Macro Calculator
Turn your calorie target into daily grams of protein, fat and carbohydrates for cutting, maintaining or bulking.
Fill in your details and your macros appear here instantly.
Your daily macros
- kcal/day
Protein at 1 g per pound of body weight, fat at 25% of calories, carbohydrates make up the rest.
What are macros?
Macronutrients are the three calorie sources in food: protein and carbohydrates carry 4 kcal per gram, fat carries 9. Hitting your calories controls your weight; hitting your macros controls what that weight is made of – muscle versus fat.
The split this calculator uses
Protein first: 1 g per pound of body weight (2.2 g/kg) covers muscle building and retention for virtually everyone who trains. Fat second: 25% of calories keeps hormones and fat-soluble vitamins covered without crowding out carbs. Carbs last: whatever calories remain, fuelling training and day-to-day energy. This is the evidence-based default used across sports nutrition; adjust fat and carbs to taste once protein is set.
Cutting vs bulking macros
On a cut, calories drop 500 below maintenance while protein stays high – that combination is what keeps muscle on you while the scale falls. On a lean bulk, calories rise about 300 above maintenance, and most of the extra goes to carbs to fuel harder training.
Calories per gram of protein, fat and carbs
The gram targets only make sense with the calorie values behind them. Protein and carbohydrate each provide 4 kcal per gram, fat provides 9, and alcohol 7, a set of figures published by the Institute of Medicine. Fat carries more than twice the calories per gram, so fatty foods use up a calorie budget quickly.
| Nutrient | Calories per gram |
|---|---|
| Protein | 4 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 4 kcal |
| Fat | 9 kcal |
| Alcohol | 7 kcal |
An example split at 2,000 calories
Say the calculator puts your target at 2,000 kcal and you weigh 170 lb. Protein comes first at 1 g per pound, so 170 g, which is 680 kcal. Fat is set at 25% of the day's calories: 500 kcal, which rounds to 56 g. That rounded 56 g contributes 504 kcal, leaving 816 kcal for carbohydrates, or 204 g. Add 680, 504 and 816 together and you land back on the 2,000 you started with.
Your own results will differ with your weight and calorie target, and you can trade grams between fat and carbs to fit the way you like to eat.
Frequently asked questions
Which macro matters most?
Protein, by a wide margin. Getting protein and total calories right captures most of the result; the exact fat-to-carb split is far less important and mostly personal preference.
Do I need to track macros forever?
No. Track closely for a few weeks to calibrate your eye, then most people maintain results by weighing in weekly and keeping protein high without logging every meal.
Is 1 g of protein per pound too much?
It is the top of the evidence-supported range (0.7-1 g/lb), chosen because the downside of slightly extra protein is negligible while too little costs muscle on a cut. Healthy kidneys handle this intake fine.
What about fiber, alcohol and net carbs?
Fiber counts toward carbs on labels but is largely undigested. Alcohol is 7 kcal/g and is best budgeted against carbs. For simplicity this calculator works in total label grams.
How do I track macros in practice?
Food labels list protein, fat and carbs per serving, so tracking is arithmetic: note how many servings you ate and multiply. A free tracking app does the adding up for you, but a notebook works just as well. Weighing food removes the guesswork from serving sizes.
Does this calculator use metric or imperial units?
Both. Use the Units toggle at the top of the calculator to switch between imperial (feet/inches and pounds) and metric (centimetres and kilograms). Your macros are shown in grams either way.
Disclaimer
Macro targets here are general information, not medical advice. Individual needs differ, so talk to a doctor or registered dietitian before making big changes to your diet, particularly if you are pregnant, under 18, or managing a condition such as kidney disease or diabetes.