How to set protein, carb, and fat goals

Start with a calorie estimate and convert your chosen macro percentages to grams. This guide explains the math and shows how MACROS calculates and saves targets.

This guide is for generally healthy adults. It is not medical advice. Talk to a qualified health professional about medical conditions, pregnancy, or an eating disorder before setting diet targets. These adult ranges and the app’s calculator are not a plan for children.

Start with adult reference ranges

The National Academies’ Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges, or AMDRs, describe shares of total daily calories. For adults, they are 10–35% for protein, 45–65% for carbohydrate, and 20–35% for fat.

These are population reference ranges, not a personalized prescription. The National Academies’ AMDR report, Table 3-1 lists these adult values and explains their use in dietary planning. Choose percentages that add to 100%. A 20% protein, 50% carbohydrate, and 30% fat split is one example within all three ranges. It is also the app’s Balanced preset.

App presets against adult reference ranges

The shaded bands mark adult AMDRs. Markers show each preset before rounding.

Adult AMDRs compared with MACROS preset calorie percentages
Macro	Adult AMDR	Balanced	High protein	Higher fat
Protein	10–35%	20%	31%	20%
Carbs	45–65%	50%	47%	47%
Fat	20–35%	30%	22%	33%

Every app preset falls within all three adult AMDRs, with room for the app's 5 g rounding. The ranges come from the National Academies' Table 3-1 cited above. Presets are app settings, not dietary guidelines.

The adult protein Recommended Dietary Allowance, or RDA, is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day (about 0.36 grams per pound). The National Academies’ DRI summary tables, protein footnote b state this figure. It is a reference intended to meet the needs of nearly all healthy adults, not an upper limit or a sports-performance target. Individual needs can differ.

At 70 kg (154 lb), the calculation is 70 × 0.8 = 56 g of protein per day. In pounds, 154.3 lb ÷ 2.20462 ≈ 70 kg, so the same calculation gives about 56 g. Do not confuse grams per kilogram with grams per pound. Multiplying 154.3 lb by 0.8 gives about 123 g, more than twice the RDA.

Protein RDA in kilograms and pounds

Kilograms 70 kg × 0.8 g/kg
= 56 g
Pounds, converted first 154.3 lb ÷ 2.20462 ≈ 70 kg, then × 0.8 g/kg
≈ 56 g
Mix-up 154.3 lb × 0.8 treats pounds as kilograms
≈ 123 g

The scale shows 70 kg and 154.3 lb as the same weight. The RDA is 0.8 g per kilogram, so either route gives about 56 g a day. Using 0.8 with pounds gives more than twice that.

Turn calories into grams

For planning, protein and carbohydrate each provide 4 calories per gram. Fat provides 9. These are the general factors in FDA nutrition-labeling rules, 21 CFR 101.9(c)(1)(i)(B).

Protein grams = daily calories × protein percentage ÷ 100 ÷ 4.
Carb grams = daily calories × carb percentage ÷ 100 ÷ 4.
Fat grams = daily calories × fat percentage ÷ 100 ÷ 9.

For an illustrative 2,000-calorie day with a 20/50/30 split, that gives 100 g protein, 250 g carbs, and about 66.7 g fat. This is a math example, not a calorie recommendation. Food-label calories may not match 4/4/9 exactly because of rounding, fiber, sugar alcohols, and permitted calculation methods.

From a calorie share to grams

An illustrative 2,000-calorie day with a 20/50/30 split
Macro	Calorie share	Divide by	Grams
Protein	2,000 × 20%	÷ 4	100 g
Carbs	2,000 × 50%	÷ 4	250 g
Fat	2,000 × 30%	÷ 9	66.7 g

Multiply daily calories by the macro's share, then divide by 4 for protein or carbs and 9 for fat. This is a math example, not a calorie recommendation. Fat rounds to about 66.7 g.

How the MACROS calorie estimate works

MACROS uses the Mifflin–St Jeor equation to estimate resting energy needs:

Resting calories = 10 × weight in kg + 6.25 × height in cm − 5 × age in years + a sex constant.

Divide pounds by 2.20462 to get kilograms. Multiply inches by 2.54 to get centimeters. The constant is +5 for Male and −161 for Female. For Unspecified, MACROS uses their midpoint, −78. That midpoint is an app convention, not a separately validated equation. The original Mifflin–St Jeor study studied healthy adults. An estimate cannot measure your individual metabolism.

The resting estimate, term by term

Weight 10 × 70 kg
+700
Height 6.25 × 175 cm
+1,093.75
Age −5 × 30 years
−150
Sex constant Male
+5
Resting estimate
1,648.75 kcal

Sex constant

−161 Female
−78 Unspecified
+5 Male

MACROS uses the midpoint for Unspecified: (−161 + 5) ÷ 2 = −78.

Uses the worked example below: Male, age 30, 70 kg (154 lb), 175 cm (5 ft 9 in). Weight and height add calories, age subtracts them, and the sex constant shifts the total.

The app multiplies resting calories by the activity factor you select. The factors are 1.2 for Sedentary, 1.375 for Light, 1.55 for Moderate, 1.725 for Active, and 1.9 for Very active.

Resting estimate times activity

Sedentary Mostly sitting, little planned exercise
1,648.75 × 1.2 = 1,978.50 kcal
Light Light exercise 1–3 days per week
1,648.75 × 1.375 = 2,267.03 kcal
Moderate Worked example Moderate exercise 3–5 days per week
1,648.75 × 1.55 = 2,555.56 kcal
Active Hard exercise 6–7 days per week
1,648.75 × 1.725 = 2,844.09 kcal
Very active Very hard training or a physical job
1,648.75 × 1.9 = 3,132.63 kcal

Uses the worked example's resting estimate of 1,648.75 kcal. The descriptions are the app's own. The guide's example uses Moderate, so its daily estimate is 2,555.56 kcal.

These factors are the app’s estimation settings. They are not part of the original resting-energy equation. Maintain uses that total unchanged. Lose subtracts 250, 500, or 750 calories per day for the selected weekly pace of 0.25 kg (0.6 lb), 0.5 kg (1.1 lb), or 0.75 kg (1.7 lb). Gain adds 250 or 500 calories for 0.25 kg (0.6 lb) or 0.5 kg (1.1 lb) per week. These settings do not guarantee a particular weight change.

The calculator clamps its result to at least 1,500 calories for Male or 1,200 for Female and Unspecified. It flags a requested target below that floor. These are software limits, not proof that a calorie target is safe or adequate for you.

Goal offsets and calorie floors

1,500 kcal floor for Male
1,200 kcal floor for Female and Unspecified

Gain 0.5 kg (1.1 lb) a week

3,055.56 kcal +500 kcal a day
Gain 0.25 kg (0.6 lb) a week

2,805.56 kcal +250 kcal a day
Maintain No offset

2,555.56 kcal 0 kcal a day
Lose 0.25 kg (0.6 lb) a week

2,305.56 kcal −250 kcal a day
Lose 0.5 kg (1.1 lb) a week

2,055.56 kcal −500 kcal a day
Lose 0.75 kg (1.7 lb) a week

1,805.56 kcal −750 kcal a day

Offsets applied to the worked example's maintenance estimate of 2,555.56 kcal. Every option stays above both floors. A requested target below its floor is raised to the floor and flagged.

The age field starts at 30. If you clear it, the app uses 30 and shows a notice. Weight converts between kg and lb; height converts between centimeters and feet/inches. Changing units retains the underlying metric measurements.

What the app’s macro presets mean

MACROS offers three starting splits before rounding. Balanced is 20% protein, 50% carbs, and 30% fat. High protein is 31% protein, 47% carbs, and 22% fat. Higher fat is 20% protein, 47% carbs, and 33% fat. The reference-range chart earlier in this guide plots all three.

The preset names are product labels, not dietary guidelines. All three presets fall within the adult AMDRs. High protein and Higher fat stop a few points short of the protein and fat limits on purpose. The calculator rounds grams to 5 g, which can move each final share by less than 3 percentage points. These splits keep the rounded goals inside every AMDR for targets from 1,200 to 4,500 calories. Choose manual goals if you want a different split or targets agreed with a professional.

The calculator rounds protein and fat to the nearest 5 g. It first rounds carbs to 5 g too. It accepts a calorie total between the requested total and 2% above it. Outside that range, the app replaces carbs with the smallest 5 g step that reaches the target. That adjustment can raise or lower carbs. It then calculates the displayed calorie goal from the final grams with 4/4/9. The saved goal can therefore differ from the initial calorie estimate. In the worked example below, the window runs from 2,555.56 to 2,606.67 calories.

The 2% window in the worked example

Target 2,555.56 kcal
2% above 2,606.67 kcal

2,545 kcal 315 g carbs Below target
2,565 kcal 320 g carbs Kept
2,585 kcal 325 g carbs Inside
2,605 kcal 330 g carbs Inside
2,625 kcal 335 g carbs Above 2%

Protein 130 g and fat 85 g give 1,285 kcal. Each 5 g of carbs adds 20 kcal. Filled dots fall inside the window. The first rounding, 320 g, is inside, so the app keeps it.

A worked calculator example in kg and lb

Take a hypothetical 30-year-old adult using Male, 70 kg (154 lb), 175 cm (5 ft 9 in), Moderate activity, Maintain, and Balanced. This is an explanation of the software, not advice to use these settings.

The resting estimate is 10 × 70 + 6.25 × 175 − 5 × 30 + 5 = 1,648.75 calories.
The activity estimate is 1,648.75 × 1.55 = 2,555.56 calories.
Maintain adds zero. The result is above the app’s calorie floor.
The 20/50/30 split gives about 127.78 g protein, 319.45 g carbs, and 85.19 g fat before rounding.
The app rounds to 130 g protein, 320 g carbs, and 85 g fat. That totals 2,565 calories, within 2% above the estimate, so carbs need no adjustment.
The final goal is 2,565 calories, 130 g protein, 320 g carbs, and 85 g fat.

How this example reaches 2,565 kcal

Resting estimate1,648.75 kcal
10 × 70 + 6.25 × 175 − 5 × 30 + 5
Moderate activity2,555.56 kcal
1,648.75 × 1.55
Maintain+0 kcal
No goal offset. The result is above the calorie floor.
Balanced split20% / 50% / 30%
Protein 127.78 g, carbs 319.45 g, fat 85.19 g before rounding.
Round2,565 kcal
130 g protein, 320 g carbs, 85 g fat. The total is within 2% above the estimate, so carbs need no adjustment.

Male, age 30, 70 kg (154 lb), 175 cm (5 ft 9 in), Moderate, Maintain, Balanced. The app calculates the final calories from rounded grams with 4/4/9.

In imperial units, 70 kg is about 154.3 lb and 175 cm is about 5 ft 8.9 in. Entering those rounded imperial values gives nearly the same estimate and the same rounded macro goals. The app displays height conversions to a whole inch, so switching units may show 5 ft 9 in while retaining the original centimeters internally.

What the app keeps and what it shows

Kept: 175 cm 175 ÷ 2.54 = 68.90 in, about 5 ft 8.9 in
Shown: 5 ft 9 in Rounded to a whole inch

Metric entry 70 kg, 175 cm
Estimate 2,555.56 kcal
Goals: 2,565 kcal, 130 g protein, 320 g carbs, 85 g fat
Imperial entry 154.3 lb, 5 ft 8.9 in
Estimate 2,555.45 kcal
Goals: 2,565 kcal, 130 g protein, 320 g carbs, 85 g fat

Each small tick is 0.1 in. Switching units changes the height on screen, not the 175 cm the app keeps. The rounded imperial entry lands about 0.11 kcal lower before rounding, and both give the same goals.

Sources and scope

This guide is general information, not medical advice, and no doctor or dietitian reviewed it. Sources checked November 4, 2026. The calculator steps were last compared with the app on November 7, 2026.

National Academies, 2024 AMDR report, chapter 3 and Table 3-1: adult percentage ranges and their limits.
National Academies, 2019 DRI summary tables, protein footnote b: adult protein RDA of 0.8 g/kg.
FDA, 21 CFR 101.9(c)(1): general 4/4/9 calorie factors and other labeling methods.
Mifflin et al., 1990, original resting-energy equation: the adult equation used by the app.

Set your daily goals in MACROS

Open Settings and find Daily Goals. Enter your calorie, protein, carb, and fat targets, then tap Save Goals.

MACROS Settings with editable Daily Goals and Recalculate Targets. — Settings > Daily Goals. These demo values show the controls, not the worked example or a recommended diet.

For a calculated starting point, tap Recalculate Targets. Enter your body profile.

Enter the body profile. This example uses Male, age 30, 175 cm (5 ft 9 in), and 70 kg (154 lb).

Choose your activity and goal direction, then tap Review targets.

Calculator with Moderate activity and Maintain selected under Your goal, above Review targets. — Choose Moderate activity and Maintain for this example. Scroll down in the form to find Your goal.

Check the macro balance and targets before applying them. These calculator screenshots use the worked example above, not a recommended diet.

Your targets review with Balanced macro balance, 2,565 kcal, 130 g protein, 320 g carbs, and 85 g fat. — Review the targets and Macro balance. This Balanced example matches the calculation above.

Revisit your targets with a professional if they do not fit your needs. A macro total alone does not tell you whether your diet provides enough fiber, vitamins, or minerals.

Read how MACROS handles your food diary data or contact MACROS support for app help. The MACROS calorie counter and food diary homepage lists the app’s features.