Once you know your TDEE and goal, the macro split tells you what those calories should be made of. The good news: there's no magic ratio. The vast majority of people only need to get one macro right — protein — and let the other two settle into a comfortable, sustainable balance. This page explains how the macro calculator works, why protein per body weight is the only macro target worth obsessing over, and what fat and carb ratios actually do for performance and adherence. The embedded calculator above will compute macros for you across cutting, maintenance, and bulking scenarios.
TDEE Calculator
Total Daily Energy Expenditure — your real maintenance calories.
Biological sex
BMR formulas use biological sex, not gender identity.
Leave blank if unsure — we'll fall back to Mifflin-St Jeor (the standard).
Most people overestimate this. When in doubt, drop one tier.
The macro hierarchy: protein first, fat second, carbs fill the rest
Calories determine whether your body weight goes up, down, or stays. Macros determine what that weight change is made of (muscle vs fat) and how you feel during the process (energy, satiety, training performance). The macro that does the most heavy lifting on both fronts is protein. Get protein right and most of your nutritional bases are covered.
The research on protein during caloric deficits is exceptionally consistent. Helms et al. (2014) reviewed natural bodybuilding contest prep nutrition and recommended 1.6–2.2 g of protein per kg of body weight during cutting phases. Aragon, Schoenfeld, and others have replicated these numbers across studies. Higher protein during a cut preserves lean mass, blunts hunger, and improves the chance that the weight you lose is fat rather than muscle.
Fat sits in second priority. It needs to be high enough to support hormones (testosterone, estrogen, menstrual function) — typically a minimum of 0.5 g per kg body weight, with most adults landing in the 20–30% of total calories range. Below that floor for extended stretches, hormones suffer. Above 35–40% of calories, you're probably under-fueled on carbohydrates relative to training demands.
Carbohydrates fill the rest of the calorie budget. They're the macro most flexible to your preferences and training. Hard training days benefit from more carbs (better performance, faster recovery, easier eating). Rest days can swing lower if you prefer.
Quick reference: protein targets by body weight
Protein anchor in grams, given a goal and body weight. Use the lower end if you're sedentary, the higher end if you're training hard.
Body weight
Maintain (1.6–1.8 g/kg)
Lean bulk (1.8–2.0 g/kg)
Cutting (2.0–2.4 g/kg)
120 lb / 54 kg
86–98 g
98–109 g
109–131 g
145 lb / 66 kg
105–118 g
118–131 g
131–157 g
170 lb / 77 kg
123–139 g
139–154 g
154–185 g
195 lb / 88 kg
141–159 g
159–177 g
177–212 g
220 lb / 100 kg
160–180 g
180–200 g
200–240 g
If you're significantly overweight, anchor protein to your lean body mass (or use a target body weight roughly 10–15% above your goal weight). Otherwise you'll get protein targets that are unnecessarily aggressive.
How the calculator splits macros across goals
Our calculator uses these defaults across the three scenarios (you can adjust on your own if you have specific preferences):
Cutting (target = 80% of TDEE): protein at 2.2 g per kg body weight, fat at 25% of total calories, carbs fill the rest. The high protein helps preserve muscle during the deficit; the moderate fat keeps hormones happy without sacrificing carb availability for training.
Maintenance (target = 100% of TDEE): protein at 1.8 g per kg, fat at 30% of total calories, carbs fill the rest. Slightly lower protein because there's no muscle-preservation urgency, slightly more fat for satiety and dietary flexibility.
Bulking (target = 110% of TDEE for a lean bulk): protein at 2.0 g per kg, fat at 25% of total calories, carbs fill the rest. Protein supports muscle-building, and carbs ramp up because training volume is usually higher in a surplus.
Field note from Sukie
Why I stopped obsessing about the exact carb-to-fat ratio
For about three years in my mid-20s, I kept switching between 'keto-ish' (40% fat, 20% carb) and 'high-carb' (15% fat, 55% carb) splits, convinced one of them was the secret. They both worked. They both also didn't. What worked was eating consistently at my target calories with enough protein. Once I anchored protein and started letting fat and carbs negotiate based on whatever I felt like eating that week, my consistency went up — and my body composition started moving in the direction I wanted.
The research backs this up. Aragon and colleagues' position stands on body composition find no meaningful difference between isocaloric diets that vary in carb-to-fat ratio, provided protein is high enough. Adherence beats macro tinkering, every time. The split that works is the one you'll actually eat.
— Sukie
Common macro mistakes to avoid
Patterns I've seen derail otherwise solid plans:
Setting protein too low. Anything under 1.4 g/kg for an active adult is asking for hunger, poor recovery, and muscle loss during a cut. Aim for at least 1.6.
Setting fat below 20% of calories for extended periods. Hormones suffer, hunger climbs, dietary flexibility tanks (it's hard to eat satisfying meals on ultra-low fat).
Cutting carbs because 'carbs are bad.' If you train hard, carbs are your friend. The case against carbs is overstated in the popular nutrition discourse.
Treating macros as fixed daily targets instead of weekly averages. Hit your protein every day, but let fat and carbs flex within a 10–20% daily band — you'll be saner and just as effective.
Ignoring fiber. Aim for 25–35 g/day. Fiber comes from carb sources and dramatically improves satiety, gut health, and dietary quality.
Should you eat the same macros every day?
You don't have to. The body works on rough weekly averages, not daily snapshots. The two patterns I see most often that work well:
Flat daily macros: pick a target and hit it every day. Simplest to plan, easiest to track, removes decision fatigue. Best for beginners and for people in cutting phases where adherence is the hardest part.
Carb cycling (matched to training): higher carbs on training days, lower carbs on rest days, protein and fat held roughly constant. Total weekly calories still match the goal. This works well for advanced trainees who can feel the difference between under-fueled and well-fueled training sessions.
There are more elaborate strategies (carb back-loading, targeted ketogenic diets, refeed protocols). They all work in some hands, but very few people need them to make progress. Start simple. Add complexity only if you stall.
How to track macros without losing your mind
Tracking is the way to learn what your meals actually contain. After 4–8 weeks of accurate tracking, most people develop calibrated intuition and can eyeball meals within ±15% — accurate enough for maintenance and most goal phases. Strict tracking forever is rarely necessary; structured tracking during goal phases is.
Three practical tips for sustainable tracking: weigh food on a kitchen scale (volumes lie), build a personal database of 15–20 'go-to' meals so you don't re-log from scratch, and use the bar code scanner — it saves hours per week. MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, and MacroFactor are the most-used apps; pick one and stick with it for at least 4 weeks before deciding it doesn't work.
Protein quality, not just quantity
Total grams of protein get most of the discussion, but protein source matters more than people give it credit for. Two metrics quietly determine how much of your protein is actually usable for muscle protein synthesis.
Leucine content. Leucine is the amino acid that triggers the muscle protein synthesis signal — the molecular switch that says 'use this protein to repair muscle.' You need roughly 2.5–3 g of leucine per meal to maximize the signal. Animal proteins (whey, casein, milk, meat, eggs) hit that leucine threshold in a 25–30 g protein serving. Most plant proteins need 35–45 g of total protein to deliver the same leucine. This is why plant-based lifters often need to push protein 20–30% higher to match animal-protein results.
Digestibility. Animal proteins are typically 95–98% digestible. Whole plant proteins (beans, lentils, whole grains) are 70–85% digestible due to fiber and anti-nutrient compounds. Processed plant proteins (tofu, tempeh, isolated pea/soy powder) climb back to 90%+ digestibility. If you're plant-based and serious about body composition, lean on processed plant proteins for the protein workload and whole plants for fiber, micronutrients, and the rest of the diet.
The practical implication: 'I'm eating 150 g of protein' from chicken, eggs, and whey is meaningfully different from 150 g from rice and beans alone. Same number on the macro tracker, different biological availability. Adjust upward if you're sourcing protein primarily from whole plants without processed supplements.
Anchor protein at 2.0–2.4 g per kg body weight, set fat at 20–30% of total calories, let carbs fill the rest. Total calories at 15–25% below TDEE.
What macros do I need for muscle gain?+
Protein at 1.6–2.2 g per kg, fat at 20–30% of calories, carbs filling the rest. Total calories at 5–15% above TDEE. The carbs matter — they fuel training volume.
Is keto better than higher-carb for fat loss?+
Not inherently. Side-by-side studies of isocaloric diets find similar fat loss between low-carb and higher-carb approaches when protein is matched. Choose what you can stick to.
Does the time I eat my macros matter?+
Modestly. Spreading protein across 3–5 meals optimizes muscle protein synthesis better than dumping it into one meal. Carb timing around training helps performance. Outside of those, meal timing is preference.
How much fiber should I get?+
Aim for 25–35 g/day, mostly from whole-food carb sources (vegetables, fruit, beans, whole grains). Fiber dramatically improves satiety and gut health, and it counts toward your carb budget.
Do I need to be precise with macros every day?+
No. Hit protein consistently — that's the macro that matters most for body composition. Fat and carbs can flex ±15% day to day. Bodies work on weekly averages.
What if I'm vegetarian or vegan and struggle to hit protein?+
Use higher-protein plant sources (tofu, tempeh, seitan, lentils, edamame) and consider a protein powder (soy, pea, or rice). Hitting 1.6 g/kg on plants is doable; over 2.0 g/kg is harder and may require supplements.