Learning how to calculate your macros is an important step in creating a balanced diet that supports your overall health.
But it can be overwhelming when you’re just starting out.
*This is step three in starting the macro diet. Need to catch up? Read my quick guide to starting the macro diet here.
There’s a lot of different opinions out there on how much you should eat of what. So I created this guide to help you determine what you need based on your specific body and health goals.
If you are new to the macro diet and haven’t check out the Ultimate Guide To Counting Macros I recommend you start there and come back here for a more detailed guide on determining your unique macros.
Discloser: I am not a trained health professional. All articles are based on my own experience and opinions. Please consult with a health professional before making lifestyle changes.
This post may contain affiliate links and I may earn a small commission when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. You can read my full disclaimer here.
How To Calculate Macros
This is the base way to calculate your macros. After following these steps you can adjust based on your unique goals that are described below.
Step 1: Calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
Follow these equations to find your BMR: Note the measurement differences
Males
BMR = 66 + (13.75 x weight in kg) + (5 x height in cm) – (6.8 x age in yrs)
Females
BMR = 655 + (9.6 x weight in kg) + (1.8 x height in cm) – (4.7 x age in Yrs)
Step 2: Determine Your Daily Calorie Need
Multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:
- If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.1
- If you are lightly active (light exercise (less than 30 mins)/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.275
- If you are moderately active (moderate exercise (30 mins)/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.35
- If you are very active (hard exercise (45 mins+)/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.525
Step 3: Adjustment for Goal
Your body and goals are unique, so you’ll need to adjust depending on what those are. Here are the basic adjustments and you can read further below about other adjustments you may consider making.
Adjustment for Weight Loss:
Once you have determined your daily calorie need, in order to lose weight you should reduce your total daily calorie need by about 15-20%.
Where you fall in this range will be determined by your unique body and goals.
Listen to your body and use this as a starting point! If you’re still hungry (actually hungry not just munchy) then do closer to 10-15%, but if you feel full try reducing it closer to 20%.
Adjustment for Weight Gain:
If you’re wanting to put on healthy weight (especially muscle) you’ll want to increase your daily calorie need by 5-15%
Once you’ve hit this number give it a window, for example, 1500 – 1600 so you don’t stress about having the perfect number.
Step 4: Macro Balance
Now that you have your daily calorie need we’ll break down what percentage of calories you want to get from each nutrient.
These percentages vary and can change over time and vary person to person, but for most people, a good starting break down is:
Protein: 30%
Carbs: 40%
Fat: 30%
Below you’ll find more ideas on how to break up your macros based on specific goals (keto diet, muscle gain, fat loss, etc)
Remember to give yourself some leeway in each category. It’s unlikely to get a perfect 30%, 40%, 30% each week – so it’s good to have a range of 5% on each macro.
Over time you’ll adjust your goals depending on how your body is responding to it. But starting at this ratio is common and you’ll find lots of meal plans and recipes that follow this percentage. Just like my meal plan for beginners here.
Converting Macros Into Grams
If you aren’t using a meal plan tool like my google sheet that you can get for free, then you’ll want to know how to calculate your total grams for the day.
How To Calculate Grams for Macros
Here’s the equation you’ll need to follow
Protein: (Total Daily Calories x Percentage) / 4
Carbs: (Total Daily Calories x Percentage) / 4
Fat: (Total Daily Calories x Percentage) / 9
For example, if I’m eating 1500 calories a day with 30% protein I would calculate that as (1500*.30)/4 = 112 grams of protein.
Best Macro Calculator
You can calculate your personal macros using a pen and paper or an excel spreadsheet (my preferred method). But there are tons of online calculators and apps that can also help you calculate your macros. Here are a few that I recommend.
This calculator is helpful if you’re following the Keto diet. It takes into consideration your current body fat percentage and helps you find a safe deficit or surplus for your goals. You’ll get your results emailed to you with a free keto grocery list to help get you started.
I like this calculator because it breaks down your percentages and shows you the number of grams you need to eat, and will even break that down further into how many grams at each meal. This can be helpful in understanding what each of your meals should look like.
How To Calculate Macros for Males
To calculate your macros for males use the above guide or an online calculator and determine your macro percentage based on your goals. Continue reading below for ideas on how to adjust based on body type and fitness goals.
As a good starting place, you can aim for the 30/40/30 standard macros or customize to fall between the following percentages:
Protein: 10% – 35%
Carbs: 45% – 65%
Fat: 20% – 35%
Male or Female, if you feel weak from your workouts and you don’t build muscle, you should consider increasing your carbs.
How To Calculate Macros for Females
Although we’re used to calculating different things while dieting than men, female macro ratios are the same. The only difference during the macro diet between men and women will be the total calorie need.
Continue reading below for ideas on how to adjust based on body type and fitness goals.
Females should aim for the 30/40/30 standard macros or customize to fall between the following percentages:
Protein: 10% – 35%
Carbs: 45% – 65%
Fat: 20% – 35%
Male or Female, if you feel weak from your workouts and you don’t build muscle, you should consider increasing your carbs.
What should my macros be during pregnancy?
With anything for pregnancy, you should talk to your doctor and a specialized nutritionist to ensure proper nutrition for you and your baby during pregnancy.
However, for the most part, the macro rations that are advised during pregnancy are the typical ratios recommended before and after pregnancy.
Protein: 10% – 35%
Carbs: 45% – 65%
Fat: 20% – 35%
Best Macros For Your Body Type
Everyone has a unique body type. Those types can be somewhat categorized into three main types; Ectomorph, Mesomorph, and Endomorph. (Read more here)
By determining what body type you are you may be able to find a macro ratio that will work even better for you.
Ectomorph: If you’re an ectomorph, you’re naturally thin with skinny limbs and a high tolerance for carbohydrates. Usually, your metabolic rate is fast. A good starting macronutrient ratio for you would be something like 25% protein, 55% carbs, and 20% fat.
Mesomorph: Mesomorphs are naturally muscular and athletic. They have a moderate carbohydrate tolerance and a moderate metabolic rate. Mesomorphs can usually start at a 30% protein, 40% carb, 30% fat macronutrient ratio.
Endomorph: If you’re naturally broad and thick, you’re probably an endomorph. Endomorphs have a low carbohydrate tolerance and a slow metabolic rate. If you’re an endomorph, try a ratio of 35% protein, 25% carbs, 40% fat.
How To Calculate Macros for Keto
The biggest macro to determine on Keto is carbs. On keto carbs should be about 5% of your calories although that will differ between individuals.
This is the advice from Trifecta Nutrition:
Use the following guidelines to estimate your starting carb needs:
- Calorie range <2,000 calories/day: 20 grams of carbs a day or less
- Calorie range 2,000 to 2,500 calories/day: 25 to 30 grams of carbs a day or less
- Calorie range >2,500 to 3,000 calories/day: 30 to 35 grams of carbs a day or less
- Calorie range >3,000 calories/day: 35 to 50 grams of carbs a day or less
Keto Macros Percentages
The typical macro rations for keto are the following:
Protein: 25%
Carbs: 5%
Fat: 70%
To calculate all your keto macronutrients and learn more about how keto works check out this article from Trifecta Nutrition.
How To Calculate Macros for Fat loss
If your goal is to lose weight on the macro diet you’ll want to take your daily calorie need and reduce it by 10-20%. Reducing more than 20% can be very dangerous and is not recommend.
If you start with 15-20% and find yourself actually hungry, not just snacky, after a few days – then take it down to 10%.
You’ll need to adjust this percentage as you lose weight, so revaluate it every few months.
What are the ideal macros for fat loss?
In order to lose weight on the macro diet, you want to make sure your body can burn fat and build muscle at the same time. This can be done following the base recommended macro percentages:
Protein: 30%
Carbs: 40%
Fat: 30%
However, everybody is different and has different needs. If you aren’t seeing results on the basic 30/40/30 ratio try mixing it up to fall within the following ranges:
Protein: 30-40%
Carbs 10-30%
Fat: 30-40%
How To Calculate Macros for Muscle Gain
If you’re looking to put on healthy weight or gain muscle through the macro diet you will need to increase your daily calorie need by 5-15%. For most people, this will provide an increase of ½ a pound to 2 pounds of muscle each week.
In addition to eating the proper nutrition, you’ll also want to add an adequate amount of strength training.
You can learn all about macros for muscle gain from Trifecta Nutrition.
What is a good macro ratio for building muscle?
The common macro ratios for building muscle/bodybuilding are the following:
Protein: 25-35%
Carbs: 40-60%
Fat: 15-25%
The Takeaway
After all this math and different percentages are thrown at you the biggest piece of advice I can give you is to just get started! If you’re overwhelmed just use a calculator to determine your calorie need and start with the basic 30/40/30 breakdown.
You can use my macro meal plan for beginners to get a feel for what following your macros is like.
If you’re new to Macros and want to learn how to track your macros check out my Ultimate Guide To Counting Macros.
Ready to create your custom macro meal plan? Check out my Macro Meal Plan Template for Google Sheets.
Related Article: Macro-Friendly Dinner Recipes
Still have questions? Please drop them in the comments! I’d love to make this as great a resource as possible, so if I’ve missed something I’d love to fix it!