How to set your macros: protein, carbs and fat
Macros are the three nutrients that provide your calories: protein, carbohydrate and fat. Setting targets for them is easier than it sounds if you go in a sensible order.
1. Start with calories
Your calorie target comes first, because the macros have to add up to it. If you are not sure of yours, start with our guide to working out your TDEE.
2. Set protein
Protein is usually set first because it matters most for keeping muscle and feeling full. A common approach is to aim for a number of grams per kilogram of body weight:
- Staying the same, little exercise: about 1.0 g per kg
- Staying the same, active: about 1.2–1.6 g per kg
- Losing or building muscle: about 1.4–1.8 g per kg
- Older adults often do well with at least 1.0–1.2 g per kg
If someone is well above a healthy weight for their height, working it out on their actual weight can give a very high number, so it is more sensible to base it on a healthy reference weight. There is more detail in how much protein you need.
3. Set fat
Fat is needed for hormones, vitamins and feeling satisfied. Somewhere around 20–35% of your calories is a commonly used range, and many people settle near 25–30%. Because fat has 9 calories per gram, 28% of 2,200 calories is about 68 g of fat.
4. Let carbs fill the rest
Carbohydrate provides energy and fibre, and gets whatever calories are left. Subtract the calories from protein (4 per gram) and fat (9 per gram), then divide what remains by 4.
Example: 2,200 kcal, 130 g protein (520 kcal) and 68 g fat (612 kcal) leaves 1,068 kcal, or about 267 g of carbohydrate.
5. Adjust for how you actually eat
These are starting points. Some people feel better with more carbs, some with more fat. Nothing here is a rule. If a number does not suit you, change it and see how you feel and how your weight trends over a few weeks.
A worked example for two different people
Person A: a 60 kg woman who is lightly active and wants to maintain her weight, with about 1,900 kcal a day.
- Protein: about 1.1 g per kg = 66 g (264 kcal)
- Fat: about 28% of calories = 59 g (531 kcal)
- Carbs: the remaining 1,105 kcal ÷ 4 = about 276 g
Person B: an 85 kg man who trains moderately and wants to lose weight gently, eating about 10% below a TDEE of 2,800, so around 2,520 kcal.
- Protein: about 1.6 g per kg = 136 g (544 kcal)
- Fat: about 27% = 76 g (684 kcal)
- Carbs: the remaining 1,292 kcal ÷ 4 = about 323 g
Different sizes, different goals, different numbers. That is exactly why a single "standard" macro split does not work for everyone.
Common mistakes
- Setting protein very high because a post online said so. More than about 2 g per kg adds little benefit for most people.
- Cutting fat too low. Going far below about 20% of calories can make it hard to get what your body needs.
- Changing targets every few days. Give any set of numbers two to three weeks before judging it.
- Ignoring fibre. Aim for about 30 g a day as an adult, whatever your macro split.
In Foodie you can let the app estimate everything, or switch to "I'll set my own" and type exactly the calories, protein, carbs and fat you want. It never overwrites numbers you set. Open Foodie.