Macro Calculator

Calorie target

Biological sex

Age

yrs

Height

Weight

lbs

Activity level

Goal

Macro split

Daily target: 2,693 calories

202P / 269C / 90F g

Maintenance calories(Mifflin-St Jeor): 2,693 cal
Protein(808 cal): 202 g
Carbs(1,076 cal): 269 g
Fat(810 cal): 90 g

All four splits at 2,693 calories

Split	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Balanced	202 g	269 g	90 g
Low carb	236 g	168 g	120 g
High protein	269 g	236 g	75 g
Keto	168 g	34 g	209 g

Balanced stays inside the USDA acceptable ranges (45–65% carbs, 10–35% protein, 20–35% fat); low-carb and keto are specialty diets outside those ranges.

Macros — short for macronutrients — are how your daily calories split across protein, carbs, and fat. A 30-year-old man, 5'10" and 170 lbs, who works out 3–5 days a week maintains his weight on about 2,693 calories; on a balanced split that's 202 g protein, 269 g carbs, and 90 g fat a day. This calculator estimates your calorie target (or takes one you already know), then converts it into grams under four different splits so you can compare them side by side.

How the macro calculator works

Three steps, all transparent:

Your calorie target. By default it's estimated from your stats and activity level with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation — the same engine as our TDEE calculator. Pick "lose fat" to subtract 500 calories or "build muscle" to add 300. Already know your number? Switch to direct entry and type it in.
A macro split. Balanced (30% protein / 40% carbs / 30% fat), low carb (35/25/40), high protein (40/35/25), or keto (25/5/70).
Grams, not just percentages. Protein and carbs carry 4 calories per gram, fat carries 9. At 2,693 calories, balanced comes out to 202/269/90 grams; switch to high protein and it's 269/236/75. The comparison table lays all four splits out together so the trade-offs are one glance apart.

Which split should you pick?

There's no best split — only one that fits your goal and that you'll actually stay on:

Balanced (30/40/30): a middle ground that sits close to the USDA's acceptable ranges (45–65% carbs, 10–35% protein, 20–35% fat). The right default if you're new to tracking.
Low carb (35/25/40): carbs drop to a quarter of your calories. A practical first move if your diet is heavy on bread, rice, and sweets — but note it falls below the guideline range for carbs, which makes it a specialty diet.
High protein (40/35/25): the standard cut-phase setup. Protein is the most filling macro and the most expensive to digest (roughly 20–30% of its calories are burned processing it). The cost: less room for carbs and fat.
Keto (25/5/70): carbs compressed to 5% to push your body onto fat fuel. The hardest to execute — in the example above, carbs come out to 34 grams, which a cup of milk and a banana already exceed. It's a specialty diet; talk to a doctor first if you have any medical conditions.

Set protein first, and let the other two float. That's how most dietitians actually prioritize when building a plan.

Protein: the one number worth memorizing

If you only track one macro, track protein. Commonly cited targets in sports nutrition:

Sedentary maintenance: about 0.8–1.2 g per kilogram of body weight
Fat loss (muscle retention): about 1.6–2.2 g/kg
Muscle gain: about 1.6–2.2 g/kg

At 170 lbs (77 kg), a fat-loss target of 1.6–2.2 g/kg works out to 123–170 g a day — the balanced split's 202 g already covers it. Multiply your weight in kilograms by the range and compare it against the calculator's gram output to see whether your split is protein-rich enough.

How to use this calculator

Choose your calorie source at the top: estimate from my stats (the built-in Mifflin-St Jeor estimate) or I know my daily calorie target (type it directly).
In estimate mode, enter sex, age, height, weight, and activity level — imperial and metric both work and remember their own inputs.
Pick a goal: maintain, lose fat (−500 cal), or build muscle (+300 cal). Hidden in direct mode.
Choose a macro split and read the result: the headline number is your three macros in grams, with each macro's calorie share underneath.
Open the comparison table to see all four splits at your calorie level — your current pick is highlighted.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly are macros?

Macronutrients — protein, carbohydrates, and fat, the three nutrients that supply calories (alcohol is technically a fourth, but it isn't part of meal planning). Protein and carbs provide 4 calories per gram, fat provides 9. "Counting macros" means setting a daily calorie budget first, then deciding how many grams of each macro make it up.

What should my macros be for weight loss?

Set the deficit first — eat 300–500 calories under your maintenance (see the calorie deficit calculator) — then push protein to 1.6–2.2 g per kilogram to protect muscle. Split the remaining calories between carbs and fat to taste: low-fat versus low-carb matters far less for fat loss than whether you can stick with it.

What does 40/30/30 mean?

A popular macro ratio: 40% of calories from carbs, 30% from protein, 30% from fat (sources disagree on ordering; this calculator labels everything as protein/carbs/fat, and its balanced preset is 30/40/30). The differences between these mainstream ratios are small — total calories and protein matter more.

Is counting macros better than counting calories?

For the number on the scale, calories decide the outcome. For body composition — whether the weight you lose is fat or muscle — and for hunger control, the macro split matters a lot. At the same 2,000 calories, 100 g versus 180 g of protein can produce visibly different results after three months. If your tracking budget is limited, watch calories and protein first.

Is too much protein bad for your kidneys?

For healthy people with normal kidney function, published research generally supports intakes around 2 g per kilogram per day as safe. People with existing kidney disease may need to restrict protein under medical guidance — in that case, don't set your own targets with a general-purpose calculator.

Keto shows 209 g of fat — is that a mistake?

No. Fat carries 9 calories per gram — more than double protein or carbs — so 70% of calories from fat is "only" 209 grams, while 5% from carbs is just 34 grams. That's exactly why keto is hard to execute: the food volume it allows is much smaller than people expect.

Data sources: Calorie-per-gram values and macro categories are standard nutritional data; the balanced split is referenced against USDA acceptable macronutrient distribution ranges; calorie estimation uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (published research, 1990). Every example number on this page was computed by this page's calculator — the male example is the calculator's default input, so you can reproduce it exactly. Related tools: TDEE calculator, calorie deficit calculator, all health calculators.

Disclaimer: This calculator uses published research and standard nutritional data. Results are estimates for reference only and are not medical or nutritional advice. If you are pregnant or nursing, or have diabetes, kidney disease, or another metabolic condition, consult a physician or registered dietitian before changing your diet.