---
title: Macro Calculator: Protein, Carbs and Fat to Cut, Bulk or Recomp
url: https://progresslens.app/tools/macro-calculator/
language: en
updated: 2026-11-13
---

# Macro calculator

Get daily calories and grams of protein, carbs and fat for your goal. Protein comes first; carbs and fat fill the rest.

Short answer

Set calories from your TDEE (−20% to lose fat, +10% to lean bulk), protein at about 1.6–2.2 g per kg of bodyweight, fat at about 25–30% of calories, and fill the rest with carbs. Enter your numbers above for calories and grams of each.

Calculated in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere.

## How the macros are set

| Goal | Calories | Protein |
| Lose fat | TDEE − 20% | 2.2 g/kg |
| Recomp | TDEE | 2.0 g/kg |
| Maintain | TDEE | 1.6 g/kg |
| Lean bulk | TDEE + 10% | 1.8 g/kg |

Fat is about 27% of calories (never under 0.6 g/kg), and carbs fill the rest. Protein is based on your bodyweight, capped at the weight for a BMI of 25, so it isn’t inflated at higher weights. Muscle gain from protein tops out around 1.6 g/kg in meta-analyses (Morton et al., 2018); a bit more helps keep muscle in a deficit.

## Is it working?

After 3–4 weeks, compare your waist and a matched front and side photo. On a cut your waist should drop; on a recomp your waist drops while your weight barely moves; on a bulk your weight climbs slowly and your waist stays nearly flat. Check with the [bulk or cut calculator](https://progresslens.app/tools/bulk-or-cut-calculator/) if you’re unsure which goal to pick.

## See how far you’ve come.

Take a check-in, tap AI Analyze and get your Progress Report: body-fat range, what changed, fat or muscle, and whether to cut or bulk. On iPhone, iPad and Android, with no account. Your photos stay on your phone.

FAQ

## Frequently asked questions

**How much protein do I need to build muscle?**

About 1.6 g per kg of bodyweight a day covers most people; up to 2.2 g/kg is a generous upper end. See the [protein calculator](https://progresslens.app/tools/protein-calculator/).

**Do carbs or fat matter more for fat loss?**

Neither, as long as calories and protein are right. Pick the split you can stick to.

**Should I change my macros on rest days?**

You don’t need to. Weekly averages matter far more than day-to-day changes.

**What’s the difference between BMR and TDEE?**

BMR is what you burn at complete rest. TDEE adds everything else: walking, training, digesting food. TDEE is the number you eat around.

## More free tools

[Body fat estimatorYour look plus a tape measure, no upload.Open →](https://progresslens.app/tools/body-fat-estimator/)[Bulk or cut calculatorCut, lean bulk or recomp, with a weekly rate.Open →](https://progresslens.app/tools/bulk-or-cut-calculator/)[TDEE calculatorMaintenance calories, and to cut or bulk.Open →](https://progresslens.app/tools/tdee-calculator/)[GLP-1 weight loss calculatorOzempic and Mounjaro trial averages for you.Open →](https://progresslens.app/tools/glp-1-weight-loss-calculator/)[Protein calculatorGrams a day for muscle, fat loss or GLP-1.Open →](https://progresslens.app/tools/protein-calculator/)[How long to get absWeeks and date to your target body fat.Open →](https://progresslens.app/tools/how-long-to-get-abs-calculator/)

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ProgressLens is an AI progress photo app for iPhone, iPad and Android that turns your check-in photos and tape measurements into a Progress Report: your body-fat range, what changed, whether you are losing fat or muscle, and whether to cut, lean bulk, recomp or maintain.
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/progresslens/id6806300575
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.progresslens