 2,200 kcal: 165 g protein, 220 g carbs, 73 g fat (30/40/30 split). Set protein by body weight first (1.6–2.2 g/kg for active people), then split the rest between carbs and fat based on preference and training.
How do I calculate my macros?
Multiply your calorie target by each macro's percentage, then divide by its energy density: protein and carbs have 4 kcal/g, fat has 9 kcal/g. Example: 2,000 kcal × 40% protein ÷ 4 = 200 g protein. This calculator does it instantly.
What is IIFYM?
IIFYM ("If It Fits Your Macros") is a flexible dieting approach: instead of banning foods, you hit daily protein, carbs, and fat targets and let food choices vary. Research shows it works as well as stricter diets for fat loss — adherence is what matters most.
What macros are best for weight loss?
Keep protein high (2.0–2.2 g/kg) to protect muscle and control hunger, keep fat at least ~0.5 g/kg for hormones, and cut mostly from carbs. The "high protein / cutting" preset (40/30/30) follows exactly this logic.
How much protein do I need?
Active people do best at about 1.6–2.0 g per kg of body weight per day; dieters preserving muscle often go to 2.2 g/kg. Our Protein Intake Calculator gives you a personalized target.
Sources
- Morton RW, et al. (2018) — Protein supplementation and muscle gains meta-analysis, Br J Sports Med (PubMed)
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, et al. (1990) — Am J Clin Nutr