Macros are the three nutrients that supply calories: protein, carbohydrate, and fat. Counting them, rather than just calories, gives you control over body composition, because the same calorie total built from different macros produces very different results for muscle and fat. Here is a practical way to set yours.
Step 1: know your calorie target first
Macros are a way of dividing up a calorie budget, so you need the budget before you split it. Work out your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), then adjust for your goal: a deficit of roughly 15 to 20 percent for fat loss, maintenance calories to stay the same, or a small surplus of 5 to 10 percent for muscle gain. The calorie calculator gives you this number.
Remember the energy each macro carries, because every split has to add back up to your calories:
- Protein: 4 calories per gram
- Carbohydrate: 4 calories per gram
- Fat: 9 calories per gram
Step 2: set protein by body weight
Protein is the macro to anchor first, because it protects muscle in a deficit and supports growth in a surplus. A widely used range is 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (about 0.7 to 1.0 grams per pound), with the higher end favored when you are cutting calories. Someone weighing 70 kg aiming to preserve muscle in a cut might set protein around 150 grams, which is 600 calories.
Step 3: set fat, then fill the rest with carbs
Fat matters for hormones, so do not drive it too low. A sensible floor is about 0.6 to 1.0 grams of fat per kilogram of body weight. Set your fat within that range, convert it to calories, then whatever calories remain after protein and fat go to carbohydrate. Carbs are the flexible lever: they fuel training and are the easiest macro to raise or lower as your energy and performance dictate.
A worked example
Say your goal target is 2,200 calories and you weigh 70 kg:
- Protein: 150 g = 600 calories
- Fat: 60 g = 540 calories
- Carbs: the remaining 1,060 calories / 4 = 265 g
That is 150 g protein, 60 g fat, 265 g carbs. The percentages fall out of the grams rather than the other way around, which is why setting protein and fat by body weight beats starting from a fixed ratio like 40/30/30.
Adjust from real results, not theory
These are starting points, not fixed truths. Track your weight and how you look and perform over two to three weeks, then nudge calories (usually via carbs) up or down. Keep protein steady, keep fat above the floor, and let carbs do the adjusting. When you are ready to generate a split from your own numbers, use the macro calculator.