Get your personalised daily targets for protein, carbs, and fat.
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Macros — short for macronutrients — are the three nutrients your body uses for energy: protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Every food you eat contains some combination of the three. Knowing your daily macro targets means you can eat in a way that's tuned for your goal, whether that's losing fat, building muscle, or simply maintaining a healthy weight.
Counting calories gets you halfway there. Hitting the right macro split gets you all the way. Two people eating 2,000 kcal/day will get very different results if one is eating 40g of protein and the other is eating 180g.
Builds and repairs muscle tissue. Also the most filling macro — high-protein diets tend to reduce hunger naturally.
Your body's primary energy source. Fuels workouts and brain function. Reducing carbs creates a calorie deficit most people find manageable.
Essential for hormone production, vitamin absorption, and joint health. Gram for gram it has more than twice the calories of protein or carbs.
Total energy from all three macros combined. Your calorie target depends on your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) and goal.
This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor formula — the most accurate BMR formula for most adults — to estimate your Basal Metabolic Rate. That's then multiplied by your activity level to get your TDEE (maintenance calories).
Your calorie target is then adjusted for your goal: a 20% deficit for weight loss, maintenance for body recomposition, or a 10% surplus for muscle gain. Finally, the calories are split into protein, carbs, and fat based on your chosen diet preference.
The macro split percentages are evidence-based starting points. If you're not getting the results you want after 4–6 weeks, adjust protein up and carbs down (or vice versa). PrepSmart's TDEE calculator can help you recalculate if your weight or activity level changes.
Balanced works well for most people — especially beginners. It's sustainable, flexible, and doesn't require cutting out entire food groups.
High protein is ideal if you're training regularly and want to preserve or build muscle, particularly during a calorie deficit. Aim for 1.6–2.2g of protein per kg of bodyweight.
Low carb suits people who feel better with fewer carbs, or who want to reduce blood sugar spikes. You still eat carbs — just fewer of them.
Keto is a high-fat, very low carb approach (under 5% of calories from carbs). It works for some people but is strict to follow. Not recommended without doing your research first.
Knowing your targets is only half the battle. The other half is building meals that actually hit them. PrepSmart generates a full 7-day meal plan matched to your calorie and macro targets — recipes, shopping list, and all.
Macros — short for macronutrients — are the three nutrients your body uses for energy: protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Every food contains some combination of the three. Tracking your macros means hitting daily targets for each nutrient in grams, not just counting total calories.
A good starting macro split for weight loss is roughly 35% protein, 35% carbohydrates, and 30% fat. High protein intake (1.6–2.2g per kg of body weight) is the most important factor — it preserves muscle mass during a calorie deficit and keeps you fuller for longer. Carbs and fat can be adjusted based on personal preference.
Both matter, but for different goals. Total calorie intake determines whether you gain or lose weight. Macro split determines your body composition — how much of the weight change is fat versus muscle. For most people, hitting your calorie target is the first priority; getting the macro split right is the second, especially protein intake.
First, calculate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) using your age, sex, weight, height, and activity level. Then adjust for your goal — a 20% deficit for fat loss, surplus for muscle gain. Finally, split the resulting calories into protein, carbs, and fat based on your diet preference. This calculator does all of that automatically.