Free tool
Macro calculator
Enter your daily calories and your goal, and get protein, carbs and fat in grams. These are the same ratios BetterCal sets for you in the app. No sign-up, nothing stored.
Don’t know your daily calories? Start with the TDEE calculator.
How the split is decided
Protein is set first, because it is the macro that actually needs protecting. For fat loss and maintenance it takes 25% of calories; for muscle building and recomposition it rises to 30%, since that is when the demand is highest.
Fat is held at 25% of calories throughout. Going much below that starts to interfere with hormone production and makes food considerably less satisfying.
Carbohydrates get whatever is left. That is not a demotion — it is the flexible one. Carbs fuel training and make a diet liveable, and having them absorb the remainder is what lets protein and fat stay where they should be.
The arithmetic, if you want it: protein and carbs are 4 calories per gram, fat is 9.
Which macro actually matters
If you hit your calories and your protein and let the other two land where they land, you have captured most of the available benefit. That is worth knowing, because it means you do not have to be precise about all three to make progress.
Protein matters most because it is what keeps muscle while you are in a deficit, and it is by some distance the most filling of the three. A day at target calories with adequate protein feels quite different from the same calories without it.
Carbs and fat are largely a matter of preference. Some people feel better on more carbs and less fat, some the reverse. Within sensible bounds it makes little difference to body composition, so pick the one you can keep up.
Tracking macros without the tedium
Macro tracking has a reputation for being fiddly, and with a food database it earns it: every item is a search, a serving size and a mental sum.
In BetterCal you describe the meal — “three rotis, dal and a bowl of curd” — and protein, carbs and fat are filled in alongside the calories. The home screen shows rings for all three against your targets, so you can see at a glance which one is behind.
Frequently asked questions
How much protein do I actually need?
Common guidance for people training is roughly 1.6–2.2 g per kilogram of bodyweight per day. The percentage split here usually lands in that range at typical calorie intakes. If you are eating very few calories, check the gram figure against your bodyweight rather than trusting the percentage alone.
Do I have to hit my macros exactly?
No. Within about 10% is fine for almost everyone. Consistency across a week matters far more than precision on any single day.
What about fibre, sugar and micronutrients?
This calculator covers the three macros only, and BetterCal tracks the same three. If detailed micronutrient tracking matters to you, you will want a database-driven nutrition app instead — BetterCal is built for speed on everyday logging, not for nutrient-level analysis.
Can I hit these macros on a vegetarian diet?
Yes, though protein takes more deliberate planning. Dal, paneer, curd, soya, eggs if you are eggetarian, and whey all help. BetterCal’s suggestions follow whichever diet you set, so the nudges stay relevant.
Next step
Hit the targets without the spreadsheet.
Free to start on iPhone and Android.
