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Macro Calculator

Health

Calculate your daily macronutrient targets — protein, carbs, and fat in grams — based on weight, height, age, activity level, and fitness goal.

Reviewed by the thecalcu.com team · Last updated July 12, 2026

Gender
Body Weight
kg
30200
Height
cm
140220
Age
yrs
1580
Activity Level
Fitness Goal

Daily Calories — Maintain

—kcal/day
Protein
—
g/day
Carbs
—
g/day
Fat
—
g/day

What is a Macros?

A macro calculator determines your daily targets for the three macronutrients, protein, carbohydrates, and fat, in grams, tailored to your body stats, activity level, and fitness goal. Whether you want to lose fat, maintain your current weight, or build muscle, hitting the right macro targets is more effective than simply counting calories, because the composition of your diet directly affects body composition, energy levels, and exercise performance.

The calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the most accurate BMR formula for most adults, to establish your baseline metabolic rate, multiplies it by your activity level to get your TDEE, applies a goal-based calorie adjustment, and then splits the result into protein, carbohydrates, and fat using goal-optimised ratios.

For Indian users, macro tracking is particularly relevant because traditional Indian diets tend to be carbohydrate-heavy (rice, roti, potatoes) and lower in protein relative to body weight targets. The calculator highlights your protein target, which most Indians need to consciously build towards through dal, paneer, curd, eggs, or protein supplements.

Pair this with the TDEE Calculator and BMR Calculator to understand how your total energy expenditure is composed before diving into the macro split.

Why Use a Macro Calculator?

Calorie counting tells you how much to eat. Macro tracking tells you what to eat. The two together give you complete control over body composition, whether you are trying to lose fat without sacrificing muscle, gain lean mass without excessive fat, or simply eat in a way that sustains your training and daily energy.

Preserve muscle during fat loss. A high-protein target (35% of calories) during a deficit provides the amino acids needed to maintain lean muscle mass. Eating in a deficit without sufficient protein often results in losing muscle alongside fat, reducing your metabolic rate and strength.

Fuel workouts appropriately. Carbohydrate targets ensure your muscles have glycogen available for training. Under-eating carbs on training days leads to fatigue, poor performance, and slower recovery.

Compare different dietary approaches. Use the calculator to model how a keto diet (very low carbs), a high-protein diet, or a balanced diet would break down in grams from your calorie target. The numbers make the comparison concrete.

Who Should Use This Calculator?

Fitness beginners setting up their first structured nutrition plan. The macro targets give you specific daily numbers to hit, far more actionable than vague advice like "eat less, move more."

Weight loss dieters who want to retain muscle while losing fat. The 35% protein split on a 500 kcal deficit is designed for body recomposition, not just scale weight reduction.

Gym-goers and athletes planning a lean bulk. The muscle gain preset adds a 300 kcal surplus and raises carbs to 40%, enough to support training performance and muscle protein synthesis without significant fat gain. Use alongside the Calorie Calculator to verify your daily food intake.

Vegetarians and vegans who need to consciously plan protein intake. The gram-level target makes it clear how much protein must come from plant sources daily.

What Insights Does the Macro Calculator Give You?

Daily Calories is your adjusted calorie target, TDEE modified by your fitness goal. This is the total energy budget your food intake should hit each day. It accounts for your deficit (weight loss), surplus (muscle gain), or maintenance.

Protein (g/day) is your single most important macro target. Protein preserves muscle during deficits, drives muscle synthesis during surpluses, and keeps you satiated. At 35% of calories ÷ 4 kcal/g, this typically comes to 1.5–2.0g per kg of body weight for active individuals.

Carbohydrates (g/day) fuel your brain, training sessions, and recovery. The carbs target is the most flexible macro, it can be redistributed on training vs rest days if you follow carb cycling.

Fat (g/day) supports hormone production (testosterone, oestrogen), fat-soluble vitamin absorption (A, D, E, K), and cell membrane health. Fat should never fall below 0.5g/kg/day even in aggressive deficits. The pie chart shows the calorie contribution of each macro visually.

How to use this Macros calculator

  1. Enter your Body Weight in kg, your current weight, not your goal weight.

  2. Enter your Height in cm and Age in years, used in the Mifflin-St Jeor BMR formula.

  3. Select your Gender, the BMR formula has different constants for males and females due to differences in average body composition.

  4. Choose your Activity Level honestly, most desk-job professionals are Sedentary or Light. Overestimating activity is the most common reason macro plans fail.

  5. Set your Fitness Goal, Weight Loss for a 500 kcal deficit, Maintenance to eat at TDEE, Muscle Gain for a 300 kcal surplus.

  6. Read your macro targets, these are your daily gram targets for protein, carbs, and fat. Log your food in an app like MyFitnessPal to track against these numbers.

Formula & Methodology

Step 1, Basal Metabolic Rate (Mifflin-St Jeor):

Male: BMR = 10W + 6.25H − 5A + 5

Female: BMR = 10W + 6.25H − 5A − 161

Where W = weight (kg), H = height (cm), A = age (years)

Step 2, TDEE:

TDEE = BMR × Activity Multiplier

Activity multipliers: Sedentary 1.2 · Light 1.375 · Moderate 1.55 · Active 1.725 · Very Active 1.9

Step 3, Goal adjustment:

- Weight Loss: Daily Calories = TDEE − 500
- Maintenance: Daily Calories = TDEE
- Muscle Gain: Daily Calories = TDEE + 300

Step 4, Macro split:

| Goal | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight Loss | 35% | 35% | 30% |
| Maintenance | 30% | 40% | 30% |
| Muscle Gain | 35% | 40% | 25% |

Protein (g) = Calories × protein% ÷ 4 · Carbs (g) = Calories × carbs% ÷ 4 · Fat (g) = Calories × fat% ÷ 9

Worked example:

30-year-old male, 75 kg, 175 cm, moderately active (3–5 days/week), goal: weight loss.

- BMR = 10 × 75 + 6.25 × 175 − 5 × 30 + 5 = 750 + 1093.75 − 150 + 5 = 1698.75 kcal
- TDEE = 1698.75 × 1.55 = 2633 kcal
- Weight Loss target = 2633 − 500 = 2133 kcal/day
- Protein = 2133 × 35% ÷ 4 = 187 g/day
- Carbs = 2133 × 35% ÷ 4 = 187 g/day
- Fat = 2133 × 30% ÷ 9 = 71 g/day

For body fat tracking alongside macros, use the Body Fat Calculator to monitor your composition as your macros drive change over weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions

A macro calculator computes your daily targets for the three macronutrients, protein, carbohydrates, and fat, in grams, based on your body metrics and fitness goal. It first calculates your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) using the Mifflin-St Jeor formula, then splits those calories into macros according to your goal (weight loss, maintenance, or muscle gain). Knowing your macros is the foundation of flexible dieting (IIFYM, If It Fits Your Macros).
Macros are calculated in three steps. First, your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is computed from your weight, height, age, and gender. Second, BMR is multiplied by your activity level to get TDEE, your total daily calorie burn. Third, your goal adjustment is applied (−500 kcal for weight loss, +300 kcal for muscle gain), and the resulting calorie target is split into protein, carbs, and fat using goal-specific percentages.
For weight loss, a common macro split is 35% protein, 35% carbohydrates, and 30% fat. Higher protein (35%) during a deficit preserves muscle mass and keeps you satiated. Moderate carbs fuel workouts without excess energy. Fat at 30% supports hormonal health and fat-soluble vitamin absorption. Individual needs vary, some people do better with lower carbs and higher fat (keto-style), but the split this calculator uses is backed by mainstream sports nutrition research.
For muscle gain (bulking), the calculator uses 35% protein, 40% carbohydrates, and 25% fat, applied to a TDEE + 300 kcal surplus. Higher carbs (40%) fuel training sessions and support glycogen storage, which drives performance. Protein remains at 35% to provide ample amino acids for muscle protein synthesis. A 300 kcal surplus is considered a lean bulk, large enough to support muscle growth without excessive fat gain.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recommends 0.83g of protein per kg of body weight for sedentary adults. For active individuals and athletes, 1.2–2.0g per kg is widely recommended by sports nutrition bodies. Most Indian diets fall short of this, particularly vegetarian diets where protein sources like dal, paneer, and curd need to be consciously prioritised. This calculator targets approximately 1.5–1.8g/kg at moderate activity levels.
Yes. The macro calculator gives you gram targets regardless of your dietary preferences, meeting those targets through vegetarian sources like dal, rajma, chana, paneer, curd, tofu, soy milk, and protein powder is entirely possible. Combine legumes with grains (dal-chawal, roti-dal) to get complete amino acid profiles. The Carbohydrates figure covers your total carb intake including those from wholegrains, vegetables, and fruit.
The TDEE Calculator gives you a single calorie number, your total daily energy expenditure. The Macro Calculator goes one step further: it takes that calorie number, applies your goal adjustment, and breaks it into specific gram targets for protein, carbs, and fat. Use our [TDEE Calculator](/tdee-calculator/) if you just need your maintenance calories; use the Macro Calculator when you want a full daily nutrition plan.
The pie chart shows the calorie distribution across your three macros, how much of your daily calorie target comes from protein, carbohydrates, and fat respectively. It is a visual representation of your macro ratio. Each slice corresponds to the calorie contribution: protein × 4 kcal/g, carbs × 4 kcal/g, fat × 9 kcal/g.
Daily tracking is most effective during the first 4–8 weeks of a new diet to build awareness of the nutritional composition of your usual foods. After that, most people can estimate intuitively. Apps like MyFitnessPal or Cronometer make tracking practical by letting you search Indian foods like sabzi, roti, and dal by name. Weekly consistency matters more than daily perfection, hitting your macros within 5–10% on most days is sufficient for progress.
Macros are based on your current body weight and should be recalculated every 4–5 kg of weight change. As you lose weight, your TDEE drops (you are lighter), so your calorie and macro targets decrease. As you gain muscle, your TDEE increases. Use this calculator monthly to update your targets. Pair with the [BMR Calculator](/bmr-calculator/) to track how your resting metabolic rate changes over time.
A 500 kcal/day deficit is the standard recommendation for losing approximately 0.4–0.5 kg per week, which is considered a safe and sustainable rate. Aggressive deficits (1000+ kcal) can cause muscle loss, nutrient deficiencies, and metabolic adaptation. The minimum safe calorie intake is typically 1200 kcal/day for women and 1500 kcal/day for men, this calculator enforces a 1200 kcal floor regardless of goal.
Calories are the total energy unit, everything you eat contributes calories. Macros are the three categories of food that provide those calories: protein (4 kcal/g), carbohydrates (4 kcal/g), and fat (9 kcal/g). Counting only calories tells you whether you are in a deficit or surplus. Tracking macros tells you the quality and composition of that energy, ensuring adequate protein to preserve muscle, sufficient carbs for energy, and enough fat for hormonal health. Our [Calorie Calculator](/calorie-calculator/) covers the pure calorie view.
Also known as
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