How to calculate your macros: protein, fat and carbs

Calories first, then macros

Macros are the three energy sources in your diet: protein (4 kcal/g), carbs (4 kcal/g) and fat (9 kcal/g). The sum of their calories has to match your daily calorie target. That's why order matters: first set total calories, then divide them.

The right split depends on your goal (cutting, maintenance or bulking), but there's a very useful priority order: set protein first, then fat, and leave carbs to fill the rest.

Step 1: protein (first)

It's the most important macro for keeping and building muscle. The science-backed range is 1.6–2.2 g per kilo of body weight per day. When cutting, go to the high end (≈2.0–2.2 g/kg) because it protects muscle better in a deficit.

Example: a 75 kg person cutting would aim for about 150–165 g of protein per day, which is roughly 600–660 kcal.

Step 2: fat

Fat is essential for hormones (including testosterone) and vitamin absorption. You don't want to drop it too low. A good starting point is 0.8–1 g per kilo of body weight, never going below about 0.5 g/kg.

Example: that 75 kg person would set 60–75 g of fat per day, i.e. about 540–675 kcal.

Step 3: carbs (whatever's left)

Carbs fill the remaining calories once protein and fat are set. They're your main fuel for training hard, so the more calories you have left, the better you'll perform.

Calculation: subtract protein and fat calories from your total, and divide what's left by 4. If someone eats 2,000 kcal, 640 from protein and 600 from fat, that leaves 760 kcal for carbs, about 190 g per day.

A complete split example

• •Target: 2,000 kcal/day (cutting), 75 kg person.
• •Protein: 160 g → 640 kcal.
• •Fat: 67 g → 600 kcal.
• •Carbs: 190 g → 760 kcal.
• •Total: 2,000 kcal. The exact grams vary, but this is the logic.

Do you have to weigh food to the gram?

At first, weighing helps a lot to calibrate your eye and learn what you're really eating. Over time you don't need to be obsessive: what matters is consistently hitting protein and staying close to your total calories. Perfect precision isn't necessary; consistency is.