Free macro calculator for weight loss: protein first, then fat and carbs within healthy ranges, which settings to pick, food examples and when to get personal targets.
Key takeaways
- Healthy low-fat and healthy low-carb diets produced similar weight loss over a year in the DIETFITS trial.[5]
- Adult AMDRs are 10-35% of calories from protein, 20-35% from fat and 45-65% from carbohydrates; the National Academies are reviewing them.[1]
- The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines promote 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kg of body weight a day.[4]
- Nutrition and obesity societies advise against staying at or above 2 g/kg of protein a day for long periods.[2]
In short: A macro calculator splits your daily calories into protein, carbohydrates and fat. This one sets protein first, because protein helps you keep muscle while you lose weight, then gives fat a share within the ranges the National Academies consider healthy and fills the rest with carbs. There is no single best split for weight loss: the total calories and a pattern you can keep matter more than exact grams.
Macro calculator
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Educational estimate, not medical advice. Talk with a healthcare professional before changing how you eat, move or take medicines.
How this works
Protein is set first, in grams per kilogram of body weight. If your BMI is 30 or more, we use the weight at a BMI of 25 for your height, because protein needs follow lean mass more than total weight.
Fat is the share of calories you pick (20 to 35%, the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range). Carbohydrates get the calories left over. Protein and carbs have 4 calories per gram, fat 9.
We flag results outside the AMDR (protein 10-35%, carbs 45-65%, fat 20-35%) and carbs under the 130 g a day RDA.
Limits
- People with kidney disease, or on medicines for diabetes, should get protein and carb targets from their clinician or a registered dietitian.
- Macros are a guide for planning meals; food quality, fiber and what you can keep up matter as much as exact grams.
Sources
Don’t know your calories yet? Get an estimate from the calorie calculator first, then come back.
Which settings to choose
- Protein level. The baseline of 0.8 g per kilogram is the RDA, the amount that covers nearly all healthy adults. Many weight-loss studies use more: a joint advisory from four nutrition and obesity societies notes that targets of 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg have been proposed during active weight loss, and the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans promote the same 1.2 to 1.6 range for the general public. The same advisory cautions against staying at or above 2 g/kg for long periods, so treat the highest preset as an upper limit, not a goal.
- Fat share. 30% is a middle path. Choose 20% if you prefer lower-fat eating, or 35% if you like more olive oil, nuts and avocado and fewer starches.
- Carbs then fill the remaining calories. If the result looks low, that usually means a low calorie target, not that carbs need to go.
A worked example
Say your target is 1,800 calories, you weigh 75 kg (about 165 pounds) and you pick 1.2 g/kg of protein with a 30% fat share. Protein: 75 × 1.2 = 90 grams, or 360 calories. Fat: 30% of 1,800 = 540 calories, or 60 grams. Carbohydrates get the remaining 900 calories, about 225 grams. That works out to roughly 20% of calories from protein, 30% from fat and 50% from carbs, comfortably inside the ranges below.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Protein, 90 g | 360 kcal |
| Fat, 60 g | 540 kcal |
| Carbohydrates, about 225 g | 900 kcal |
Arithmetic for a 75 kg adult at 1,800 calories; an example, not a personal target.
Source: Worked example using 1.2 g/kg protein (2025 joint advisory) and a 30% fat share (checked on October 6, 2026)
Does the split matter for weight loss?
Less than most people think. In the DIETFITS trial, 609 adults followed a healthy low-fat or a healthy low-carbohydrate diet for a year and lost similar amounts of weight; the difference between the groups was not significant. Both groups were coached to choose high-quality, mostly whole foods. If you prefer a particular style, our low-carb diet, Mediterranean diet and high-protein diet guides compare them by evidence and difficulty.
Protein is the exception that does seem to help a little. A meta-analysis of 24 trials found that, with the same calories, higher-protein diets led to slightly more fat loss and helped protect lean mass and resting energy use compared with standard-protein diets.
About the “healthy ranges” (AMDR)
The Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges were set by the National Academies as ranges linked with getting enough nutrients and a lower risk of chronic disease: 10 to 35% of calories from protein, 20 to 35% from fat and 45 to 65% from carbohydrates for adults. In 2024 the National Academies published a letter report on rethinking these ranges, so they may change. Lower-carb patterns can fall outside them; that is a choice to make with a clinician or dietitian, especially if you take medicine for diabetes.
| Item | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 10% | 35% |
| Fat | 20% | 35% |
| Carbohydrates | 45% | 65% |
The worked example above (20% protein, 30% fat, 50% carbs) sits inside all three ranges.
Source: National Academies, Rethinking the AMDR for the 21st Century (2024) (checked on October 6, 2026)
Turning grams into food
These amounts come from the USDA FoodData Central database (cooked weights where noted, rounded):
| Food | Portion | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken breast, roasted | 3 oz (85 g) | about 26 g |
| Tuna, light, canned in water, drained | 3 oz (85 g) | about 22 g |
| Salmon, Atlantic, farmed, cooked | 3 oz (85 g) | about 19 g |
| Cottage cheese, 2% milkfat | 1 cup (226 g) | about 23 g |
| Firm tofu (calcium sulfate) | ½ cup (126 g) | about 22 g |
| Lentils, boiled | 1 cup (198 g) | about 18 g |
| Black beans, boiled | 1 cup (172 g) | about 15 g |
| Egg, hard-boiled | 1 large (50 g) | about 6 g |
| Peanut butter, smooth | 2 tbsp (32 g) | about 7 g |
Spreading protein across meals is easier than catching up at dinner. Beans and lentils also bring fiber and count toward carbs. For more ideas see our nutrition guides, meal prep for weight loss and healthy snacks.
Who should get personal targets
If you have kidney disease, diabetes treated with insulin or other glucose-lowering medicine, or you are pregnant or breastfeeding, ask your clinician or a registered dietitian before changing your protein or carb intake. If you take a GLP-1 medicine and eat much less than before, protein and nutrient quality matter even more; our guide to eating on a GLP-1 covers that, and the protein calculator has a GLP-1 setting.
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- Is there a reason I should limit or raise protein, carbs or fat, given my health and medicines?
- How many grams of protein a day make sense for me while I lose weight?
- Would a registered dietitian help me turn these numbers into meals I enjoy?
- If I take medicine for diabetes, how should I change carbs safely?
Frequently asked questions
What is the best macro ratio for weight loss?
There is no single best ratio. Trials comparing low-fat and low-carb diets found similar weight loss when people ate mostly whole foods. Getting enough protein and keeping calories in a modest deficit matter more than the exact split.
Do I need to count macros to lose weight?
No. Counting can help some people learn portions, but many lose weight by focusing on calories, protein and food quality without tracking every gram.
Why does the calculator use a lower weight for protein if my BMI is over 30?
Protein needs follow lean mass more than total weight, and experts note that using full body weight in people with obesity can overestimate protein needs. The calculator uses the weight at a BMI of 25 for your height instead.
Is a high-protein diet safe?
For most healthy adults, intakes in the 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg range are widely used. People with kidney disease should not raise protein without their clinician, and long stretches at 2 g/kg or more are not advised.
References
- Rethinking the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range for the 21st Century: A Letter Report. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2024. (accessed October 6, 2026) Government page
- Mozaffarian D, Agarwal M, Aggarwal M, et al.. Nutritional priorities to support GLP-1 therapy for obesity: a joint Advisory from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the American Society for Nutrition, the Obesity Medicine Association, and The Obesity Society. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2025. doi:10.1016/j.ajcnut.2025.04.023 · PMID 40450457 (accessed October 6, 2026) Society statement
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2026. (accessed October 6, 2026) Guideline
- Pasiakos SM, Davis TA, Klurfeld DM, Neuhouser ML, Rodriguez NR, Tomé D. Perspectives on the Protein Recommendations in the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Journal of Nutrition, 2026. doi:10.1016/j.tjnut.2026.101754 · PMID 42498030 (accessed October 6, 2026) Review
- Gardner CD, Trepanowski JF, Del Gobbo LC, et al.. Effect of Low-Fat vs Low-Carbohydrate Diet on 12-Month Weight Loss in Overweight Adults (DIETFITS randomized clinical trial). JAMA, 2018. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.0245 · PMID 29466592 · NCT01826591 (accessed October 7, 2026) Randomized trial
- Wycherley TP, Moran LJ, Clifton PM, Noakes M, Brinkworth GD. Effects of energy-restricted high-protein, low-fat compared with standard-protein, low-fat diets: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2012. doi:10.3945/ajcn.112.044321 · PMID 23097268 (accessed October 7, 2026) Meta-analysis
- FoodData Central (SR Legacy, April 2018 release). U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 2018. (accessed October 7, 2026) Government page
Facts checked on October 6, 2026
Educational information, not medical advice. Talk with a qualified healthcare professional about your own situation. In an emergency call 911.