Macro Calculator
Dagelijkse calorieën en een macroverdeling.
Vul je gegevens in om je resultaat te zien.
What macros are and why the split matters
Macronutrients, or macros, are the three things your food is made of that carry calories: protein, carbohydrate and fat. Your total calories decide whether you gain or lose weight, but the split between these three decides how that plays out. Two people can eat the same calories and end up looking and feeling very different depending on how much protein they hit.
That is why a calorie number alone is only half the answer. A macro calculator takes your daily calorie target and divides it into grams of each macro, so you have a plan you can eat rather than just a figure to stay under.
Set protein first
The single most useful move is to set protein before anything else. Protein is the macro that protects muscle, keeps you full, and costs the most energy to digest. Treat it as a floor you aim to hit every day, not a number to average out.
A practical protein target for most active people is:
Protein: roughly 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg of bodyweight per day
The higher end suits anyone dieting or building muscle. Once protein is locked in, the rest of your calories are split between carbohydrate and fat, which you can move around to match your training, energy and preference.
The calories behind each macro
The split is easier to understand once you know what each gram is worth:
Protein: 4 kcal/g. Carbohydrate: 4 kcal/g. Fat: 9 kcal/g.
Fat is more than twice as calorie dense as the other two, which is why small changes in fat grams move your total quickly. A macro calculator handles this arithmetic for you, converting a percentage split into grams you can actually weigh and log.
Common macro splits
There is no single correct split. These are common starting points, shown as a share of daily calories. Pick the one closest to your goal, hit your protein floor, then adjust carbs and fat from there.
| Goal | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balanced | 30% | 40% | 30% |
| Higher protein (fat loss) | 40% | 30% | 30% |
| Lower carb | 35% | 25% | 40% |
| Muscle gain | 30% | 45% | 25% |
For fat loss, the higher protein row keeps you full and protects muscle. For muscle gain, more carbs help fuel hard training. This flexible style is what people mean by IIFYM, or if it fits your macros: any food works as long as it fits your daily targets.
Building macros on top of your calories
Macros sit on top of a calorie target, so you need that number first. Your maintenance calories come from the TDEE calculator, which is your resting burn from the BMR calculator scaled by how active you are. Subtract for fat loss or add for muscle gain, then split the result into macros.
In other words: calories set the size of the plan, and macros decide what fills it.
Why protein matters most when you are eating less
On a calorie deficit, protein is what preserves muscle. Eat too little of it while dieting and your body burns muscle alongside fat, leaving you smaller but softer. The harder you cut calories, the more this matters.
This is doubly true on GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy. These drugs lower appetite so sharply that people often eat far less without trying, which makes hitting a protein floor genuinely hard and muscle loss a real risk. Keeping protein high is the main defence.
Because the scale alone cannot tell fat loss from muscle loss, it helps to watch the fuller picture. The muscle tracker and the FFMI calculator show whether the weight coming off is the kind you want to lose.
Total calories decide if you lose weight, but protein decides what you lose. Set protein first, especially in a deficit or on a GLP-1 medication, where muscle loss is the real risk.
Veelgestelde vragen
What does a macro calculator do?
A macro calculator takes your daily calorie target and splits it into the three macronutrients: protein, carbohydrate and fat. Total calories decide whether you gain or lose weight, but the macro split shapes how you feel and what you keep. This protein intake calculator sets a protein floor first, then divides the rest between carbs and fat so you have a plan you can actually eat.
How much protein per day do I need?
A solid daily protein target for most active people is roughly 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of bodyweight. The higher end suits anyone in a calorie deficit or building muscle, since protein is what protects muscle while you diet. Set protein first as a floor, then fill the remaining calories with carbohydrate and fat to match your preference and energy needs.
What is the best macro split for fat loss?
For fat loss, a higher protein split of around 40 percent protein, 30 percent carbs and 30 percent fat works well. The extra protein keeps you full and preserves muscle in a deficit, so the weight you lose is mostly fat. There is no single perfect macro split for weight loss. Hit your protein floor first, then adjust carbs and fat to whatever you can sustain.
What is IIFYM and does it work?
IIFYM means if it fits your macros, a flexible approach where you can eat any food as long as it fits your daily protein, carb and fat targets. It works because total calories and protein drive most results, not specific foods. IIFYM gives freedom, but food quality, fibre and micronutrients still matter for health, energy and how full you feel each day.
How do I count macros accurately?
To count macros, weigh your food, read labels and log everything in a tracking app against your daily targets. Protein has 4 calories per gram, carbohydrate has 4, and fat has 9. Counting is fiddly at first but gets fast within a week. You do not need to be perfect. Hitting your protein floor and staying near your calorie target most days is what matters.
Do macros matter on GLP-1 medications like Ozempic?
Yes, macros matter more, not less, on GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy. These drugs cut appetite sharply, so people eat far less and risk losing muscle along with fat. Hitting a high protein target becomes harder and more important. A macro plan that protects protein, paired with body composition tracking, helps keep the weight you lose mostly fat.
Lees verder
Bij GLP-1-medicijnen daalt je eetlust, waardoor je moeilijk genoeg eiwit binnenkrijgt. Hier vind je een eenvoudig doel en praktische manieren om het te halen.
GLP-1-medicijnen zorgen voor echt gewichtsverlies, maar een groot deel kan spier zijn. Hier lees je waarom dat gebeurt en hoe je je vetvrije massa beschermt.