Macro Calculator: Daily Protein, Carbs & Fat Grams

What does 150 g protein, 200 g carbs, 67 g fat mean?

It means that on 2,000 calories a day split 30% protein, 40% carbs, 30% fat, you eat 150 g of protein, 200 g of carbs and 67 g of fat a day. The percentages are shares of calories, not shares of grams: 30% of 2,000 kcal is 600 kcal of protein, and protein is 4 calories a gram, so 600 ÷ 4 is 150 g. Carbs are the same arithmetic — 40% is 800 kcal, 800 ÷ 4 is 200 g — and fat is different, because fat is 9 calories a gram: 30% is 600 kcal, 600 ÷ 9 is 66.67 g, which rounds to 67 g in whole grams. Per meal, over 3 meals, that is 50 g of protein, 66.67 g of carbs and 22.22 g of fat.

Three things to check before you trust the number

Check the calories first, or the grams are wrong. The grams scale with the calories: at 1,500 calories the same 30/40/30 split is 112.50 g of protein, 150.00 g of carbs and 50.00 g of fat, and at 2,500 it is 187.50 g, 250.00 g and 83.33 g. A split is only as good as the calorie target behind it — work that out first, on the TDEE calculator, and the macros follow from it.

Check that the percentages add to 100, or the day does not add up. 30% protein, 40% carbs and 30% fat is 100% of the day. A split of 30/40/20 adds to 90% and leaves 10% of the calories unaccounted for, and 40/40/30 adds to 110% and counts a tenth of the day twice — the calculator refuses both, because guessing which tenth is wrong would be worse than stopping.

Fat is 9 calories a gram, not 4 — and it shows. The fat column is always the smallest number of grams for its share of calories: 30% of the day is 600 kcal, which is 150 g if it were protein and 66.67 g as fat. Anyone who splits the day by grams instead of by calories will overeat fat, because a gram of fat carries more than twice the calories of a gram of protein or carbs.

Worked example

On the defaults: 2,000 calories a day, 30% protein, 40% carbs, 30% fat.

1. Protein calories: 30% of 2,000 kcal = 600 kcal.
2. Protein grams: 600 kcal ÷ 4 calories a gram = 150 g.
3. Carbs calories: 40% of 2,000 kcal = 800 kcal.
4. Carbs grams: 800 kcal ÷ 4 calories a gram = 200 g.
5. Fat calories: 30% of 2,000 kcal = 600 kcal.
6. Fat grams: 600 kcal ÷ 9 calories a gram = 66.67 g, which is 67 g in whole grams.
7. Per meal: over 3 meals, 150 g ÷ 3 = 50 g of protein, 200 g ÷ 3 = 66.67 g of carbs and 66.67 g ÷ 3 = 22.22 g of fat.
8. Smallest calories for at least 150 g of protein: 2,000 calories — at 2,000 the protein is 150.00 g, and at 1,900 it is 142.50 g.
9. Largest protein share with carbs at least 200 g: 30% — at 30% the carbs are 200.00 g, and at 35% they are 175.00 g.

Every branch, checked

• 1,500 calories: 1,500 calories: 1,500 calories at 30% protein, 40% carbs, 30% fat = 112.50 g protein, 150.00 g carbs, 50.00 g fat. 1,500 calories — 112.50 g protein, 150.00 g carbs, 50.00 g fat; three quarters of the headline, because the grams scale with the calories.
• 2,500 calories: 2,500 calories: 2,500 calories at 30% protein, 40% carbs, 30% fat = 187.50 g protein, 250.00 g carbs, 83.33 g fat. 2,500 calories — 187.50 g protein, 250.00 g carbs, 83.33 g fat; a bigger day is a bigger number in every column, and the fat rounds up from 83.333333 g.
• Lose preset 35/35/30: Lose preset 35/35/30: 2,000 calories at 35% protein, 35% carbs, 30% fat = 175.00 g protein, 175.00 g carbs, 66.67 g fat. lose preset 35/35/30 — 175.00 g protein, 175.00 g carbs, 66.67 g fat; protein up by 25 g and carbs down by 25 g against the headline, because five points moved from carbs to protein.
• Gain preset 25/50/25: Gain preset 25/50/25: 2,000 calories at 25% protein, 50% carbs, 25% fat = 125.00 g protein, 250.00 g carbs, 55.56 g fat. gain preset 25/50/25 — 125.00 g protein, 250.00 g carbs, 55.56 g fat; half the calories as carbs, which is what a gaining split looks like.
• 1,800 calories at 40/40/20: 1,800 calories at 40/40/20: 1,800 calories at 40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fat = 180.00 g protein, 180.00 g carbs, 40.00 g fat. 1,800 calories at 40/40/20 — 180.00 g protein, 180.00 g carbs, 40.00 g fat; protein and carbs equal at 40% each, and the fat is exactly 40 g.
• 3,000 calories: 3,000 calories: 3,000 calories at 25% protein, 50% carbs, 25% fat = 187.50 g protein, 375.00 g carbs, 83.33 g fat. 3,000 calories — 187.50 g protein, 375.00 g carbs, 83.33 g fat; half as much again as the headline, and the carbs alone are 375 g.
• 1,200 calories: 1,200 calories: 1,200 calories at 30% protein, 40% carbs, 30% fat = 90.00 g protein, 120.00 g carbs, 40.00 g fat. 1,200 calories — 90.00 g protein, 120.00 g carbs, 40.00 g fat; a low day, and the fat is still 40 g, because 30% of 1,200 kcal is 360 kcal.
• 2,200 calories at 35/40/25: 2,200 calories at 35/40/25: 2,200 calories at 35% protein, 40% carbs, 25% fat = 192.50 g protein, 220.00 g carbs, 61.11 g fat. 2,200 calories at 35/40/25 — 192.50 g protein, 220.00 g carbs, 61.11 g fat; a little more food and a little more protein than the headline.
• High-protein 50/30/20: High-protein 50/30/20: 2,000 calories at 50% protein, 30% carbs, 20% fat = 250.00 g protein, 150.00 g carbs, 44.44 g fat. high-protein 50/30/20 — 250.00 g protein, 150.00 g carbs, 44.44 g fat; half the calories as protein, which is 250 g at 2,000 calories.
• 1,750 calories at 33/34/33: 1,750 calories at 33/34/33: 1,750 calories at 33% protein, 34% carbs, 33% fat = 144.38 g protein, 148.75 g carbs, 64.17 g fat. fractional inputs — 1,750 calories at 33/34/33 gives 144.38 g protein, 148.75 g carbs, 64.17 g fat; near thirds, and the fat rounds up from 64.166667 g.

The reverses, worked backwards

• Smallest calories for at least 150 g of protein: 2,000 calories — at 2,000 calories the figures are 2,000 calories at 30% protein, 40% carbs, 30% fat = 150.00 g protein, 200.00 g carbs, 66.67 g fat (raw 150.000000 / 200.000000 / 66.666667 g; per meal 50.000000 / 66.666667 / 22.222222 g); at the lower neighbor the figures are 1,900 calories at 30% protein, 40% carbs, 30% fat = 142.50 g protein, 190.00 g carbs, 63.33 g fat (raw 142.500000 / 190.000000 / 63.333333 g; per meal 47.500000 / 63.333333 / 21.111111 g); at the upper neighbor the figures are 2,100 calories at 30% protein, 40% carbs, 30% fat = 157.50 g protein, 210.00 g carbs, 70.00 g fat (raw 157.500000 / 210.000000 / 70.000000 g; per meal 52.500000 / 70.000000 / 23.333333 g) — verdict: STEP.
• Largest protein share with carbs at least 200 g: 30% — at 30% the figures are 2,000 calories at 30% protein, 40% carbs, 30% fat = 150.00 g protein, 200.00 g carbs, 66.67 g fat (raw 150.000000 / 200.000000 / 66.666667 g; per meal 50.000000 / 66.666667 / 22.222222 g); at the upper neighbor the figures are 2,000 calories at 35% protein, 35% carbs, 30% fat = 175.00 g protein, 175.00 g carbs, 66.67 g fat (raw 175.000000 / 175.000000 / 66.666667 g; per meal 58.333333 / 58.333333 / 22.222222 g); at the lower neighbor the figures are 2,000 calories at 25% protein, 45% carbs, 30% fat = 125.00 g protein, 225.00 g carbs, 66.67 g fat (raw 125.000000 / 225.000000 / 66.666667 g; per meal 41.666667 / 75.000000 / 22.222222 g) — verdict: STEP.
• Smallest fat share for at least 70 g of fat: 35% — at 35% the figures are 2,000 calories at 30% protein, 35% carbs, 35% fat = 150.00 g protein, 175.00 g carbs, 77.78 g fat (raw 150.000000 / 175.000000 / 77.777778 g; per meal 50.000000 / 58.333333 / 25.925926 g); at the lower neighbor the figures are 2,000 calories at 30% protein, 40% carbs, 30% fat = 150.00 g protein, 200.00 g carbs, 66.67 g fat (raw 150.000000 / 200.000000 / 66.666667 g; per meal 50.000000 / 66.666667 / 22.222222 g); at the upper neighbor the figures are 2,000 calories at 30% protein, 30% carbs, 40% fat = 150.00 g protein, 150.00 g carbs, 88.89 g fat (raw 150.000000 / 150.000000 / 88.888889 g; per meal 50.000000 / 50.000000 / 29.629630 g) — verdict: STEP.
• Largest calories with fat at most 70 g: 2,100 calories — at 2,100 calories the figures are 2,100 calories at 30% protein, 40% carbs, 30% fat = 157.50 g protein, 210.00 g carbs, 70.00 g fat (raw 157.500000 / 210.000000 / 70.000000 g; per meal 52.500000 / 70.000000 / 23.333333 g); at the upper neighbor the figures are 2,200 calories at 30% protein, 40% carbs, 30% fat = 165.00 g protein, 220.00 g carbs, 73.33 g fat (raw 165.000000 / 220.000000 / 73.333333 g; per meal 55.000000 / 73.333333 / 24.444444 g); at the lower neighbor the figures are 2,000 calories at 30% protein, 40% carbs, 30% fat = 150.00 g protein, 200.00 g carbs, 66.67 g fat (raw 150.000000 / 200.000000 / 66.666667 g; per meal 50.000000 / 66.666667 / 22.222222 g) — verdict: STEP.
• Smallest calories for at least 250 g of carbs: 2,500 calories — at 2,500 calories the figures are 2,500 calories at 30% protein, 40% carbs, 30% fat = 187.50 g protein, 250.00 g carbs, 83.33 g fat (raw 187.500000 / 250.000000 / 83.333333 g; per meal 62.500000 / 83.333333 / 27.777778 g); at the lower neighbor the figures are 2,450 calories at 30% protein, 40% carbs, 30% fat = 183.75 g protein, 245.00 g carbs, 81.67 g fat (raw 183.750000 / 245.000000 / 81.666667 g; per meal 61.250000 / 81.666667 / 27.222222 g); at the upper neighbor the figures are 2,550 calories at 30% protein, 40% carbs, 30% fat = 191.25 g protein, 255.00 g carbs, 85.00 g fat (raw 191.250000 / 255.000000 / 85.000000 g; per meal 63.750000 / 85.000000 / 28.333333 g) — verdict: STEP.
• Largest carb share with protein at least 140 g: 40% — at 40% the figures are 2,000 calories at 30% protein, 40% carbs, 30% fat = 150.00 g protein, 200.00 g carbs, 66.67 g fat (raw 150.000000 / 200.000000 / 66.666667 g; per meal 50.000000 / 66.666667 / 22.222222 g); at the upper neighbor the figures are 2,000 calories at 25% protein, 45% carbs, 30% fat = 125.00 g protein, 225.00 g carbs, 66.67 g fat (raw 125.000000 / 225.000000 / 66.666667 g; per meal 41.666667 / 75.000000 / 22.222222 g); at the lower neighbor the figures are 2,000 calories at 35% protein, 35% carbs, 30% fat = 175.00 g protein, 175.00 g carbs, 66.67 g fat (raw 175.000000 / 175.000000 / 66.666667 g; per meal 58.333333 / 58.333333 / 22.222222 g) — verdict: STEP.

What the defaults assume

The defaults are 2,000 calories a day at 30% protein, 40% carbs, 30% fat — a maintenance split for an average adult, and the one the guide works through step by step — and the answer is 150 g of protein, 200 g of carbs and 67 g of fat. They are a starting point, not a prescription: your calories may be 1,500 or 3,000, your goal may be losing or gaining, and the right answer for you is the one your numbers describe. Change the calories, the goal and the split to your own and the calculator recomputes instantly. Take the calories, split them by percentage, divide protein and carbs by 4 and fat by 9.

These notes repeat in every explainer section because this page is built to be read start to finish: the defaults are one day, not a standard; check the calories first, or the grams are wrong; check that the percentages add to 100, or the day does not add up; and fat is 9 calories a gram, not 4.

Output · formula · meaning

Who uses this

• Someone losing weight on 2,000 calories — the lose preset is 35% protein, 35% carbs, 30% fat, which is 175 g of protein, 175 g of carbs and 66.67 g of fat, and the extra protein is there to hold on to muscle while the calories come down.
• Someone gaining muscle on 2,000 calories — the gain preset is 25% protein, 50% carbs, 25% fat, which is 125 g of protein, 250 g of carbs and 55.56 g of fat, and the extra carbs are there to fuel the training.
• A meal-prepper splitting the day into meals — the per-meal figures are 50 g of protein, 66.67 g of carbs and 22.22 g of fat per meal over 3 meals, so each container can be built to the same numbers instead of guessed at.
• A coach setting a client’s targets — the smallest calories for at least 150 g of protein is 2,000, and at 1,900 it is 142.50 g, so the floor is exact and the client can be held to it.

Accuracy & limitations

The calculator divides in exact arithmetic — protein and carbs at 4 calories a gram, fat at 9, every gram on this page checked against an independent model — and the grams are printed to two decimals with the unrounded figures beside them, so the rounding does not mislead you: the fat is 66.67 g, unrounded 66.666667 g. What it cannot do is set your calories for you: the grams are only as good as the calorie target, and a target from a formula is an estimate, not a measurement. It also counts the day as three equal meals, which is a convenience, not a rule — four meals or two change the per-meal figures and nothing else. It is not medical advice: very low calories need supervision, and anyone with kidney disease, diabetes or an eating disorder should set their targets with a clinician, not a calculator. And the page prints the exact gram counts so the rounding does not mislead you — the fat is 66.67 g, unrounded 66.666667 g, whole-gram headline 67 g.

Cite this calculator

Macros are the split of your calories: protein and carbs at 4 calories a gram, fat at 9. On the defaults — 2,000 calories a day at 30% protein, 40% carbs, 30% fat — that is 150 g of protein, 200 g of carbs and 67 g of fat. Smallest calories for at least 150 g of protein: 2,000 calories. Largest protein share with carbs at least 200 g: 30%. Smallest fat share for at least 70 g of fat: 35%. Largest calories with fat at most 70 g: 2,100 calories. Smallest calories for at least 250 g of carbs: 2,500 calories. Largest carb share with protein at least 140 g: 40%. Source: Bright Side Kit, brightoolbox.com.

Frequently asked questions