Macro Calculator
Daily protein, carbohydrate and fat in grams. Protein comes from your bodyweight and fat from a floor that protects hormone production; carbohydrate takes whatever is left. That order matters more than it sounds — a percentage split, which is what most calculators use, gets protein badly wrong at both ends of the scale.
From 2,400 kcal a day at 75.0 kg.
The detail
| Macro | Grams | kcal | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 120 | 480 | 20% |
| Carbohydrate | 311 | 1244 | 51.9% |
| Fat | 75 | 675 | 28.1% |
- Protein per bodyweight
- 1.6 g/kg · 0.73 g/lb
- Fibre target
- 34 g
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Why not just use percentages?
Because a percentage ties your protein to your calorie target instead of to your body, and the two have nothing to do with each other. Here is the same person under both methods — 100 kg, eating 1,500 kcal in a deficit, which is exactly when protein matters most.
| Method | Protein | Per kg | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30% of calories | 113 g | 1.13 g/kg | Under the range that protects lean mass in a deficit. |
| From bodyweight | 220 g | 2.2 g/kg | Holds the figure the evidence supports, whatever the calories. |
The failure runs the other way too. A 55 kg person eating 3,200 kcal gets over 4 g/kg from the same 30% rule — far past the point where extra protein does anything, and at the direct expense of the carbohydrate that would have fuelled their training. Percentages are a reasonable way to describe a diet after the fact. They are a poor way to set one.
The order the targets are set in
1. Protein = bodyweight (kg) × goal figure (1.6–2.2 g/kg) 2. Fat = bodyweight (kg) × goal figure, never below 0.5 g/kg 3. Carbohydrate = whatever calories remain ÷ 4 kcal/g Protein 4 kcal/g · Carbohydrate 4 kcal/g · Fat 9 kcal/g · Alcohol 7 kcal/g
Protein first, because it has a real floor
The recommended daily allowance of 0.8 g/kg is a deficiency threshold, not a target for anyone training. Meta-analyses on muscle retention support 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg, with the top of that range most useful in a deficit. Above roughly 2.2 g/kg the returns stop.
Fat second, because it also has one
Below about 0.5 g/kg, absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K suffers and sex hormone production is affected. When the calorie target is too tight to hold both the protein figure and the goal's fat figure, this calculator gives the fat back first — down to that floor and no further, and it says so when it has had to.
Carbohydrate last, because it has none
There is no essential dietary requirement for carbohydrate; the body can make what glucose it needs from other substrates. That is what makes it the right remainder. It is still the most useful fuel for hard training, so a low carbohydrate target has a performance cost even where it has no health cost — which is the honest way to describe the trade, rather than pretending it does not exist.
Macronutrients in common foods
Grams per 100 g as eaten. Per 100 g rather than per serving on purpose — serving sizes are the main reason food tables disagree with one another, and 100 g is what the label states nearly everywhere outside the US.
| Food (100 g) | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken breast, cooked | 31 g | 0 g | 3.6 g |
| Salmon, cooked | 25 g | 0 g | 13 g |
| Beef mince, 5% fat, cooked | 26 g | 0 g | 8 g |
| Egg, whole | 12.6 g | 1.1 g | 9.5 g |
| Greek yoghurt, 0% fat | 10 g | 4 g | 0.4 g |
| Tofu, firm | 17 g | 3 g | 9 g |
| Lentils, cooked | 9 g | 20 g | 0.4 g |
| Chickpeas, cooked | 9 g | 27 g | 2.6 g |
| Oats, dry | 13 g | 67 g | 7 g |
| White rice, cooked | 2.7 g | 28 g | 0.3 g |
| Sweet potato, baked | 2 g | 21 g | 0.1 g |
| Avocado | 2 g | 9 g | 15 g |
| Almonds | 21 g | 22 g | 50 g |
| Olive oil | 0 g | 0 g | 100 g |
What a macro target cannot do
Splitting calories into three numbers says nothing about food quality. Two diets can hit identical macros while differing completely in fibre, micronutrients, and how full they leave you — and satiety is what decides whether a target survives contact with a real week.
The grams are also only as good as the calorie figure they came from, which is itself an estimate with roughly 10 to 15% of error in it. And protein needs rise in situations this page does not model: older adults lose muscle faster and generally need more, and illness, injury and pregnancy all change the picture.
Medical disclaimer. This calculator is for general information and education only. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not a substitute for professional care. Higher protein intakes need care with existing kidney or liver disease, and ketogenic diets are a medical intervention in some contexts. Do not use this to plan intake for a child, during pregnancy or breastfeeding, or alongside an eating disorder.Speak to a doctor or a registered dietitian before making significant dietary changes.Last reviewed .
Frequently asked questions
What are macronutrients?
The three nutrients that supply energy: protein and carbohydrate at about 4 kcal per gram, and fat at about 9. Alcohol supplies 7 without being a nutrient. Those are the Atwater factors, and they are averages — fibre yields less than the carbohydrate figure suggests, and protein costs more to digest than the other two, so its usable energy is somewhat under 4.
Why set protein from bodyweight instead of a percentage of calories?
Because your protein requirement tracks how much body you have, not how much you happen to be eating. A percentage split breaks at both ends. At 100 kg eating 1,500 kcal, a "30% protein" split gives 113 g — only 1.13 g/kg, well under what protects lean mass in a deficit. The same split hands a 55 kg person eating 3,200 kcal over 4 g/kg, which is simply wasted. Setting protein per kilogram first, then fat, and letting carbohydrate take the remainder, is how targets are actually set in practice.
How much protein do I actually need?
For general health, around 0.8 g/kg is the recommended daily allowance — a floor for avoiding deficiency, not a target for anyone training. Meta-analyses on muscle retention and growth support 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg, with the upper end most useful during a calorie deficit, when lean mass is most at risk. Going beyond about 2.2 g/kg has not been shown to add anything for most people.
Why is there a minimum fat intake?
Below roughly 0.5 g per kilogram of bodyweight, absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K is impaired and sex hormone production is affected, regardless of how the rest of the diet looks. This calculator will reduce fat toward that floor when the calorie target is tight, but it will not go under it silently — it tells you it has had to.
Do carbohydrates have a minimum?
Not an essential one. There is no dietary requirement for carbohydrate in the way there is for protein and fat, because the body can make the glucose it needs from other substrates. That is precisely why carbohydrate is treated as the remainder here: it is the macronutrient with room to absorb the arithmetic. It is still the most useful fuel for hard training, so a low target has a performance cost even where it has no health cost.
What are the AMDR ranges and does my split have to fit them?
The Institute of Medicine's Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges are 10–35% of energy from protein, 45–65% from carbohydrate and 20–35% from fat. They describe intakes associated with no increased chronic disease risk, not hard limits. A bodyweight-anchored target can fall outside them — an aggressive cut or a ketogenic split usually will — and this page flags it when that happens rather than leaving you to assume everything it prints sits inside published guidance.
Do I need to hit my macros exactly?
No. Day-to-day variation of around 10% makes no meaningful difference, and weekly averages matter far more than any single day. Precision is most worthwhile for protein, where a floor is genuinely doing something, and least worthwhile for the exact carbohydrate-to-fat split, which within sensible bounds is mostly preference and adherence.
Where does fibre fit in?
Fibre is a component of your carbohydrate total, not an addition to it, which is a detail most macro calculators omit entirely. The common target is 14 g per 1,000 kcal, so the figure shown here comes straight from your calorie target. Fibre is only partly digestible, so its usable energy is well under the 4 kcal per gram the carbohydrate total assumes.
What about alcohol?
Alcohol supplies 7 kcal per gram and fits into none of the three macronutrient categories. In practice it displaces them: the calories count toward your total but contribute nothing toward protein, and they tend to come out of the carbohydrate and fat allowance. If you drink regularly, subtract those calories from the target before splitting it rather than treating them as free.
Is my data saved or uploaded anywhere?
No. Every calculation runs in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded, stored, or logged, and the page keeps working offline once loaded. If you share the page URL after calculating, the figures you entered are in the link — clear the query string first if you would rather not pass them on.