Macro Calculator

For people who train, the research consensus lands around 0.7–1 gram per pound of body weight daily — the high-protein preset targets this range for most inputs. More protein than that shows no additional muscle benefit in controlled studies; less works fine for sedentary maintenance. Protein's practical advantages while cutting: it preserves muscle in a deficit and is the most satiating macronutrient per calorie.

Because adherence beats aggression: a 20% deficit produces roughly 0.5–1% of body weight lost per week while keeping training performance and muscle, and it's sustainable for months. Crash deficits lose more muscle, tank energy, and have worse long-term outcomes in the research. If progress stalls for 2–3 weeks at honest tracking, drop another 100–200 calories rather than starting extreme.

Far less than calories and protein — that's the actual hierarchy: total calories determine weight change, protein determines body composition, and the carb/fat split is mostly preference and performance. Low-carb suits some people's hunger and schedules; higher carbs generally support hard training better. Pick the split you'll actually follow; fat shouldn't go below ~20% of calories long-term for hormonal health.

Different BMR formulas (Mifflin-St Jeor vs Harris-Benedict vs Katch-McArdle) and different activity assumptions produce a spread of a few hundred calories — and all of them are estimates with real individual variance on top. The number that matters is the one calibrated to your actual results: start here, weigh consistently for two weeks, and let the trend tell you whether to adjust.