How to Count Macros (Step by Step)
Counting macros means tracking the protein, carbohydrates and fat in what you eat, not just the calories. Here's how to do it in five steps, from setting your targets to adjusting them each week, plus the mistakes that throw the numbers off.
Step 1: get your targets
Start with an estimate of your calories and macros for your goal. Our macro calculator sets protein first, from your body weight, then splits the rest between fat and carbs. Each gram of protein or carbohydrate carries about 4 kcal and each gram of fat about 9 kcal, which is how grams turn into calories.
Step 2: weigh and log your food
A kitchen scale is the most useful tool you can buy for this. Weigh foods in grams, raw where you can, and log them in a tracking app as you eat, not at the end of the day. After a few weeks you'll be able to estimate common portions by eye, and you can weigh less often.
Step 3: read labels (grams vs servings)
Labels give nutrition per serving and, in many countries, per 100 g. The serving size is often smaller than what you actually eat, so log the grams you weighed, not the number of servings. Check whether a value is for the food as sold or as prepared, especially for things like oats, rice and pasta.
Step 4: hit protein first, then calories
If you lift, protein is the macro to get right: about 1.6 g per kg of body weight a day is where muscle gains levelled off in a meta-analysis on our sources page. Plan each meal around a protein food, then fit carbs and fat around your calorie target. Small daily misses on carbs and fat matter less than the weekly average.
Step 5: adjust every week from your trend
Your first targets are estimates. Compare your weekly average weight with your goal: if it isn't moving the way you want after two or three weeks of accurate logging, adjust calories, mostly from carbs and fat, and keep protein where it is. The BodyMacros app does this re-estimate for you every week and explains the change.
IIFYM and flexible dieting explained
IIFYM, short for "if it fits your macros", is the idea that no food is banned as long as your day still hits your protein, carb and fat targets. Flexible dieting is the same approach under another name. It works because the totals drive the result; the catch is that some foods make the totals much harder to hit, so most people still build meals around protein and vegetables.
Common mistakes
Not logging cooking oils, butter and sauces, which add up fast. Mixing raw and cooked weights: 100 g of raw rice is far more than 100 g of cooked rice. Choosing a database entry that doesn't match the label. Logging from memory at night. And changing targets after a single weigh-in instead of a weekly trend.
FAQ
What does the 40/40/20 macro rule mean?
It's a split of calories: 40% from carbohydrates, 40% from protein and 20% from fat. On 2,000 kcal that's about 200 g of carbs, 200 g of protein and 44 g of fat. It's one popular split, not a rule; setting protein from your body weight and splitting the rest by preference works just as well.
What is a good macro diet plan?
One you can follow that hits your calorie target for your goal with enough protein, about 1.6 g per kg of body weight a day if you lift, and fat and carbs split in a way you enjoy. Our macro calculator gives a starting estimate; your weekly weight trend tells you whether to adjust it.
What are the recommended macros for muscle gain?
Eat a small surplus above maintenance with protein around 1.6–2.2 g per kg of body weight a day, then split the rest between carbs and fat. Our bulking calculator uses 1.8 g per kg, 30% of calories from fat and the rest from carbs, and a slow gain of about 0.25% of body weight a week.
Do I need a food scale to count macros?
Not strictly, but it makes the numbers far more accurate, especially for oils, nut butters, rice and pasta, where eyeballing is often off by a lot. Use one for the first few weeks to learn what portions look like, then weigh the foods you get wrong most and estimate the rest.
Track this in the app
Log your food and your lifts in one place. Your estimates adjust each week to how you eat and train.
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