A macro calculator that shows its working.
The maths coaches use in our app when they set a client's targets: the right equation for metabolic rate, day-to-day movement kept apart from training, and a goal set as a share of body weight. Every step is written out under the answer.
Start freeSee pricing1,510 kcal a day
- Protein
- 173 g
- Carbs
- 72 g
- Fat
- 59 g
- Fibre
- 25 g
- Metabolic rate: 1,449 kcal. Mifflin-St Jeor, from age, height, weight and sex. Add a body-fat figure to use Katch-McArdle instead.
- Day-to-day movement: × 1.3. Light movement, around 5,000 to 8,000 steps a day. That's 1,884 kcal.
- Training: + 220 kcal a day. Added on top rather than folded into one activity multiplier, so a hard trainer with a desk job isn't overfed.
- Maintenance: 2,104 kcal. What you'd burn on an average day.
- Goal: − 594 kcal a day. 0.75% of body weight a week, about 0.54 kg, at roughly 7,700 kcal a kilo.
- Macros. Protein at 2.4 g per kg of body weight, fat at about 30% of calories (never under 0.7 g per kg), and carbs fill the rest.
An estimate for healthy adults, not medical advice. Real numbers move: check progress over two or three weeks and adjust.
Coaching clients? Coachflow works these out for each one, keeps the working on their profile, and cycles the week if you want.
Start freeHow the nutrition side worksQuestions coaches ask.
Which equation does this macro calculator use?
Katch-McArdle when you give a body-fat percentage, because it works from lean mass, and Mifflin-St Jeor when you don't. Both estimate basal metabolic rate, the energy you'd use at complete rest.
Why are day-to-day movement and training separate?
Because they vary independently. Someone who trains five times a week but sits at a desk all day burns far less than one activity multiplier assumes. Movement scales the metabolic rate; training adds calories on top.
Why is the goal a percentage of body weight?
A fixed kilos-a-week target means very different things for a 55 kg and a 110 kg person. A share of body weight scales with the person, and 0.5 to 1% a week is a common range for fat loss.
How is protein worked out?
By body weight: 2.4 g per kg when losing fat, 2.0 when building muscle and 1.8 at maintenance. Fat is about 30% of calories with a floor of 0.7 g per kg, and carbohydrate fills what's left.
Is this medical or dietary advice?
No. It's an estimate for healthy adults. Anyone with a medical condition, or who is pregnant, should get advice from a doctor or registered dietitian.