Your daily macros, dialed in.
Your daily macros are the grams of protein, carbs, and fat that make up your calorie target. A common starting split is roughly 30% protein, 40% carbs, and 30% fat, with protein near 0.7 to 1 gram per pound of body weight, then adjusted for whether you are cutting, maintaining, or bulking. Enter your body data and goal below for exact gram targets in under a minute, no signup.
Basic information
Your body data drives the BMR calculation.
Average uses the midpoint of male and female formulas for non-binary users.
Activity & goal
Pick the option that matches your real week, not your ideal one.
Your results
Fill in your body data, activity, goal, and approach. Results show here.
What is a macro in food?
A macro, short for macronutrient, is a nutrient your body needs in large amounts for energy and basic function. There are only three, and every calorie you eat comes from one of them.
Protein
Builds and repairs muscle, and it is the most filling of the three. It also carries the highest thermic effect, so 20 to 30% of its calories are burned during digestion. This is why protein gets set first when cutting.
Carbohydrates
Your primary and fastest energy source, and the fuel that matters most for hard training. Carbs are the lever most people adjust up or down once protein and fat are locked in.
Fat
Supports hormone production, brain health, and absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K. At more than double the calories per gram, it is the easiest macro to overshoot without noticing.
A macro calculator turns your body data, activity level, and goal into a gram target for each of the three. For a deeper look at what each one does, see our macros explained guide.
Macros for weight loss and muscle gain.
The same engine drives both, only the calorie direction changes. Set the goal in the calculator above and the split adjusts with it.
Macros for weight loss
Fat loss needs a moderate calorie deficit with protein held high, so the weight you lose is fat rather than muscle. Protein also keeps you fuller on fewer calories, which is what makes a deficit survivable.
- Run the calculator above with your goal set to fat loss.
- Hit your protein target first each day, then fill carbs and fat around it.
- Log meals from labels or a tracking app rather than eyeballing portions.
- Recalculate after every 10 to 15 lb of change, since your targets move with your weight.
Macros for muscle gain
Muscle needs three things at once: a modest calorie surplus, enough protein to build with, and progressive resistance training. Miss any one and you get fat gain instead of muscle.
- Run the calculator with your goal set to muscle gain.
- Keep the surplus modest. Bigger surpluses add fat, not muscle, past a point.
- Use carbs to fuel training and recovery rather than cutting them.
- Review every few weeks and adjust as your weight and training load change.
For the full breakdown of each phase, see cutting vs bulking macros and how to calculate macros for weight loss.
How to track macros.
Targets only work if what you log matches what you ate. These five habits cover most of the gap.
- Weigh food on a kitchen scale for the first two weeks. Studies put self-reported intake 20 to 40% below actual.
- Read the label for serving size, not just calories. Most people log one serving when they ate two.
- Scan barcodes rather than free-typing entries, which pull unverified user-submitted data.
- Log oils and condiments. A tablespoon of olive oil is 120 calories and it is the most commonly missed entry.
- Plan meals ahead so hitting the targets is a decision you made once, not five times a day.
Tracking does not need to be perfect. Consistency across a week beats precision on any single day. For the errors that quietly kill a deficit, see 10 macro tracking mistakes.
How the math works.
Three numbers drive everything: BMR, TDEE, and your calorie adjustment. Whether you want macros for weight loss, macros for cutting, or macros for bulking, the same engine runs underneath: it sets a calorie deficit for fat loss or a calorie surplus for muscle gain, then splits the result into protein, carb, and fat grams. The best macro ratio for weight loss usually leans high protein, so the calculator front-loads protein before dividing the rest.
BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor)
Calories your body burns at rest. Validated equation for healthy adults.
Women: 10×kg + 6.25×cm - 5×age - 161
TDEE
BMR multiplied by your activity level. Sedentary 1.2 up to Extra active 1.9.
Target calories
TDEE plus or minus 200 to 750 cal based on your goal and approach. Floored at 110% of BMR for safety.
Activity multipliers
| Level | × |
|---|---|
Sedentary Little or no exercise, desk job | 1.2 |
Lightly active Light exercise 1-3 days per week | 1.375 |
Moderately active Moderate exercise 3-5 days per week | 1.55 |
Very active Hard exercise 6-7 days per week | 1.725 |
Extra active Very hard exercise plus physical job | 1.9 |
Macro split by diet
| Diet | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 30% | 30% | 40% |
| High Protein | 35% | 25% | 40% |
| Low Carb | 30% | 40% | 30% |
| Ketogenic | 20% | 75% | 5% |
| Plant-based | 15% | 30% | 55% |
| Mediterranean | 20% | 35% | 45% |
This is also an IIFYM calculator.
IIFYM stands for "If It Fits Your Macros," the flexible dieting approach where no food is off-limits as long as it fits inside your daily protein, carb, and fat targets. Instead of banning entire food groups, you hit a calorie number and a macro split, then build your meals however you like. That makes it easier to stay consistent because your favorite foods can still earn a place in the plan.
The catch is that flexible dieting only works once you know your numbers. This is the IIFYM calculator that gives you those numbers: it turns your body data, activity level, and goal into the exact grams of protein per day, plus the carb and fat grams that "if it fits your macros" relies on. Pick the Standard preset for a classic 40/30/30 split, or another diet preference to shift the ratio toward macros for muscle gain. Plug in your details above and use the resulting macro targets as the budget you eat against each day.
Where the numbers come from.
Data sources
Calculations use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation for BMR, standard physical activity multipliers, and macronutrient ratios consistent with the USDA Dietary Guidelines. Cutting, muscle-building, and athletic-performance goals apply a 1.6 g/kg protein floor. To learn how to calculate macros for fat loss, the method is simple: protein is set first (a high protein intake near 0.7 to 1 gram per pound, or roughly 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram, scaled toward lean body mass to support muscle protein synthesis), because dietary protein also carries the highest thermic effect of food. Calories are floored at 110% of BMR for safety. Water targets use 30 ml/kg/day, fiber targets use 14 g per 1000 kcal (USDA).
- 01Mifflin-St Jeor Equation
Am J Clin Nutr, 1990 (peer-reviewed BMR formula)
- 02USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans
2020-2025 macronutrient intake guidance
- 03NIH ODS: Protein Fact Sheet
Evidence-based daily protein recommendations
- 04ISSN Position Stand on Protein and Exercise
Peer-reviewed protein timing and dosing
Related guides
Long-form articles that go deeper on the math, the protein science, and the food pairings behind your numbers.
Frequently asked questions.
Short answers to the questions we hear most about this calculator.
A macro calculator estimates your daily calorie needs and how many grams of protein, carbs, and fat you should eat based on your body data, activity level, and goal. To calculate your macros, it first finds your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), applies a calorie surplus or deficit for your goal, then splits those calories into protein, carbohydrate, and fat grams. This makes it a high protein macro calculator for weight loss, cutting, bulking, and muscle gain.
A common starting point for weight loss is a 40/30/30 split (40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat), but a higher-protein ratio around 40% protein, 30% carbs, 30% fat often works better for fat loss because protein preserves muscle and has the highest thermic effect of food. The best macro ratio is the one you can stay consistent with inside your calorie deficit, which is why this 40/30/30 macro calculator lets you pick a diet preference.
Your grams of protein per day, plus carb and fat grams, depend on your calories and goal. Each gram of protein and carbohydrate has about 4 calories and each gram of fat about 9 calories, so the calculator converts your calorie target and chosen ratio into exact daily grams. For fat loss, protein is set high first, then the remaining calories are divided between carbs and fat.
For muscle gain and cutting, research supports roughly 0.7 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight (about 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram), often calculated from lean body mass to maximize muscle protein synthesis. The high protein macro calculator uses your inputs to set protein in this range so you preserve or build muscle while losing fat.
IIFYM means "If It Fits Your Macros," a flexible dieting style where any food is fine as long as it fits your daily protein, carb, and fat targets. Instead of banned foods, you eat to a calorie number and a macro split. This tool is an IIFYM calculator: the targets it gives you are the budget you track against.
Cutting means eating in a calorie deficit to lose fat, with protein kept high to preserve lean mass, so use this as your macro calculator for cutting. Bulking means eating in a calorie surplus to support muscle gain, with more carbs to fuel training. The macros for muscle gain use the same protein target but add calories instead of subtracting them, which is why the calculator lets you set your goal and approach.
TDEE is your total daily energy expenditure: the calories you burn per day from your resting metabolism (BMR), activity, and digestion. The thermic effect of food is the energy used to digest meals, and protein has the highest thermic effect, which is one reason high-protein plans help with fat loss. The calculator estimates your TDEE first, then builds your calorie and macro targets from it.
The DrinkDigits Macro Calculator uses validated formulas such as the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and standard activity multipliers. The results are reliable estimates for general nutrition planning and should be fine-tuned based on real-world progress and consistency.
Most people should recalculate their macros every 2 to 4 weeks, especially if body weight, activity level, or training intensity changes.
Yes. The macro targets can be applied to a wide range of eating styles, including balanced, high-protein, lower-carb, ketogenic, plant-based, and Mediterranean diets.
Use your macro targets to plan meals, track intake, and monitor progress over 2 to 3 weeks. Adjust portions slightly over time based on energy levels, hunger, performance, and results.
Yes, and tracking makes it more likely. Muscle growth needs a modest calorie surplus plus enough daily protein, and both are easy to miss by feel. Tracking confirms you are actually hitting the surplus and the protein target rather than assuming it. Tracking alone will not build muscle though: progressive resistance training creates the stimulus, and the macros support it.
BMR, TDEE and macros: how the three calculators connect
Macro targets are built on your calories. Check how your resting burn is calculated in the BMR calculator, then see how activity turns it into total daily calories in the TDEE calculator.
Other free tools.
Calculators that pair well with macros. All free, no signup, no upsell.