Macronutrient Calculator

This macronutrient calculator will give you the estimated amount of carbohydrates, protein and fat grams to consume based on your daily calorie needs.

The formula is based on the National Academy of Sciences.

The below calculator will show you the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range or AMDR.

Just input your daily calorie budget and calculate for the results.

The range for the results are as follows;

Carbs: 45 - 65%
Protein: 10 - 35%
Fat: 20 - 35%


Macronutrient Calculator

Calorie Needs
Use this weight loss calculator if you don't know your calorie needs

Your Daily Macronutrient Needs Are:

Carbs
Protein
Fat


This means for a 2000 a day calorie diet, you would need to get at least 45% of the energy from the carbohydrates in your foods.

You do not want to go over the high range of 65%.

Similarly, the fat content in the foods should be between 20 - 35% of the calories that make up the food item.

Protein needs to be in the 10 - 35% range.

The above recommended distribution, according to the NAS, is an acceptable range that will help reduce risk for chronic diseases. This range will provide essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals.

A diet that is within this range is recommended for lasting weight loss. An unbalanced diet may increase health risks due to potential lack of important nutrients.

The Formula

The formula behind this macronutrient calculator is fairly simple. It uses the 4-9-4 equation, which is the breakdown of calories from fat, protein and carbohydrates.

Basically, the calorie distribution is 4 grams of protein, 9 grams of fat and 4 grams of carbohydrates that makes up the total calories.

So, if your food item had 10 grams of protein, 2 grams of fat and 24 grams of carbohydrates, the total calories would be;

10 X 4 = 40 protein calories
2 X 9 = 18 fat calories
24 x 4 = 96 carb calories

This would give you a total of 154 calories for that food item.

Using the 4-9-4 equation to determine the proper macronutrient distribution the formula would be;

Calorie needs X Protein % / 4 = Protein Grams
Calorie needs X Carb % / 4 = Carb Grams
Calorie needs X Fat % / 4 = Fat Grams

So, for this macronutrient calculator, a low and high range is used for each of the above macronutrients.

Therefore the low range formula would look like this for a 2000 a day calorie consumption;

2000 x .10 / 4 = 50(g) Protein
2000 x .45/ 4 = 225(g) Carbohydrates
2000 x .20 / 9 = 44(g) Fat

The high range for this macronutrient calculator would be;

2000 x .35 / 4 = 175(g) Protein
2000 x .65/ 4 = 325(g) Carbohydrates
2000 x .35 / 9 = 78(g) Fat

Certain diet plans will use different percentages than shown above. Often they will have a higher percent of protein and less fat and carbohydrates. As long as their numbers are within the range above, you should be okay.

If their percentages are extremely different, then you could be at risk of missing some important nutrients.

In addition to this macronutrient calculator check out the calorie calculator. You can look up hundreds of foods and get the nutrition information.

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The daily calorie needs would then include what you need based on your activity level in order to maintain your current weight.

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This one takes the BMR and then gives you the calories needs in order to lose weight. By reducing calorie intake by 500 - 1000 calories a day, you could lose 1 - 2 pounds per week.

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Depending on the results, you may want to lose (or gain) weight to get within the normal range.

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Additional Articles

Eating Healthy
Use these eating healthy tips to ensure you are getting the right vitamins and minerals from the macronutrients in your foods. Eating healthier can reduce medical risks of certain diseases as well as help you lose weight.

Reading Food Labels
Food labels can sometimes be a bit confusing. Check out this article to get the breakdown on a food label so you can select the right macronutrient distribution for your shopping list.

Healthy Recipes
Check out the healthy recipes on this site. Each recipe comes complete with nutrition information and Weight Watchers Points. You can find something new for breakfast, lunch, dinner, appetizers or even desserts.