Macro (Nutrient) Calculator
Determines your daily calorie and macro goals depending on your characteristics, activity level and weight loss, maintenance or gain targets.
Refer to the text below the tool for more information about the daily optimal macronutrient requirements for your weight target.
Ensuring you know how many calories you should be consuming daily and that you eat a balanced diet and take on all the necessary macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and fats) is essential for maintaining a good health.
BMR (Females) = 10 x Weight (kg) + 6.25 x Height (cm) - 5 x Age (years) + 5
BMR (Males) = 10 x Weight (kg) + 6.25 x Height (cm) - 5 x Age (years) - 161
Steps to determine your daily macronutrient requirements:
- Determine your basal metabolic rate (BMR) by Mifflin-St Jeor formulas;
- Index your BMR by activity output, to determine the total daily energy expenditure (TDEE);
- Choose your nutrient ratio (for example 40 carbs: 30 proteins: 30 fats);
- Choose your weight target: maintain current weight, stay in calorie deficit to lose weight or stay in calorie excess to gain muscle.
Send Us Your Feedback
Steps on how to print your input & results:
1. Fill in the calculator/tool with your values and/or your answer choices and press Calculate.
2. Then you can click on the Print button to open a PDF in a separate window with the inputs and results. You can further save the PDF or print it.
Please note that once you have closed the PDF you need to click on the Calculate button before you try opening it again, otherwise the input and/or results may not appear in the pdf.
Optimal Macronutrient Requirements
The daily calorie recommendation is customized on your age, gender, weight and height, based on the Mifflin-St Jeor BMR formulas.
BMR (Females) = 10 x Weight (kg) + 6.25 x Height (cm) - 5 x Age (years) + 5
BMR (Males) = 10 x Weight (kg) + 6.25 x Height (cm) - 5 x Age (years) - 161
The BMR is then indexed by activity level to retrieve the total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). The activity level options are:
- No or little exercise/sedentary;
- Easy exercise (2-3 times/week);
- Moderate exercise (4 times/week);
- Active exercise (5 times/week);
- Very active exercise (5 times intense/week);
- Day by day exercise;
- Day by day intense exercise/twice daily;
- Daily exercise and physical activity/job;
When it comes to choosing the macronutrient ratios, you can either choose from predefined diets or create your own percentages of proteins, carbohydrates and fats.
- Low Carb/High Protein Diet (50: 20: 30)
- Keto Diet (25: 5: 70)
- Vegan Diet (40: 30: 30)
- Custom
The TDEE provides the daily caloric needs which are then divided to the macronutrient percentages. To retrieve the grams of protein, carbs and fats, the following rules are applied:
- 1 gram of protein = 4 kcal;
- 1 gram of carbohydrate = 4 kcal;
- 1 gram of fat = 9 kcal.
You can also adjust the result by your weight target, whether you wish to maintain your current weight, lose some or gain muscle so that your calculation accounts for your target as well.
If you wish to lose weight, you can customize the calorie deficit. It is advisable not to go for more than 30% deficit, with an optimum value at 10-20 deficit.
If you want to gain muscle, you can customize the calorie excess percentage, for example to 5-10% excess.
It is important to differentiate between macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients are chemical compounds the body requires for energy (in rather large quantities, for example in grams per day), these are carbohydrates, proteins and fats, along with water, air, calcium, sodium and others;
Micronutrients are also essential for body functions and consists of vitamins and minerals (usually required in mg per day), for example Vitamin D, A, B complex, iron, iodine or copper.
References
Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, Hill LA, Scott BJ, Daugherty SA, Koh YO. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990; 51(2):241-247.
Grundy SM. The optimal ratio of fat-to-carbohydrate in the diet. Annu Rev Nutr. 1999; 19:325-341.
Solon-Biet SM, Mitchell SJ, de Cabo R, Raubenheimer D, Le Couteur DG, Simpson SJ. Macronutrients and caloric intake in health and longevity. J Endocrinol. 2015; 226(1):R17-28.
Carreiro AL, Dhillon J, Gordon S, Higgins KA, Jacobs AG, McArthur BM, Redan BW, Rivera RL, Schmidt LR, Mattes RD. The Macronutrients, Appetite, and Energy Intake. Annu Rev Nutr. 2016; 36:73-103.
Fogelholm M, Anderssen S, Gunnarsdottir I, Lahti-Koski M. Dietary macronutrients and food consumption as determinants of long-term weight change in adult populations: a systematic literature review. Food Nutr Res. 2012; 56.
Specialty: Nutrition
System: Digestive
Article By: Denise Nedea
Published On: July 30, 2020 · 12:00 AM
Last Checked: July 30, 2020
Next Review: July 30, 2025