Macro Calculator

Calculate your daily protein, carbohydrate, and fat targets based on your calories, body weight, and fitness goal.

kcal
Don't know yours? Use the Calorie Intake Calculator.
Your Daily Macro Targets

Fill in your details and click Calculate.

How Are Macros Calculated?

Macronutrient targets are determined by your total daily calories, your goal, and your body weight. Protein is prioritised first (it is calculated per kg of body weight), then fat (as a % of calories), and carbohydrates fill the remainder.

GoalProteinFatCarbs
Weight Loss2.0–2.4 g/kg (high, to preserve muscle)25%Remainder
Maintenance1.6–2.0 g/kg30%Remainder
Muscle Gain1.8–2.2 g/kg25%Remainder
Athletic Performance1.6–2.0 g/kg20%High — remainder

Each gram of protein = 4 kcal  |  each gram of carbs = 4 kcal  |  each gram of fat = 9 kcal

Frequently Asked Questions
Macronutrients (macros) are the three main energy-providing nutrients: protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Every food you eat contains a combination of these. Tracking macros — not just calories — helps you achieve body composition goals like fat loss while preserving muscle, or muscle gain without excessive fat.
For muscle retention or growth, research supports 1.6–2.2 g of protein per kg of body weight per day. The RDA (0.8 g/kg) is just enough to prevent deficiency — it is not optimal for active people. Aim for the higher end if you are in a calorie deficit or training intensely.
Dietary fat is essential for hormone production, vitamin absorption (A, D, E, K), and brain function. Very low fat diets (under 15% of calories) can impair testosterone and oestrogen levels. Most nutrition guidelines recommend fat at 20–35% of total daily calories from predominantly unsaturated sources.
The classic ketogenic diet is characterised by very high fat, very low carbohydrate intake: typically fat 70–75%, protein 20–25%, and carbohydrates 5–10% of total calories (usually under 20–50g of net carbs per day). This forces the body into ketosis — a metabolic state where fat is burned for fuel instead of glucose.
For bulking (muscle gain in a calorie surplus): protein 25–30%, carbohydrates 45–55%, fat 20–25%. For cutting (fat loss in a calorie deficit): protein 30–40%, carbohydrates 30–40%, fat 20–30%. In both phases, maintaining a high protein intake (1.6–2.2 g/kg body weight) is the most important factor for body composition.
The official RDA for protein is 0.8 g per kg of body weight — but this is the minimum to prevent deficiency. For muscle preservation and growth, research consistently supports 1.6–2.2 g/kg/day. Older adults benefit from the higher end (2.0–2.5 g/kg) to counteract age-related muscle loss. Spreading protein intake across 3–5 meals maximises muscle protein synthesis.
Tracking total calories is sufficient for basic weight management. However, tracking macros gives you additional control over body composition: ensuring enough protein preserves muscle during a deficit, carb timing can improve training performance, and fat intake supports hormone health. For body composition goals, macro tracking provides a meaningful advantage.
IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) is a flexible dieting approach where you can eat any food as long as it fits within your daily macronutrient targets. The principle is that body composition is determined by macros and calories — not by whether your food is "clean" or "dirty." This approach reduces the psychological burden of strict food rules and improves adherence for many people.
Carb cycling is a nutritional strategy where carbohydrate intake is alternated between high, moderate, and low levels on different days — typically aligned with training intensity. On heavy training days, more carbs fuel performance and recovery; on rest days, carbs are reduced. It is best suited to experienced trainees with specific performance or body composition goals.
IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros), also called flexible dieting, is an approach to nutrition where you track your daily targets for protein, carbohydrates, and fat rather than following a rigid list of "allowed" or "forbidden" foods. Research supports that body composition outcomes are primarily driven by energy balance and macronutrient intake. The flexibility of IIFYM improves long-term dietary adherence — however, food quality still matters for micronutrients, fibre, and satiety.

About This Macro Calculator

This free macro calculator computes your recommended daily intake of protein, carbohydrates, and fat in grams and as a percentage of total calories, based on your TDEE and selected goal (weight loss, maintenance, or muscle gain).

Macronutrients determine body composition more precisely than calorie counting alone. Adequate protein preserves muscle during a calorie deficit; the carbohydrate and fat split is adjusted based on your preferred dietary approach and activity type.

When to use this calculator

  • Setting daily macro targets for a structured nutrition plan
  • Adjusting protein intake during a cutting or bulking phase
  • Calculating macros for a specific calorie target
  • Comparing high-carb vs high-fat macro distributions

Standards & References

Related Health Tools
Calorie Intake BMR Calculator Body Fat % Ideal Weight

Related Articles

In-depth guides and technical articles.

View all →
Health Jul 15, 2026
Fibre Is a Carbohydrate That Doesn't Behave Like One — Gut Bacteria, Short-Chain Fatty Acids, and the Net Carbs Calculation
Dietary fibre is technically a carbohydrate but produces only 0-2 kcal/g instead of the 4 kcal/g that macro calculators assume — because human enzymes can't digest it. Here's how gut bacteria ferment soluble fibre into butyrate, propionate, and acetate (the SCFAs that maintain colon health and signal appetite to the brain), why Western adults eat only 15-19g daily against a 25-38g recommendation, and the net carbs calculation for keto tracking.
Health Jun 23, 2026
Why Protein and Carbs Are 4 Calories Per Gram and Fat Is 9 — The Atwater Factors Behind Every Macro Calculator
The 4-4-9 calorie-per-gram values for protein, carbs, and fat are Atwater factors — approximations from 19th-century bomb calorimetry experiments, corrected for digestibility and metabolic losses. Here's why fat has more than twice the calories per gram of carbs (carbon-hydrogen ratio), why fiber produces different calorie values than other carbohydrates, and why tracking macros to the gram implies more precision than the underlying measurement system actually supports.
Health Jun 20, 2026
Why Protein + Carbs + Fat, Converted Back to Calories, Doesn't Exactly Match Your Calorie Target
A macro calculator says 150g protein, 200g carbs, 70g fat — multiply each by its calories-per-gram, sum them, and the total often doesn't exactly match the calorie target they're based on. Here's why this is expected rounding (whole-gram display rounding, plus the simplified "4-4-9" calorie-per-gram figures themselves), why it compounds across three macros in either direction, and why it's not something that needs "correcting."
Health Jun 13, 2026
Ketogenic Diets and Nutritional Ketosis: What the Research Shows About Weight Loss, Performance, and Who Should Be Cautious
Ketogenic diets shift the body's fuel source from glucose to fat and ketones — a measurable metabolic state with the strongest evidence base in drug-resistant epilepsy. Here's how nutritional ketosis differs from dangerous diabetic ketoacidosis, what weight loss research actually shows over longer timeframes, and the mixed evidence on athletic performance.
Health Jun 10, 2026
Carbohydrates and Sports Performance: Glycogen, Carbo-Loading, and the Marathon Wall
Glycogen powers high-intensity exercise and runs out after 90–120 minutes — which is exactly why marathoners hit the wall. Here's the science of carbo-loading, carbohydrate intake during endurance events, the post-exercise glycogen window, and where low-carb approaches fit in sports nutrition.