Carb protein fat ratio for weight loss and muscle gain calculator

This free macro calculator (used by over 500,000 people!) will provide you the most accurate macros and calories for your flexible dieting goals. It’s easy to use – simply choose your goal below and within minutes you will know how many calories and macros to eat each day!

I WANT TO LOSE FAT

Click the button below to calculate the most accurate macros for fat loss.

FAT LOSS CALCULATOR

I WANT TO GAIN MUSCLE

Click the button below to calculate the most accurate macros for muscle gain.

MUSCLE GAIN CALCULATOR

I WANT TO MAINTAIN

Click the button below to calculate the most accurate macros to maintain your weight.

MAINTENANCE CALCULATOR

Once you have selected your preferred macro calculator, we’ll take you to an online form which takes a few details from you in order to run the calculator. When you’ve filled everything out, you will have the option to receive your results via email, or displayed on the screen. We recommend having your macros emailed to you for reference – we’ll send you a free copy of Eat Fantastic, our 28-page guide to flexible dieting via email along with your results! You can also sync your results with My Macros+ so you can start tracking macros straight away.

HOW TO CALCULATE MACROS

Our free macro calculator takes a few details about you – such as your height, weight, sex, and activity level – and calculates how many calories you burn per day. We then adjust this automatically for you based on whether you’d like to lose weight, gain weight, or maintain your weight:

  • In order to lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than you burn – also known as a calorie deficit. Our fat loss calorie calculator provides three levels of calorie deficit, depending on whether you want slow or fast weight loss. We don’t tell you to just eat 500 calories less – we personalize the results to your goals.
  • In order to gain muscle, it is best to eat more calories than you burn – also known as a calorie surplus. We’ll automatically calculate the best calorie surplus for you based on how long you have been weight training, your age, and current weight.
  • If you want to maintain your weight, then all you need to know is how many calories per day you burn. We have used a formula that is accurate for most people, but if you would like to learn more about the right macros for you then you can check your results in our free Facebook group. 

The best bit about using this macronutrient calculator? It’s free, quick, and you don’t have to download any sort of macro app!

So why should I use macros, and not just count calories?

Trick question! By using macros, you are using calories – it just makes sure that we’re eating the right things in the right amount to make completely sure that we are going to achieve our goals. You can learn more about that below, in the “What are Macros?” section.

Using a free macro calculator like this is the easiest way to learn how many calories and macros to eat. It’s been used over 500,000 times by people from all around the world!

WHAT ARE MACROS?

Great question!

“Macros” is short for macronutrients. These are nutrients that your body requires or consumes in large quantities. The 3 main macronutrients are protein, carbohydrates, and fats. If you’ve ever looked on the back of your food’s packaging, you’ll have seen the macronutrient breakdown listed.

Each of the different macros is important for different reasons:

Protein – Helps you keep muscle, feel fuller, and automatically makes you eat less!

Protein is the chief macro when it comes to building muscle. Protein isn’t usually used by the body for fuel, and provides the ‘building blocks’ for new muscle mass.

When you’re trying to lose weight, protein can help you feel fuller (really useful!) and also helps you lose more fat and keep more muscle mass – making you look the way you want to! Research has also shown that higher protein diets will automatically reduce your calorie intake, helping you lose weight and keep it off.

Watch our video overview of why protein is great for building muscle!

Fats – Hormones and health 

Fats have gotten a bad rap down the years. Saturated fats have been blamed for heart disease, the 80s saw the start of the low-fat craze when everyone decided that they just didn’t want to eat any fat at all… you get the picture. 

The truth? Fat is essential. Pretty much all of our body’s major hormones have fat as their backbone. Every single cell in your body needs fat for its structure and function. But it’s important to be mindful of your fat intake, because it’s so calorific.

Carbs – Muscular fuel

When you’re doing any sort of physical activity, carbs play a vital role. The more intense the exercise, the more important carbs are. 

This is why people’s carb intakes can vary so wildly. If you’re not doing a huge amount of exercise, you probably don’t need too many. If you’re doing loads, then you can afford to eat more!

That’s why our macro calculator variations all contain a choice for whether you want a higher or lower carbohydrate intake. 

So… why is tracking macros best for fat loss?

At its core, a macro-based approach means estimating how many calories you burn each day, and then tracking your food intake to ensure you’re eating more or fewer calories than you burn (depending on your goal).

The main benefit of this is it means that you can eat foods you love & lose weight. Yes, you can have pizza, cake, and ice cream and lose weight. The key is moderation.

Once you understand that there are no magic ‘diet’ foods that you have to eradicate from your diet, the sense of freedom is amazing.

Now, we’re not saying you should eat all of your calories every day from jelly beans and gummy bears – however tempting. While you would lose weight if you consumed less calories than you use in a day you’d lose weight, you’d most likely be in awful health.

Your diet should consist of 80% minimally processed, whole and nutritious foods. The other 20% can come from junk foods that you crave/enjoy/want.

What this doesn’t mean is that jelly beans are more nutritious than sweet potatoes – they aren’t. However, health and body composition are two very different things. Typically, a healthy body weight correlates to better health – and a macro-based approach is one of the best ways around to lose weight and keep it off. I’d bet my money every time on the health of someone at a healthy body weight eating junk food vs the person 60 pounds overweight eating only “clean” foods!

What results can I expect from tracking macros?

“I lost 75lbs, but this time I’m confident that I’ll keep it off.

I had expected help with the nutrition side of things, but I got so much more with Macros Inc coaching. More than anything, my coach provides insight into habit building, makes me reflect on my ‘why’, and is a wonderful cheerleader and accountability partner. I have used macro counting to build sustainable habits around food, tackle underlying issues, and grow as a person.”

Gila / Macros Inc Client

Carb protein fat ratio for weight loss and muscle gain calculator

Carb protein fat ratio for weight loss and muscle gain calculator

Gabe was 434 lbs. Look what he’s achieved!

“People who have seen my transformation ask me how I’ve managed to lose 160+ lbs in the past 21 months. Bariatric Surgery? The Keto? Weight Watchers? Low Carb? No Carb??? “No”, I say… “actually I got a nutrition coach and used macro counting to learn how to eat all over again.” If they press me for more information, I tell them about Macros Inc and all the wonderful tools they’ve taught me over this journey.”

Gabe / Macros Inc Client

Once I’ve calculated my macros, what macro tracking app should I use?

We have an exclusive partnership with My Macros+. It’s cheaper than MyFitnessPal, doesn’t have as many inaccurate entries, and makes macro tracking easy.

Once you’ve used our free macro calculator, you’ll be given the option to download the My Macros+ app and start tracking macros straight away!

Carb protein fat ratio for weight loss and muscle gain calculator

I WANT TO LOSE FAT

Click the button below to calculate the most accurate macros for fat loss.

FAT LOSS CALCULATOR

I WANT TO GAIN MUSCLE

Click the button below to calculate the most accurate macros for muscle gain.

MUSCLE GAIN CALCULATOR

I WANT TO MAINTAIN

Click the button below to calculate the most accurate macros to maintain your weight.

MAINTENANCE CALCULATOR

We make cookies fit our macros.

We use cookies to help our website load faster in future, show you things we think you'll like, and track our business performance. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.
Cookie settings
I also love cookies.

What is the best carb protein fat ratio for weight loss?

In general, most adults should target their diets to comprise of 45-65% Carbohydrates, 10-35% Protein and 20-35% Fat. (If you're trying to lose weight, the number should be adjusted to 10-30% Carbohydrates, 40-50% Protein and 30-40% Fat.)

What percentage should your carbs fat and protein be for muscle gain?

In summary, the composition of diets for body builders should be 55-60% carbohydrate, 25-30% protein and 15-20% of fat, for both the off-season and pre-contest phases.

How much carbs should I eat to gain muscle and lose fat?

A typical macro breakdown for fat loss and muscle gain is 40 percent protein, 30 percent fat, and 30 percent carbs.

How do I calculate my macros to lose weight and gain muscle?

Work out how many grams of each macro you need to eat To work out how many grams of each you need, you multiply your total daily calories by 0.4 for protein and 0.3 for carbohydrates and fat. The protein and carbohydrate figures are then divided by 4 and the fat figure by 9.