Get your daily macros in one go: calories, then grams of protein, carbs and fat for fat loss, maintenance or muscle gain. Pick an eating style (balanced, higher-protein, Mediterranean, lower-carb, plant-based or endurance) and see a per-meal split, a fibre target and real food portions.
Your macros per meal
| Meal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Calories |
|---|
Foods that deliver each macro
Typical portions and how many grams each one gives (USDA values). Mix and match to reach your numbers.
Make it work
- Hit your protein and calorie numbers first. The carb and fat split can flex from day to day.
- Lift weights 2–4 times a week so the weight you lose is fat, not muscle.
- Weigh yourself 3–4 mornings a week and compare weekly averages, and check your waist every 2 weeks.
- If your weekly average has not moved in 3 weeks, cut about 150–200 calories (mostly from carbs or fat) or add more daily steps.
- Build fibre up slowly with vegetables, fruit, beans, lentils, oats and whole grains, and drink enough water.
How this macro calculator works
Calories first. Your resting burn is estimated with the Mifflin–St Jeor equation and multiplied by your activity level, exactly as in our calorie calculator. For fat loss, the deficit is set from a weekly rate of 0.25–0.75% of your body weight, with a minimum of 1,500 calories a day for men and 1,200 for women. For muscle gain we add about 250 calories a day.
Protein second. Protein uses the same rules as our protein calculator: about 2.0 g per kg for fat loss, 1.9 g/kg for building muscle and 1.5 g/kg for maintenance if you train (1.1 g/kg if you don’t), with at least 1.6 g/kg if you are 50 or older and training. The higher-protein style uses the top of the research range (up to 2.2 g/kg). If your BMI is above 30, we use a reference weight at a BMI of 25 so the number stays practical. Research shows muscle gains from training level off around 1.6 g/kg, with some people benefiting up to about 2.2 g/kg.
Fat third, carbs fill the rest. Fat is set by your eating style, from 25% of calories (higher-protein, endurance) to 40% (lower-carb), and never below 20%: the joint sports nutrition position of the American College of Sports Medicine, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Dietitians of Canada discourages long-term fat intakes below 20% of energy. Carbohydrates take the remaining calories. In the lower-carb style we keep carbs at or above 130 g a day, the US Recommended Dietary Allowance for carbohydrate.
Checked against official ranges. Each macro is compared with the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDR) from the US National Academies and with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reference values:
| Macro | US National Academies (AMDR) | EFSA |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 10–35% of calories | – |
| Carbohydrate | 45–65% of calories | 45–60% of calories |
| Fat | 20–35% of calories | 20–35% of calories |
| Fibre | 38 g men, 25 g women (30 g and 21 g from age 51) | 25 g a day |
These ranges were set for the general population. When calories are low and protein is high during fat loss, protein can sit above 35% and carbs below 45%. That is expected: the grams of protein per kg of body weight matter more than the percentage. The lower-carb style sits below the carb range and above the fat range on purpose. If you want to go further, read keto and low-carb after 35 first.
Does the eating style really matter?
Less than most people think. In a two-year trial of 811 adults, reduced-calorie diets that emphasised different amounts of fat, protein and carbohydrate led to similar weight loss, and the authors concluded that clinically meaningful weight loss happened regardless of which macronutrients were emphasised. The International Society of Sports Nutrition’s position stand on diets and body composition reached the same view: fat loss is driven by a sustained calorie deficit, a wide range of approaches from low-fat to low-carb can work similarly well, and higher protein intakes may improve body composition. Long-term success comes down to the plan you can stick with.
So treat the style as a preference, not a magic switch. Get your calories and protein right, lift weights, then choose the split that fits your appetite, training and food culture. Track your weekly average weight and waist with our progress tracker and adjust from what really happens, not from the calculator. Every estimate here can be off by 10% or more for an individual.
The eating styles explained
- Balanced: about 30% of calories from fat and the rest from carbs after protein. A good default.
- Higher-protein: protein at the top of the research range for your goal and fat at 25%. A common choice during fat loss.
- Mediterranean-style: about 35% fat, mostly from olive oil, nuts, seeds and fish, with plenty of vegetables, beans and whole grains.
- Lower-carb: about 40% fat with carbs kept at 130 g a day or more. Not a ketogenic diet.
- Plant-based: the balanced split with vegan food examples. Beans, lentils, tofu and tempeh bring carbs along with protein. See plant-based eating for men.
- Endurance or sport: fat at 25% so more calories go to carbs, the main fuel for long or hard sessions. The calculator compares your carbs with sports nutrition guidance of 3–5 g/kg a day for light training, 5–7 g/kg for about an hour a day and 6–10 g/kg for 1–3 hours a day.
Want this turned into meals? Use the high-protein meal planner or the protein plate builder, and read how to lose fat and keep muscle after 35 and how much protein you need after 35.
Sources
- National Academies (2024): Rethinking the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range for the 21st Century, current adult AMDRs (IOM 2002/2005)
- National Academies, Food and Nutrition Board: Dietary Reference Intakes tables for macronutrients (carbohydrate RDA, fibre AI)
- EFSA (2010): Scientific opinion on dietary reference values for carbohydrates and dietary fibre
- EFSA: dietary reference values for carbohydrates, fibre and fats (20–35% of energy from fat)
- Thomas, Erdman and Burke (2016): Nutrition and Athletic Performance, position of Dietitians of Canada, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American College of Sports Medicine
- Sacks et al. (2009), New England Journal of Medicine: weight-loss diets with different compositions of fat, protein and carbohydrates
- Aragon et al. (2017), International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: diets and body composition
- Morton et al. (2018), British Journal of Sports Medicine: protein supplementation and muscle gains, systematic review and meta-analysis
- Frankenfield et al. (2005), Journal of the American Dietetic Association: comparison of resting metabolic rate equations
- USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy): nutrient values for the food portions
This calculator gives general education, not medical advice. Numbers are estimates. Check with your doctor or a registered dietitian before big changes to your diet, especially if you have a health condition or take medication.
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