Find Your Daily Macro Targets
Calculate your daily protein, carb, and fat targets based on your calorie needs, your goal, and the diet style you actually want to follow.
Your Results
Three Steps to Your Daily Macros
No food diary needed to get started — just your stats, your goal, and your preferred diet style.
Enter Your Details & Goal
Choose your unit system, gender, age, height, weight, activity level, and whether you want to lose weight, maintain, or gain muscle.
We Calculate Your Calories
We estimate your BMR and TDEE, then adjust it up or down based on your goal to find your target daily calorie intake.
Get Your Macro Split
Your target calories are divided into grams of protein, carbs, and fat based on the diet style you picked.
What Are Macronutrients?
Macronutrients — "macros" for short — are the three nutrients that supply your body with energy: protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Every food you eat is made up of some combination of these three, plus water, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Each macro provides a different amount of energy per gram: protein and carbohydrates each supply 4 calories per gram, while fat supplies 9 calories per gram — more than double. That's why the same calorie target can be split into very different gram amounts depending on which diet style you follow.
Why Track Macros Instead of Just Calories
Protein Protects Muscle
Hitting a protein target — not just a calorie target — helps preserve lean mass while losing fat, and supports muscle growth while gaining.
It Affects Energy & Satiety
Two diets with identical calories but different macro splits can feel completely different — carbs fuel training, fat supports hormones, and protein keeps you full.
It Shapes Body Composition
Calories determine whether you gain or lose weight, but your macro split has a real influence on how much of that change is muscle versus fat.
How Your Macros Are Calculated
We start with your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, scale it up for activity to get your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), adjust it for your goal, then split the result into grams of protein, carbs, and fat.
Protein Formula
protein (g) = (target calories × protein %) ÷ 4 — since protein supplies 4 calories per gram.
Same conversion used for carbsFat Formula
fat (g) = (target calories × fat %) ÷ 9 — since fat supplies 9 calories per gram, more than double protein or carbs.
Why high-fat diets use fewer gramsBMR → TDEE → Goal-Adjusted Calories
BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor): Male = 10×kg + 6.25×cm − 5×age + 5. Female = 10×kg + 6.25×cm − 5×age − 161. TDEE = BMR × activity multiplier. Target Calories = TDEE × (1 + goal adjustment), where losing weight is −20%, maintaining is 0%, and gaining muscle is +15%.
Swipe to see all columns →
| Diet Style | Protein % | Carbs % | Fat % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balanced | 30% | 40% | 30% |
| High Protein | 40% | 35% | 25% |
| Low Carb | 30% | 20% | 50% |
| Keto | 25% | 5% | 70% |
Recommended Macro Ranges by Goal
Protein needs are usually expressed relative to bodyweight rather than as a fixed percentage, since it's the macro most closely tied to preserving and building muscle.
| Goal | Protein (g/kg bodyweight) | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lose Weight | 1.6–2.2 g/kg | Higher end preserves muscle in a deficit |
| Maintain | 1.2–1.6 g/kg | Supports upkeep without excess |
| Gain Muscle | 1.6–2.2 g/kg | Supports muscle protein synthesis in a surplus |
What Affects Your Ideal Macro Split
A Good Starting Point
Which Diet Style Is Right for You?
All four splits can work for fat loss or muscle gain — the right one is the macro split you can actually stick to. If you're focused purely on the calorie side of the equation, our Calorie Deficit Calculator can help you dial in a sustainable deficit before you worry about the macro breakdown.
Balanced
High Protein
Low Carb
Keto
A Quick Take on Each Style
Balanced
An even split that works well for most people and is the easiest to maintain socially and while traveling.
High Protein
Best when muscle retention or growth is the priority, especially during a calorie deficit.
Low Carb
Can help control appetite and blood sugar swings, though it may feel limiting around intense training.
Keto
A very low-carb, high-fat approach that requires real commitment and isn't necessary for fat loss — it's simply one option among several. Pair it with your Metabolic Age & BMR Calculator results to keep your baseline calorie estimate accurate as your weight changes.
8 Tips to Actually Hit Your Macros
Knowing your numbers is the easy part — these habits make hitting them day after day realistic.
Prioritize Protein at Each Meal
Spreading protein across 3–4 meals makes it far easier to hit your daily total than trying to cram it in at dinner.
Plan Meals Ahead
A rough plan for the day — even a mental one — prevents you from running out of carbs or fat budget by dinnertime.
Use a Food Scale or App at First
Weighing food and logging it for a couple of weeks builds an accurate sense of portion sizes you can rely on later.
Don't Fear Carbs Around Training
Carbohydrates fuel intense workouts and replenish glycogen — they're not the enemy, especially close to training sessions.
Choose Whole-Food Fat Sources
Nuts, olive oil, avocado, and fatty fish deliver your fat target along with nutrients that processed oils don't provide.
Adjust as You Progress
Recalculate every few weeks or after a meaningful weight change — your targets should move as your body and goal do.
Consistency Beats Perfection
Landing within 5–10g of a target most days will get you further than hitting it exactly some days and missing badly on others.
Don't Forget Hydration
Water supports digestion and nutrient transport, and it's easy to overlook while you're focused on counting grams.
Common Questions
Everything you need to know about calculating and hitting your daily macros.