Macronutrient calculator for daily protein, carb, and fat targets aligned with your diet goal.
Four tabs: macros from TDEE (distribution by goal), food macro lookup (dynamic food tracker), calorie ↔ gram conversion, and per-meal macro distribution.
Disclaimer: Consult a registered dietitian for a personalized meal plan.
Calculator information
📋 How to use this calculator
- Open the Calculate Macros tab and enter sex, age (years), height (inches or cm), weight (pounds or kg), and activity level (sedentary to very active).
- Choose your goal: cutting (500 kcal deficit), maintenance, or bulking (300-500 kcal surplus); the calculator computes TDEE and target calories.
- Pick a macro distribution preset: balanced (40C/30P/30F), high protein (30C/40P/30F), low carb (20C/40P/40F), or custom.
- Results display daily grams of protein, carbohydrate, and fat along with calories per gram.
- Food Macro Check tab: log foods eaten today and serving counts; the calculator accumulates total macros versus the target.
- Calorie Conversion tab: enter grams of a specific food and get the calories (1g carb = 4 kcal, 1g protein = 4 kcal, 1g fat = 9 kcal).
- Per Meal Distribution tab splits total macros across 3-6 meals for daily meal-prep planning.
🧮 Macronutrient Distribution from TDEE
TDEE = BMR x Activity_Factor; Protein_g = (TDEE x %P) / 4; Carbs_g = (TDEE x %C) / 4; Fat_g = (TDEE x %F) / 9
- BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor, men) = 10W + 6.25H - 5A + 5
- BMR (women) = 10W + 6.25H - 5A - 161, where W = weight in kg, H = height in cm, A = age in years
- Activity factor: sedentary 1.2, light 1.375, moderate 1.55, active 1.725, very active 1.9
- %P, %C, %F = percent of calories from protein, carbs, and fat (sum to 100%)
- 4 and 9 = calories per gram (Atwater factors)
USDA Dietary Reference Intakes: protein 10-35% of calories, carbs 45-65%, fat 20-35%. Strength athletes typically need 1.6-2.2 g protein per kg body weight. For cutting, a 500 kcal/day deficit produces about 1 lb/week loss (1 lb fat ~ 3,500 kcal).
💡 Worked example: Male, 30 years old, 165 lb (75 kg), 5'9" (175 cm), moderate activity, cutting
Given:- BMR = 10(75) + 6.25(175) - 5(30) + 5 = 750 + 1,093.75 - 150 + 5 = 1,698.75 kcal
- Activity factor: 1.55 (exercise 3-5x/week)
- Goal: cutting, 500 kcal deficit
- Distribution: high protein 30C/40P/30F
Steps:- TDEE = 1,698.75 x 1.55 = 2,633 kcal
- Cutting calories = 2,633 - 500 = 2,133 kcal
- Protein = (2,133 x 40%) / 4 = 853.2 / 4 = 213 grams
- Carbohydrate = (2,133 x 30%) / 4 = 639.9 / 4 = 160 grams
- Fat = (2,133 x 30%) / 9 = 639.9 / 9 = 71 grams
Result: Daily target: 2,133 kcal with 213g protein, 160g carbs, 71g fat.
❓ Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between calories and macros?
Calories are total food energy, while macros (macronutrients: protein, carbohydrate, fat) are the sources of that energy. Two foods can share 500 kcal but have very different macro splits - 500 kcal from chicken and rice behaves very differently from 500 kcal of donuts. Macro composition drives satiety, blood sugar response, and body composition.
How much protein per kg do I need for fitness?
It depends on your goal. Sedentary adults need only 0.8 g/kg (the RDA). Regularly active people need 1.2-1.6 g/kg. Strength athletes and those bulking need 1.6-2.2 g/kg. Aggressive cutting while preserving muscle may justify 2.0-2.4 g/kg. Helms et al. (2014) found no additional muscle-building benefit above about 2.2 g/kg.
Low carb or high carb for dieting?
It depends on preference and how your body responds. Low-carb diets (50-100g/day) often produce fast initial weight loss because of water retention reduction. Moderate-to-high carb diets (45-65% of calories) better support intense exercise performance. What really drives fat loss is total calorie deficit, not macro distribution.
How do I check macros for common American foods?
Use the USDA FoodData Central database or apps like MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, or FatSecret. Examples: 1 cup cooked white rice (158g) = 205 kcal/45g carb/4g protein/0g fat; 4 oz (113g) skinless chicken breast = 187 kcal/0 carb/35g protein/4g fat; 1 large egg = 72 kcal/0.4g carb/6g protein/5g fat.
Do I need to track macros every day?
No. Strict tracking (weighing food) is useful for 2-4 weeks to build portion intuition. After that, many people succeed with eyeballing (visual estimation) or tracking only protein. Obsessive long-term tracking can foster an unhealthy relationship with food.
📚 Sources & references
Last updated: May 11, 2026