Macro Calculator
Turn a daily calorie target into grams of protein, fat and carbohydrate, using the split for the plan you follow — balanced, low carb, high protein or ketogenic. Metric and imperial units are both supported.
Splits are common practice values, not a single standard: protein comes from your body weight, fat from a share of calories, and carbs fill the rest, so the three macros add back up to your target using 4 / 4 / 9 kcal per gram.
Formula and calculation
Worked example
A 70 kg person eating 2,000 kcal a day on the balanced plan: protein at 1.6 g per kg is 112 g (448 kcal), fat at 30% of calories is 67 g (600 kcal), and carbs fill the remaining calories — 238 g (952 kcal). Spread over three meals that is about 37 g of protein, 22 g of fat and 79 g of carbs per meal.
Turning grams into actual meals
Spread protein across the day rather than saving it all for dinner: three or four servings of 30–40 g is the usual recommendation for muscle building, and it is easier to hit than one large meal. As a rough guide, a palm-sized portion of meat, fish or tofu carries 25–30 g of protein, and a cup of Greek yogurt about 20 g. Fat and carbs are more forgiving — rice, bread, potatoes and oils are close to interchangeable calorie for calorie, so nail protein and total calories first and let the rest land where it lands. Weigh your food for the first week or two; after that, portion estimates are usually close enough.
What the results mean
- Protein
- Grams of protein to eat per day, from the g/kg target of your plan. Protein is the macro that protects muscle while you lose fat and the one that builds it when you gain.
- Fat
- Grams of fat per day. Fat carries fat-soluble vitamins and hormone production, so plans rarely drop it below about 20% of calories.
- Carbs
- Grams of carbohydrate per day — whatever calories are left once protein and fat are set. On the ketogenic plan this stays under 10% of calories.
- Calories from protein
- How many of your daily calories come from protein (grams × 4). Useful for checking that a plan written in grams still adds up.
- Calories from fat
- How many of your daily calories come from fat (grams × 9).
- Calories from carbs
- How many of your daily calories come from carbohydrate (grams × 4). Together the three rows equal your calorie target.
- Protein share of calories
- Protein as a share of your daily calories — the way most plans and apps quote a split.
- Fat share of calories
- Fat as a share of your daily calories.
- Carb share of calories
- Carbohydrate as a share of your daily calories. Under 10% is the ketogenic range; 45% and up is a standard mixed diet.
- Protein per meal
- Protein per meal if you spread the daily target evenly across your meals. An even split is a starting point — some people do better with more protein at breakfast and lunch.
- Fat per meal
- Fat per meal from an even split across the day.
- Carbs per meal
- Carbs per meal from an even split across the day.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams of protein do I need per day?
For most active adults, 1.6 g per kg of body weight covers muscle building — about 112 g for a 70 kg person. Trained athletes often go up to 2.2 g/kg, and people over 65 tend to do better at the higher end. More than that has not been shown to build extra muscle.
Is keto the same as low carb?
No. The ketogenic plan here keeps carbs under 10% of calories — usually under 30 g a day — with fat supplying about 70%, which is low enough for the body to produce ketones. Low carb is milder, landing near 25–30% of calories from carbs, or roughly 150 g a day on a 2,000 kcal diet.
Do I have to hit these macros exactly?
No. Treat them as a weekly average: protein within about 20 g and calories within 100 kcal is close enough, and fat against carbs matters far less than the totals. If you are losing fat, total calories and protein do most of the work; the split decides what the rest of your plate looks like.
Why do other macro calculators give different numbers?
They use different splits. Some fix protein as a percentage of calories rather than per kilogram of body weight, and there is no single standard for what "balanced" or "low carb" means. The arithmetic here is transparent — protein and fat targets are printed above, and carbs are simply the calories left over.