Your protein, carb and fat grams — from goal, weight and honest activity
Macro tracking works because it forces the two decisions that matter — total calories and enough protein — and leaves the rest flexible. This calculator builds your targets the way sports-nutrition evidence orders them: TDEE first (Mifflin-St Jeor), goal adjustment second, protein anchored third, fat floored fourth, carbs filling the remainder as training fuel. Grams, not philosophy.
| Macro | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Protein (4 kcal/g) | 0.7–1.0 g/lb — high end when cutting | Preserves muscle in a deficit, builds it in a surplus, and satiates best per calorie — every diet that works quietly gets this right |
| Fat (9 kcal/g) | 25–35% of calories, floor ~0.3 g/lb | Hormone production suffers below the floor; above ~40% it just crowds out carbs |
| Carbs (4 kcal/g) | The remainder | Training fuel — performance drops on low carbs are real for hard training, irrelevant for sedentary days |
Protein reality check — hitting 150g takes deliberate effort: chicken breast (31g/100g cooked... roughly 43g per typical breast), Greek yogurt (17g/cup), eggs (6g), lentils (18g/cup), whey (~25g/scoop). The per-meal card exists because distribution matters modestly (~25–40g per meal optimizes muscle protein synthesis) and because "150g" is abstract while "38g × 4 meals" is a menu. Carbs and fat need less engineering — rice, oats, potatoes, fruit; olive oil, nuts, the fat that arrives with your protein.
No — ±5-10g is noise. The hierarchy: calories roughly right (±100), protein within 10-15g, carbs/fat wherever they land. Perfectionism kills adherence, and adherence is the entire game.
The evidence plateau sits around 0.7-0.8 g/lb for most; 1.0 g/lb adds margin when cutting (muscle preservation) and costs nothing but chicken. More than that is unnecessary — and not dangerous, just expensive.
Neither, per every controlled comparison: with calories and protein matched, fat loss is equal. Pick by preference and training demands — hard training favors carbs; satiety preferences vary. The calculator's split is a starting point, not a religion.
In order of likelihood: tracking gaps (oils, bites, weekends — studies show 30-50% underreporting), activity overstated, water masking fat loss (especially with new training), or 2 weeks just isn't enough data. Tighten tracking before cutting deeper.
Optional refinement: some cycle carbs (more on training days) at identical weekly calories. Evidence for superiority is thin; consistency beats complexity for everyone short of physique competitors.
Fiber: 14g per 1,000 kcal (mostly arrives if carbs come from plants). Sugar within calories is metabolically unremarkable but displaces satiety. Micros: cover with variety and produce — macros describe the frame, not the whole house.
Yes — everything computes locally in your browser.
Calories set the direction, protein protects the muscle, the two-week loop does the steering. Weigh the food, average the scale, adjust like an engineer — physiques are built by people who treat it as data.