Macro Calculator
Free Macro Calculator — Protein, Carbs & Fat Targets
Counting calories is a great start — but tracking your macros (protein, carbohydrates and fat) gives you full control over your body composition. Use this calculator to set your daily targets and log your food to see exactly where you stand.
Macro Calculator
your daily targets
step 3 — log your food
What Are Macros and Why Should You Track Them?
Macronutrients — or macros — are the three nutrients your body uses for energy: protein, carbohydrates and fat. Unlike simply counting calories, tracking macros tells you what your calories are made of. This matters enormously for body composition, because the same 2,000 calories eaten from mostly protein and vegetables will produce very different results to 2,000 calories eaten from mostly sugar and fat.
For gym-goers and people focused on losing body fat while keeping muscle, macros are the single most important nutritional variable to control.
How This Calculator Sets Your Macro Targets
Once you enter your daily calorie goal and select your objective, the calculator splits those calories using evidence-based ratios tailored to your goal:
- Weight loss — 40% protein, 35% carbs, 25% fat. Protein is kept high to preserve lean muscle during a calorie deficit.
- Maintenance — 30% protein, 45% carbs, 25% fat. A balanced split to fuel daily activity and recovery.
- Muscle gain — 30% protein, 50% carbs, 20% fat. Carbohydrates are prioritised to fuel training sessions and support muscle protein synthesis.
These are starting points. After 2–4 weeks, review your progress and adjust. If you are losing weight faster than 0.5 kg per week on the weight loss split, add 100–150 kcal from carbohydrates.
Remember: Protein provides 4 kcal per gram, carbohydrates provide 4 kcal per gram, and fat provides 9 kcal per gram. This is how calorie targets are converted into gram targets.
Protein: The Most Important Macro
Protein is the building block of muscle tissue. It is also the most satiating macronutrient — meaning it keeps you fuller for longer — making it particularly valuable during a calorie deficit. Research consistently shows that higher protein intakes (1.6–2.2 g per kg of bodyweight) lead to better preservation of muscle mass when losing weight and greater muscle gains when bulking.
High-protein foods to prioritise include chicken breast, turkey, lean beef, eggs, Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese, tuna, salmon and whey protein.
Carbohydrates: Fuel for Performance
Carbohydrates are your body’s preferred fuel source for high-intensity exercise. Keeping carbohydrate intake adequate — especially around workouts — supports training performance, recovery, and muscle glycogen replenishment. The idea that carbs are inherently fattening is a myth: excess total calories cause fat gain, not carbohydrates specifically.
Prioritise complex, unprocessed carbohydrate sources: oats, rice, sweet potato, fruit, legumes and wholegrains. These provide sustained energy and important micronutrients.
Fat: Essential, Not the Enemy
Dietary fat is essential for hormone production (including testosterone), joint health, brain function and the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. Do not cut fat too low — dropping below 20% of total calories can impair hormonal function, which is counterproductive whether your goal is fat loss or muscle building.
Focus on healthy unsaturated fat sources: olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds and fatty fish. Limit trans fats and minimise ultra-processed seed oils.
How to Hit Your Macro Targets Consistently
- Plan protein first. Build each meal around a protein source, then add carbs and fats around it.
- Meal prep. Cooking in batches removes the guesswork from daily tracking.
- Be consistent, not perfect. Hitting your targets within ±5–10% on most days is enough to see results.
- Weigh food raw. Cooked weights vary depending on water absorption or loss. Weigh ingredients before cooking for the most accurate logging.
- Reassess every 4 weeks. As your weight changes, so do your calorie and macro needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate my macros?
Enter your daily calorie target and select your goal above. The calculator automatically splits your calories into protein, carbs and fat grams based on your objective. If you don’t know your calorie target, use our calorie calculator first.
How much protein do I need per day?
For active people, 1.6–2.2 g per kg of bodyweight is the recommended range. This calculator targets approximately 40% of calories from protein for weight loss, which for most people lands within this range. Spreading protein intake across 3–5 meals maximises muscle protein synthesis.
What are macros in food?
Macros are the three main calorie-providing nutrients: protein (4 kcal/g), carbohydrates (4 kcal/g) and fat (9 kcal/g). Alcohol also provides calories (7 kcal/g) but is not a macronutrient. Tracking macros gives you more precise control over body composition than calorie counting alone.
What is IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros)?
IIFYM is a flexible dieting approach where you eat any foods you enjoy, provided they fit within your daily macro targets. It is more sustainable than restrictive meal plans for most people and produces equal results when total calories and macros are matched. The food log in this calculator supports an IIFYM approach.
Should I track macros or just calories?
For general weight loss, tracking calories alone can be sufficient. But for gym-goers who want to lose fat while keeping muscle — or gain muscle while minimising fat — tracking macros gives you the precision needed to control body composition rather than just bodyweight.
Can I build muscle and lose fat at the same time?
Yes — especially for beginners and people returning after a break. This is called body recomposition. It requires eating at or near maintenance calories with high protein intake and progressive resistance training. For intermediate and advanced lifters, dedicated bulking and cutting phases tend to produce faster results.