How to Calculate Your Macros for Beginners (Step-by-Step Guide)
Counting macros sounds complicated, but once you understand the three steps — calories, then protein, then fill in the rest — it becomes straightforward. This guide walks you through the whole process with real numbers.
In this guide
What are macros?
Macronutrients — macros for short — are the three nutrients that provide calories in your diet: protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Every food you eat is made up of some combination of these three, and each one serves a different function in your body.
Here’s what each provides per gram:
| Macronutrient | Calories per gram | Primary role |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 4 kcal/g | Muscle repair and growth, satiety, immune function |
| Carbohydrates | 4 kcal/g | Primary fuel for the brain and muscles during exercise |
| Fat | 9 kcal/g | Hormone production, vitamin absorption, sustained energy |
Tracking macros goes one level deeper than just counting calories. Instead of just asking “how much did I eat?”, it asks “what did I eat?” — and that distinction matters a lot for body composition. Two people eating 2,000 calories can get very different results depending on how those calories are split between protein, carbs, and fat.
Step 1 — Find your daily calorie target
Before you can set your macros, you need to know your total calorie target. That starts with your TDEE — Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the number of calories you burn in a typical day.
You can calculate it using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which is the most accurate formula for most people:
Females: BMR = (10 × kg) + (6.25 × cm) − (5 × age) − 161
TDEE = BMR × activity multiplier
Or just use the calculator:
🔢 Use the MyBodyMath TDEE Calculator
Enter your age, height, weight, and activity level to get your maintenance calories in seconds.
Once you have your TDEE, adjust it for your goal:
- Lose fat: eat 300–500 calories below your TDEE
- Build muscle: eat 200–300 calories above your TDEE
- Maintain: eat at your TDEE
- Recomposition: eat at or slightly below your TDEE
Step 2 — Set your protein target first
Protein is the most important macro for body composition and the one you should always set first. It preserves muscle when you’re in a calorie deficit, drives muscle growth when you’re in a surplus, and keeps you fuller per calorie than carbs or fat.
The evidence-based recommendation for most people doing resistance training is 1.6–2.2g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight (about 0.7–1g per pound). If you’re in a cutting phase, aim for the higher end to protect muscle mass.
Quick reference — protein targets by goal:
- Cutting: 2.2–2.4g per kg bodyweight
- Maintaining: 1.6–1.8g per kg bodyweight
- Bulking: 1.8–2.0g per kg bodyweight
- Recomposition: 2.2–2.5g per kg bodyweight
Once you have your protein in grams, multiply by 4 to get protein calories. For example: 150g protein × 4 = 600 calories from protein.
Step 3 — Set your fat target
Fat is the second macro to set. You need a minimum amount of dietary fat to support hormone production (including testosterone and oestrogen), absorb fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K), and maintain healthy cell function. Going too low on fat — below about 20% of total calories — can impair these processes.
A practical approach is to set fat at 25–35% of your total daily calories. Those who prefer lower-carb eating can push this higher; those who perform better on carbs can go lower.
Convert fat calories to grams by dividing by 9 (since fat has 9 kcal/g). For example: 600 fat calories ÷ 9 = 67g of fat.
Step 4 — Fill the remaining calories with carbs
Carbohydrates fill whatever calorie budget is left after protein and fat are set. This isn’t a cop-out — it’s a deliberate choice that gives you flexibility while keeping the two most important macros (protein for muscle, fat for health) locked in.
Convert remaining calories to grams by dividing by 4 (carbs have 4 kcal/g).
Full worked example
Let’s walk through a complete calculation for a 30-year-old woman, 165cm, 68kg, moderately active, who wants to lose fat.
Step 1 — Calculate TDEE
BMR = (10 × 68) + (6.25 × 165) − (5 × 30) − 161 = 1,432 kcal
TDEE = 1,432 × 1.55 (moderate activity) = 2,220 kcal
Cutting target = 2,220 − 400 = 1,820 kcal/day
Step 2 — Set protein
Protein = 2.2g × 68kg = 150g protein
Protein calories = 150 × 4 = 600 kcal
Step 3 — Set fat
Fat = 25% of 1,820 = 455 kcal
Fat grams = 455 ÷ 9 = 51g fat
Step 4 — Fill with carbs
Remaining calories = 1,820 − 600 (protein) − 455 (fat) = 765 kcal
Carb grams = 765 ÷ 4 = 191g carbs
Final macros — cutting at 1,820 kcal/day
🥩 Protein: 150g (600 kcal, 33%)
🍚 Carbs: 191g (765 kcal, 42%)
🥑 Fat: 51g (455 kcal, 25%)
Skip the math — use the Macro Calculator
Enter your calorie target and goal and get your protein, carb, and fat targets instantly.
Macro targets by goal
Different goals call for different macro splits. Here’s a practical summary:
| Goal | Calories | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fat loss (cut) | TDEE − 300–500 | 2.2–2.4g/kg | 25% | Remainder |
| Muscle gain (bulk) | TDEE + 200–300 | 1.8–2.0g/kg | 25% | Remainder |
| Maintenance | At TDEE | 1.6–1.8g/kg | 30% | Remainder |
| Recomposition | At or slightly below TDEE | 2.2–2.5g/kg | 28% | Remainder |
Common questions
No. Weekly averages matter far more than daily precision. The approach most nutritionists recommend is to hit your protein target consistently (within ±10g), keep overall calories close to your goal, and be flexible with carbs and fat day to day based on food availability and preferences. A day over on carbs balanced by a day under won’t derail your progress.
A food tracking app like MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, or MacroFactor is the easiest approach. You log what you eat, the app looks up the nutrition data, and shows your running macro totals for the day. A digital food scale is the single most useful tool for accuracy — estimating portions by eye leads to significant underestimation of calories, especially for calorie-dense foods like nuts, oils, and cheese.
Recalculate whenever your body weight changes by more than 5kg (10 lbs), your activity level changes significantly, or your results stop matching your goal. As you lose weight, your TDEE decreases, so the calorie target and macro amounts that worked at your starting weight may need adjusting after several months of dieting.
For fat loss, total calories is the primary variable — the research consistently shows that calorie balance determines weight change, not the specific macro split. But tracking macros ensures you get enough protein to preserve muscle (which calorie-only tracking often neglects), and gives you more control over hunger, energy levels, and training performance. For most people, tracking macros is a more complete approach.
Last reviewed May 25, 2026. Sources are cited inline; see our editorial policy for how we choose and review them.