MyFitnessPal now offers a free Macro Calculator on our Blog.
*For precise dietary advice, it’s always best to consult a doctor or registered dietitian.
What's the difference between this calculator vs. the default one?
What do I do with these results once calculated?
How are calorie needs calculated and why do you need age, height, weight & sex?
How do I pick the right activity level?
How are the macro goals calculated?
How do I pick the right weight loss rate?
Why don't my goals change with different carb/fat preferences?
What's the difference between this calculator vs. the default one?
Our default macro calculations are 20% of calories from protein, 50% of calories from carbohydrates, and 30% of calories from fat.
This calculator takes personal factors into account, such as protein needs based off of body weight and physical activity, and carb and fat preferences where allowable, to calculate macro goals.
Using this calculator, if you find your macros differ from the default goals, you can customize your goals here.
What do I do with these results once calculated?
Once you've received your results, you can update your goals in-app the app:
In our Android and iOS apps
- Tap “Goals” in the Menu (or “More” page)
- Tap “Calories, Carbs, Protein & Fat Goals
MyFitnessPal distributes fat, carb and protein calories based on a percentage, in five percent increments. If you customize your macronutrient goals, all three goals will adjust to total 100%.
Visit our Essential Guides to learn how to hit each of your macro goals.
Essential Guide to Carbohydrates
Finally, track your meals to learn how your diet habits stack up against your macro goals. Use the guides to figure out what tweaks to make to better hit your goals, and consult a doctor or dietitian for more specialized guidance.
How are calorie needs calculated and why do you need age, height, weight & sex?
When you create your profile, we ask you for your age, height, weight, gender, and normal daily activity level. We use these factors to determine the calories required to maintain your current weight. We also ask how much weight you would like to lose or gain per week, and with this goal in mind we subtract calories (for weight loss) or add calories (for weight gain) to determine your daily calorie and nutrient goals.
If your gender identity is not the same as your sex assigned at birth, and you have not started gender-affirming medications, select your sex assigned at birth, because it will most accurately reflect your metabolic rate. If you have started taking gender-affirming medications, first consult with your doctor what might be the best selection for you. If you’ve only been on your medications for a few months, you might want to select your sex assigned at birth, and update when you are further into your medical transition. If you’ve been on your medications for longer than a few months, your metabolism might be closer to your gender identity, especially as muscle and fat mass start to shift.
For best results, please consult your doctor.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6046513/
https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12937-020-00590-4
How do I pick the right activity level?
Your choice of activity level should include the average calories you would burn for normal daily activities, such as standing, breathing, sleeping, eating, etc. along with calories you would burn for your normal daily routines, such as general housework and your typical work routine.
Please note that your choice should not factor in the activity of exercises/workouts you perform since those will be logged separately (manually or by linked a partner app/fitness tracker) as you complete them
We define our levels as follows:.
- Sedentary/Not Very Active: Spend most of the day sitting (e.g. desk job)
- Lightly Active: Spend a good part of the day on your feet (e.g. teacher, salesperson)
- Active: Spend a good part of the day doing some physical activity (e.g. server, postal worker, nurse)
- Very Active: Spend most of the day doing heavy physical activity (e.g. bike messenger, carpenter)
How are the macro goals calculated?
First, we determine your calorie needs based on the same information we collect when setting your calorie goals in-app.
Then, we calculate your protein needs based on your body weight and physical activity, using standards recommended by the International Society of Sports Nutrition and others.
Finally, we figure out how much of your calories is taken up by your protein goal, and allocate the remaining calories to carbohydrates and fat depending on your preferences, while staying within recommended ranges for carbohydrates and fat.
How do I pick the right weight loss rate?
The National Institutes of Health recommends the following weight loss rates based on your BMI:
- BMI of 35kg/m2 or more: 1-2lb per week
- BMI of 27-35kg/m2: 0.5-1lb per week
- BMI below 27kg/m2: 0.5lb per week
You can calculate your BMI with the following equations or find an online BMI calculator:
Metric: weight in kilograms divided by height in meters, divided by height in meters again
Imperial: weight in pounds multiplied by 703, divided by height in inches, divided by height in inches again
Why don't my goals change with different carb/fat preferences?
For some people, protein needs might take up a significant portion of calories, leaving little wiggle room for how we can allocate carbohydrates and fat with the remaining calories while staying within the recommended ranges for those nutrients. For those people, there’s only one macro breakdown that meets their protein needs and stays within recommended ranges for carbs and fat, so we can’t adjust the breakdown based on preferences.
If you would like more wiggle room for carbs and fat preferences, we recommend adjusting your weight change rate (for weight loss, choose a slower weight change rate. For weight gain, choose a faster weight change rate).
If you need additional assistance please reach out to our Support Team or email us directly at support@myfitnesspal.com.
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