Macro Calculator
This free, easy-to-use macro calculator gives you your optimal macronutrients and calories. It’s a weight loss or muscle gain calculator for both women and men.
Combine with macro counting or flexible dieting to reach your goals faster.
How to get leaner and stronger?
Our comprehensive macro-based fat loss program shows you how. Learn more
How do macros work?
The foods we eat are made up of three macros (macronutrients). These are carbohydrates (carbs), protein, and fat.
Chicken is high in protein but has no carbs; rice is high in carbs but has very little fat or protein. The three macronutrients provide the body with energy and raw materials for growth and repair.
By calculating the appropriate daily calorie amount for you, we can then break this down into the best macronutrient ratios to achieve weight loss.
Basic steps for macro counting
- Enter details into the calculator
Make sure to choose the correct goal. - Take note of your calories and macros
These will be the targets you are aiming for each day. - Track your macros
Use an app or pre-plan your meals. - Measure results
Don’t use basic weight scales.
Use proper body composition scales (we recommend Renpho) to measure fat and muscle mass changes.
What is a good macro ratio for fat loss or muscle gain?
Your macros should be based on your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) and goals.
The calculator defaults to the best macro ratio proven to work for most people.
This ratio is:
- 30% fat
- Protein is 0.65 grams per pound of body weight,
- The remainder is carbs.
Depending on your goal, this will be either a calorie deficit or a surplus.
You can go further and make more adjustments: Perhaps you’re an extreme endomorph and do better with fewer carbs. Or perhaps you have one kidney and need to eat less protein.
You can fine-tune your results with a bit of math. See how to change your macros here.
What is a good protein ratio?
Rather than a percentage, proteins are based on your body weight. Our calculator has three settings:
- Moderate adjusts the ratio to 0.65 grams per pound of body weight.
This is appropriate for sedentary individuals or people with higher body fat percentages. - High is for active people with moderate strength training and an average body fat percentage.
- Maximum will set the ratio to 1 gram per pound.
This amount is good for bodybuilding and gaining muscle mass. You must be doing intense training.
Find out how to fine-tune your protein ratios when counting macros
Fat macro ratio
Set fat at 30% of daily energy expenditure.
Most people do very well with this amount of fat. See more about choosing the best macro fats. Because of high-fat diets like keto, many people are now eating more fat than they need to.
Carbohydrate macro ratio
Once you’ve calculated protein and fat, the remainder of your daily calories should be from carbohydrates.
Carbs fuel your body and workouts – and are the body’s preferred energy source.
If you are coming from a low-carb background, this may seem high. However, according to respected nutritional research, this is a moderate amount of carbs.
If you are eating according to your TDEE, the notion that carbs cause weight gain or stop fat loss is incorrect.
Using as a Calorie Deficit Calculator
As a weight loss calculator, this tool establishes a safe calorie deficit only.
The Lose option puts you in a 20% calorie deficit, promoting safe, steady weight loss.
The best macro ratio for body recomposition
If you want to recompose your body (lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously), then use the body recomposition calculator.
Macro ratio for maintenance
The Maintain button shows you the macro levels to maintain your current weight.
This is great if you have lost weight and don’t want to gain it back.
Macro ratio for muscle gain
The Gain button puts you in a 20% calorie surplus.
The macro breakdown is designed to build muscle fast in conjunction and must be combined with a comprehensive weight training program.
Underweight people can also use it.
TIP: Try starting with the maintenance goal and gradually increasing calories if you want lean muscle gains.
Calculating macros using your body fat percentage
The calculator uses your body weight to determine calories and macros.
However, you can obtain superior results by using your body fat percentage. The calculator allows you to choose which method: Normal for body weight, Lean Mass for fat percentage.
When to choose the Lean Mass Formula
If you are lean (have a low body fat percentage), choose the Lean Mass formula and enter your body fat %.
If you are classified as obese and have a lot of weight to lose, the lean mass formula is superior. You can read more about macro counting and obesity.
Help? Calculate your ideal body weight or get an assessment of your body fat percentage.
Why the difference? Muscle cells burn more calories than fat cells, so the more accurately we measure this, the better your results will be.
How to calculate macros per meal
You can break this down into meals once you’ve calculated your daily macros in the calculator.
Choose from 2 to 6 meals daily to see the macro ratio you can track for each meal. For some people, this is easier, but for others, this is too much detail.
Do what works for you.
Meal Plans
See a 5-day macro-based meal plan. It includes three meals and two snacks per day.
Macro calculator activity level settings
A higher activity level means a higher daily calorie goal.
For example – if you maintain your weight at 2,000 calories per day, adding vigorous daily exercise means you need more calories to maintain your weight.
If you are sedentary and trying to lose weight, adding exercise will increase your daily calorie goal.
The idea seems counter-intuitive, but more energy is required to fuel your workouts. More workouts lead to increasing metabolism; therefore, more fat is burned!
Undereating is one of the leading causes of the weight loss plateau.
So many of our clients previously “hit the wall” with dieting. They would continually reduce calories, stop losing fat, and gain weight when they eat a little more.
Macro counting defeats this by prescribing the right food and calorie levels.
Which activity level do I choose?
- Sedentary: Just regular everyday activity like a bit of walking, a couple of flights of stairs, eating, etc.
- Light: Any activity that burns 200-400 calories (females) or 250-500 calories (males) over your sedentary amount.
- Moderate: Any activity that burns 400-650 calories (females) or 500-800 calories (males) more than your sedentary amount.
- Extreme: Any activity that burns more than 650 calories (females) or more than 800 calories (males) in addition to your sedentary amount.
Other options for determining your calorie burn
- Use our calories burned calculator – it accurately assesses over 380 activities.
- Use a fitness tracker – like a Fitbit or Apple Watch (note that they can overestimate calorie burn).
- Use a suitable app – like MapMyFitness
Why should I eat more when I exercise more?
High physical activity not fueled with enough calories will lead to muscle catabolism (breakdown of muscle fiber).
This lack of nutrition could stall your weight loss, so eat up if you love to exercise!
I’ve got my macros – now what?
Once you’ve identified your target daily macros, you must determine the macros in all your foods.
By tracking them daily, you can reach your recommended macro targets that encourage fat loss, muscle gain, or whatever your goal may be.
You can learn more about the macro counting system and the flexible dieting philosophy. Many people use an app like Myfitnesspal to track macros.
For more specifics on what to eat – see a sample macro meal plan or a list of macros for familiar foods.
I help people drop unwanted pounds without sacrificing their favorite meals or battling hunger.
Get nutrition assessment or explore 1-on-1 coaching.
Sources
- Mifflin, M. D., St Jeor, S. T., Hill, L. A., Scott, B. J., Daugherty, S. A., & Koh, Y. O. (1990). A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 51 (2), 241-247. Link
- McArdle, W. D., Katch, F. I., & Katch, V. L. (2010). Exercise physiology: nutrition, energy, and human performance. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Link
- Jequier, E. (1994). Carbohydrates as a source of energy. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 59(3), 682S-685S.
- Lemon, P. W., Tarnopolsky, M. A., MacDougall, J. D., & Atkinson, S. A. (1992). Protein requirements and muscle mass/strength changes during intensive training in novice bodybuilders. Journal of Applied Physiology, 73(2), 767-775. study abstract link
- Grundy, S. M. (1999). The optimal ratio of fat-to-carbohydrate in the diet. Annual review of nutrition, 19(1), 325-341. abstract
- Conlin, L.A., Aguilar, D.T., Rogers, G.E. et al. Flexible vs. rigid dieting in resistance-trained individuals seeking to optimize their physiques: A randomized controlled trial. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 18, 52 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-021-00452-2
2,104 Comments
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Thanks for the article! I’m 5’5, 24 years old and weigh 185 lb. I don’t *look* 185 maybe because of the way it falls on my body, but I would still consider myself a bit overweight. I’ve been having trouble losing and I cannot figure out why. Only lost .4 lb this week and it is super frustrating considering I’ve been doing cardio, weights, and a beach body dvd on my days off from the gym. What do you think my macros should be? Have currently been eating 1,100-1,000 calories, average about 100g carbs, 42g fat, and 85g protein, even though my goals are higher than that I don’t want to eat more if I feel full for the day… What would you suggest I do? Cut back on carbs and fat and add protein? I want to lose 2lb a week. Thanks!
Hi Gia, It looks like you aren’t eating enough and with all that exercise you’ve been doing, you’ve slowed your metabolism. Please see this article. https://healthyeater.com/eat-to-lose-weight
Hello im 5’2 weight 140 … want to loose weight and get tone, i sign in this 8week challenge and i don’t get the macro diet =( Im interesting of buying your book just one question does your book has a list of food /groceries ? thanks 😉
Hi Janette, Great! The book doesn’t contain a list of prescribed foods or a shopping list because flexible dieting teaches you to eat the food that you love in a way that satisfies your macros. I do encourage you to choose healthy whole foods the majority of the time, but nothing is off limits with flexible dieting.
Hey Ted!
I’ve got about a 300 calorie difference between your calculator and the IIFYM website calculator. Any idea what could cause this? Theyve got be shooting for 1700 a day, yours has me at 2000. Not sure if maybe its because theirs gets a bit more specific with activity levels or what not. Just curious, either way I aim for 1700 and if I go over a bit Im ok with that. I’ve also noticed yours puts me at more carbs as well.
Hi David, they use a different formula and have different settings than ours.
Hi there!
So here is my situation. I started training for figure competition. I am at the first stage trying to build muscle and not loose any weight. I am currently at 129lb and I am 5’4. I started wearing the heart rate monitor to see how much calories I burn, so I can figure out how much calories to eat and figure out the macros. I found out I have a very high metabolism. Yesterday in 24h period, including my regular every day activities, work, workout and sleep I burned 3800 cal. My lowest number was 2800, 3100 (without sleep calories). Now if I want to build muscle I know I should be eating a few hundred calories less a day, but that’s a lot of food to consume. How do I deal my the calorie number and the macros? What are the right amounts for me? Thanks
I forgot to add what I calculated, and I am 35yr old female. I even chose the option to gain weight, high protein, and very active for activity level.
2621 cal/day 363g/ 55.3% carbs 129g/19.7% protein 73g/25% fat
Does that sounds good for what I am trying to accomplish or I am not even close? Please help me to figure it out.
Hi Alex, Take heart rate monitor devices with grain of salt, they have been shown to be inaccurate by as much as 1000 calories sometimes. If you want to gain muscle you’ll have to eat more and possibly cut back on the amount of cardio you are doing. You’ll also need to monitor your macros closely to make sure your gains are lean eating less if you’re gaining fat, eating more if you’re not gaining muscle.
Hi, I have struggled with my weight in the past. I was 200 lbs in 2010 and got to a low of 138 now I am finding I am back in the 150. I have tried the low calorie intake and I have used myfitnesspal along the way. Based on your calculator to lose 10% and still build muscle ( I do crossfit ) my calories are 1480 c 127g p 150g f 41g. When completing my daily calories on myfitnesspal (before working out today) it is saying in 5 weeks ill only be 147lbs. I am nervous since I have never done macros before but I need something more effective. Could you please direct me on whether or not macros are going to help or if you think myfitnesspal is calculating correctly.
Hi Chavonne, Yes flexible dieting is great. 1480 looks like your sedentary calculation, right? Lose 10% is for those that just have less than 10 pounds to lose and who are also trying to build lean muscle. I would say you need to start out at Lose which is a 20% reduction and then you can adjust as you get closer to your goal.
thank you I will follow that. Should I do the high protein as well since I lift a lot in the gym? or stick to the regular macros
High protein is probably a good idea based on your exercise.
Hey Hey there!
Can I just ask why the exact breakdowns above and the detrimental affect of going over on protein or fats? For example,
On days when I eat higher fats (ie above 25%- I struggle as I love meat, cheese, and have an avocado or half a day.. pretty much kills the rest of the meals!) can I just cut back on the relevant amount of calories from carbs? If I over-eat protein (which I find far too easy as I’m not really a carby snacker) will it just mean my body uses it as energy or have detrimental effect?
I’m in a good place fitness wise – train heavy weights, body weight exercising, power work cardio, 2 long anaerobic mtb rides a week. I’m 177cmI weigh 75kg, 13.5%BF with 36kg lean muscle. I don’t really NEED to lose weight, but want to lose another 1-2 kilos to help me get to 15 chin ups and improve my power/weight ratio little. I love cardio and do a lot each week, and know that too much can waste muscle, and I’m hoping that on high energy expenditure days I wouldn’t need to worry if my protein count went over by 50g (I’m talking 1900 kcal net day goal 165g protein goal, can I eat another 50-70g protein) if I burn 900kcal during 2hr bike ride),. Don’t wanna waste food either so if isn’t doing anything good in me I can just woman up and eat something I don’t enjoy quite as much..
I’m currently doing a few weeks of high fat (1800-1900kcal 10%C, 50%F 40%P), but keen to get back to higher carbs so I can eat out more.. you know 😛 But I love Yogurts, meats, cheese, and eat big portions.. ’cause I’m a growing gal!
Appreciate the feedback.
Forgot to add, my base metabolic rate is 1748 because I carry so much muscle, does this affect my calculation in any way?
Hey Emily, Macro calculation is explained in detail here https://healthyeater.com/how-to-calculate-your-macros and in my book. The suggested macros are used as a good place to start but you can adjust macros to what you find works for your goals.
Hi, I am a busy mom of 3 girls, two of which are 7wk old twin girls. After using the calculator and setting protein to high my calories per day come out to 1661, will that be enough adjusted to keep breastfeeding successfully for two? How can I bump it up even more to accommodate nursing two vs one baby and still lose the 10%? Thanks!
Hi Christina, Congrats on your new babies! See my article here that addresses breastfeeding while flexible dieting. https://healthyeater.com/pregnancy-breastfeeding-flexible-dieting-iifym
Hi Ted.
Ive reached a plateau with my weightloss and I’m trying to adjust my macros, however, I’m a little confused as to what my macros should be. The macro calculator gives me a daily calorie amount of 1370, with a moderate activity level, but MFP tells me I should be eating about 1800 calories with an active activity level. I’m a 39 year old female sitting at 228lbs can you please tell me what I’m doing wrong?
Kim,
I am not sure what Ted will tell you, but I can tell you from personal experience that you are not eating enough. Even adjusting for your desired weight and an “active” level, you will see you are not eating enough. Caloric reduction is the old stand by, and causes more people to go back to old habits rather than staying healthy and prepared for the long term.
If you find yourself having trouble eating enough, add in a protein shake every 2-3 hours and see if that helps. I know it sounds counter productive, but you can eat right and eat more to not only lose weight, but gain muscle and look/feel better.
When I changed from “dieting” to following macros, not only was my weight and inches becoming better, I also felt so much better. It helped with my depression and overall stress.
I hope this helps…
Hi Kim, plateaus are frustrating but hopefully flexible dieting will help you break it. It seems like you entered something wrong in our calculator. Perhaps cm’s instead of inches? What kind of dieting had you been doing previously?
I have been doing intermittent fasting recently to try and break this plateau but after fasting so long I can’t seem to consume at least 1200 calories because I’m rarely hungry. This is so frustrating and has been a struggle for me for a very long time. I do everything that I know to do including exercising 6x a week and I eat lean meats, veggies, and a little fruit about 80% of the time and I’m still the same weight I was 4 months ago. I really need help Ted!
Hi Kim, I know that can be so frustrating. Can you read this article ( https://healthyeater.com/eat-to-lose-weight ) and see if it makes sense to your situation. I have a feeling you haven’t been eating enough to support your metabolism and exercise. The body’s preservation mechanisms are pretty remarkable but they can keep us from losing fat.
Hi Ted.
I’m a 42 year old female looking to lose my belly fat. I’ve had 2 kids and can’t seem to get ride of it. I’m 5’5 and 131lbs. I work out at home 3-4 days a week. I need help in figuring this out. I’ve been told so any different answers by other people and it’s very frustrating. Thank you.
Hi Danielle, Glad you found us and sorry that you’re getting confused. I’m happy to help and we have a lot of resources to help. My book is a great place to start as it contains everything you need to know about flexible dieting. https://healthyeater.com/macro-solution we also have more personalized options as well.
Hi Ted. I’m 36 yr old male. 5’10” and 244lbs at the moment. Over the past 6 weeks I’ve managed to lose 20 lbs. In many occasions I feel as if i’m not eating enough or more. It’s really confusing because over the past week or so I’ve been at the same weight (244). According to your calculator, I should be consuming about 2514 Calories a day. I’m doing about 20 mins. cardio (running approx 2 miles) and 40 mins. Weightlifting or HIIT. Can you throw me some pointers on what I may be doing wrong. Thanks!
Hi Eric, Great job on your progress. That’s a great accomplishment! Had you been doing flexible dieting to lose the 20? Do you have any idea of your present daily calorie level?
About 1300-1500 calories. To lose the 20lbs I had to do lots of cardio. No weight training at all. I recognize I have a lot of fat to lose.
I had my suspicions. Very low-calorie diets only work for a short time and then they start to slow the metabolism. I’ve seen this time and again. You need to be eating more. See my article here: https://healthyeater.com/eat-to-lose-weight. I would be happy to coach you and help you with your macros. Look at the 3rd option here. https://healthyeater.com/macro-solution
I have a question about the calories. The calculator is telling me that I should have 870 calories. Is it subtracting my exercise already? I am 5.4 y’all. Weigh 133. Want to loss less than 10 lbs and mod active.
Hi Steph, oops, I think you forgot to change your height to inches. 🙂 makes a big difference!
Wow. Yep it’s does make a difference. Thanks.
HI Ted, this is really useful. Similar to below, I am 25, 5ft 9 and weigh 139lbs. I do about 5 hours of exercise a week give or take. I am slender, but not skinny, still have small amounts of fat on my belly and thighs. I do moderate low weights with lots of reps and about 3 hours of spinning and running. I am looking to increase my weights and start lifting heavier to burn the remainder of the fat and muscle build. I am a massive foodie and dont want to give up the naughty stuff, whats your take on protein infused foods on this diet? So like protein pancakes, waffles, spread, breakfast bars – are they really better than the real thing or is it best to avoid? Thanks 🙂
Hi Sophia, Glad you find or website useful. Those foods are only good if you need them to help you reach your daily protein macro. Otherwise, they aren’t necessary.