Macro calculator
Get your daily calories and macros — protein, fat and carbs — from a few basic details. Then, instead of staring at four numbers and wondering what to actually eat, hand them straight to a tool that tells you what fits. Free, runs in your browser, no signup.
Your details
Takes about 20 seconds.
≈ 2,630 cal · 135g protein · 75g fat · 355g carbs to maintain weight.
This is an estimate, not medical advice.
How this calculator works
It works in three plain steps. First it estimates how many calories your body burns at rest — your basal metabolic rate, the energy you’d use even lying in bed all day — from your age, height, weight and sex, using a well-established formula called Mifflin-St Jeor.
Second, it multiplies that by your activity level to get the calories you burn on a typical day (often called your TDEE, or total daily energy expenditure). The more you move, the higher the number. Here’s the difference between the two.
Third, it adjusts for your goal. To lose weight it takes a moderate cut below that number; to gain, a moderate amount above; to maintain, it leaves it as-is. Then it splits the calories into grams: protein set from your body weight, fat at about a quarter of your calories, and carbs filling the rest.
What the three numbers mean
“Macros” is short for macronutrients — the three parts of food that carry energy:
- Protein— builds and protects muscle, and keeps you full. It’s the one most worth hitting. Your target here is treated as a minimum to reach. Why protein matters most.
- Fat — needed for hormones and absorbing certain vitamins. About a gram of fat carries 9 calories, so it adds up fast. Your target is treated as a cap.
- Carbs— your body’s main everyday fuel, especially for training. Whatever calories are left after protein and fat become your carb target — also a cap.
Want the longer version in plain English? Read “What are macros?” or, if you want to do the maths yourself, how to calculate your macros step by step.
Now turn the numbers into a meal
A calculator gives you the targets. The hard part is the next question: what do I actually eat to hit them? That’s what the rest of the tool is for. Calculate above, then let the Adviser rank real foods and combinations that fit what you have left, or give the Solver the foods you want and get the exact grams.
Common questions
- What are macros?
- Macros (short for macronutrients) are the three things in food that carry calories: protein, fat and carbohydrate. Protein and carbs have about 4 calories per gram, fat about 9. Your daily targets are simply how many grams of each to aim for.
- How does this macro calculator work?
- It estimates the calories your body burns in a day from your age, height, weight, sex and activity level (the Mifflin-St Jeor formula), adjusts that for your goal — a moderate deficit to lose, a moderate surplus to gain — then splits the calories into protein, fat and carbs.
- How much protein do I need?
- This calculator sets protein at roughly 1.8 grams per kilogram of body weight (about 0.8 grams per pound), which is a common range for people who are active or trying to keep muscle while losing fat.
- Are these numbers exact?
- No calculator can be exact — they are well-founded estimates. Use them for two to three weeks, watch the scale and the mirror, and nudge calories up or down if your real-world results differ from the plan.
- Do I have to count both calories and macros?
- If you hit your protein, fat and carb targets, your calories take care of themselves — the macros add up to the calorie number. So you can track just the macros and not count calories separately.
This calculator gives general estimates for healthy adults and is not medical or nutritional advice. If you have a medical condition or are pregnant, talk to a professional before changing how you eat.