Macro calculator

How macros are calculated

Each macro gets a share of your daily calories, and that share is turned into grams with its energy per gram:

• Protein and carbohydrate: about 4 calories per gram.
• Fat: about 9 calories per gram.
• Grams = daily calories × percentage ÷ calories per gram. Per meal, divide by the number of meals.
• Protein per kg = grams of protein ÷ body weight in kilograms (pounds ÷ 2.2046).

Worked examples

• Balanced, 2,000 calories: 20% protein, 50% carbs and 30% fat give 100 g of protein, 250 g of carbs and 67 g of fat a day, or about 33 g, 83 g and 22 g over three meals.
• Higher protein, 1,600 calories, 140 lb: at 30/45/25 that’s 120 g of protein, 180 g of carbs and 44 g of fat. For someone who weighs 140 lb, protein works out to 1.9 g per kg, above the RDA of 0.8 even on a lower calorie intake.
• Lower carb, 2,800 calories: at 25/40/35 that’s 175 g of protein, 280 g of carbs and 109 g of fat. Carbs at 40% sit just under the 45% guideline minimum, so the calculator notes it.

Grams a day for each split

Protein / carbs / fat in grams, for the three preset splits at three calorie levels.

The guideline ranges

The National Academies’ Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDR) are the shares of calories linked with getting enough of every essential nutrient while keeping the risk of chronic disease down. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025 used the same ranges. On a 2,000-calorie day they come to:

• Protein: 10–35% of calories, 50–175 g.
• Fat: 20–35% of calories, 44–78 g.
• Carbohydrate: 45–65% of calories, 225–325 g.

The Balanced and Higher protein presets sit inside all three ranges. Lower carb trades some carbohydrate for fat and protein and falls just outside, which the calculator points out rather than hides. Custom splits get the same check.

What a macro split can’t tell you

Two plates with the same macros can be very different meals. The split says nothing about fiber, vitamins, the type of fat or how much added sugar you eat, which is why the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025–2030 focus on whole foods and keep saturated fat under 10% of calories. They also set a protein goal of 1.2 to 1.6 g per kg of body weight, higher than the RDA of 0.8 g/kg; the protein calculator shows both for your weight, along with the ranges for training and for older adults. If you have diabetes, kidney disease or another condition where carbohydrate or protein matters, your doctor or a registered dietitian should set your targets.

Your calorie number matters more than the split, so get it right first with the TDEE calculator, or the calorie deficit calculator if you want to lose weight. The BMR calculator shows your calories at rest, and the body fat calculator estimates your lean mass.

Sources

• Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids. The National Academies Press, 2005.
• U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025 (Appendix 1, nutritional goals). 2020.
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030. January 2026.

This calculator splits calories using published ranges for healthy adults. It isn’t a diet plan or medical advice. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18 or managing a health condition, ask your doctor or a registered dietitian what suits you.