Macro Calculator

This calculator first finds your BMR (calories burned at rest) using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, multiplies it by an activity factor to get your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), then adjusts for your goal — a deficit to lose weight, a surplus to gain, or no change to maintain. Your daily calorie target is then split into protein, carb, and fat grams using the ratio for your chosen diet style.

Research on muscle preservation and growth generally supports 0.7–1g of protein per pound of body weight (roughly 1.6–2.2g per kg) for people who train regularly. The 'High protein' preset here targets the upper half of that range. If you're sedentary, the lower end is plenty; if you're in a significant calorie deficit, higher protein helps preserve muscle mass.

Balanced (40% carb / 30% protein / 30% fat) suits most general fitness goals. Low-carb shifts more calories to fat and protein, often preferred for appetite control or by people following keto-adjacent approaches. High-protein maximizes protein for muscle building or preservation during a cut. None is objectively 'best' — adherence over months matters more than the exact split.

Activity level estimates how many calories you burn beyond resting metabolism through movement, exercise, and daily activity (NEAT). Someone training hard 5–6 days a week burns substantially more than someone with a desk job and no exercise, so their maintenance calories — and therefore their targets — are meaningfully higher for the same body size.

It's a reasonable, widely used starting point that produces roughly 1 pound of weight change per week, but individual response varies with metabolism, adherence, and how accurately you're tracking intake. If you're not seeing the expected trend after 2–3 weeks of consistent tracking, adjust calories by 100–200 rather than assuming the formula is wrong.

Weekly averages matter far more than daily perfection. Being within 5–10g of a target on any given day makes no meaningful difference; what matters is consistency over weeks and months. Protein is the macro most worth prioritizing precisely, since it's the hardest to make up for on off days.