How to Count Macros: A Plain Guide for Beginners
Four steps: set calories, set protein, split the rest between fat and carbs, then log. A worked example in grams, and how close is close enough.
Counting macros means tracking grams of protein, carbohydrate and fat, not just calories. You set a daily target for each, log what you eat, and look at how close you landed. It takes four steps, and only the first two need any arithmetic.
What a gram of each is worth
A gram of protein or carbohydrate carries about 4 calories. A gram of fat carries about 9. These are the general factors US nutrition labels are calculated with, which is why grams and calories always reconcile: 30 grams of protein is 120 calories whatever food it comes from.
Step 1: Set your calories
Start from maintenance, the calories that hold your weight steady. The Mifflin-St Jeor equation estimates your resting energy from weight, height, age and sex, and an activity multiplier scales that up to a full day. Our TDEE calculator does both and shows its working.
Then pick a direction. About 15% below maintenance is a moderate deficit for losing fat. About 10% above suits building muscle. Whatever you choose, it is a first guess: your weight trend over two to three weeks tells you whether it was right.
Step 2: Protein first, then fat, then carbs
Protein comes first because it has the clearest evidence behind it. A 2018 meta-analysis of 49 resistance-training studies found that gains in lean mass leveled off at around 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight a day. That is a sensible target whether you are losing weight or not.
Fat comes next. The National Academies range for adults is 20% to 35% of calories, and 25% sits comfortably in the middle. Carbohydrate gets whatever calories are left.
Here is the whole calculation for one person: a 35-year-old woman, 165 cm and 70 kg, moderately active, who wants to lose fat.
- Maintenance: Mifflin-St Jeor gives about 1,395 calories at rest; times 1.55 for moderate activity is about 2,160.
- Calories: 15% below maintenance is 1,840.
- Protein: 1.6 g × 70 kg is 112 g, which is 448 calories.
- Fat: 25% of 1,840 is 460 calories; divided by 9 is 51 g.
- Carbs: the 932 calories left, divided by 4, is 233 g.
The macro calculator runs the same steps on your numbers.
Step 3: Log what you eat
Guessing portions is where most counts go wrong, and it is nobody's fault: it is hard. In a well-known 1992 study, adults who were confident they ate little under-reported their actual intake by almost half. Weighing your food for a week or two is the fastest way to calibrate your eye. After that, weigh only the foods that are easy to misjudge, such as oil, nut butter, rice and pasta.
Log as you go rather than at night. A log written from memory tends to miss snacks and cooking fat, which is usually where the missing calories are. On labels, the grams are per serving, not per package.
Step 4: Look at the week, not the day
Daily totals wobble, and that is fine. Look at your weekly average. If you are within about 10 grams of your protein target and near your calories on most days, you are doing it right. If your weight has not moved the way you wanted after three weeks, change calories by 5% to 10% and keep protein where it is.
The habit matters more than the precision. Reviews of the research consistently link keeping a food log, week after week, with more successful weight loss.
You do not have to count forever
A few weeks of honest logging teaches you what your usual meals contain. Many people then track only protein, or only during weeks when they are working toward something. If counting starts to feel like a verdict rather than information, stepping back is a reasonable choice. We wrote more about that in how to track calories without obsessing over it.
Counting macros in Silent
Silent sets your calorie, protein, carb and fat targets in grams during setup, using the same Mifflin-St Jeor equation, and you can change them any time in Settings. To log, you type the meal the way you would say it, like "2 eggs, avocado toast and a large latte", and Silent fills in the calories and macros for each item. Anything it is unsure about is labeled as an estimate so you can correct it. It is free to try for 7 days, then $9.99 once. See how it compares with MyFitnessPal, Lose It and MacroFactor on the comparison page.
Sources
- Mifflin MD et al. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1990.
- Morton RW et al. Protein supplementation and resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength: a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2018.
- National Academies. Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges, Dietary Reference Intakes.
- US Code of Federal Regulations. 21 CFR 101.9, nutrition labeling of food (general factors of 4, 4 and 9 calories per gram).
- Lichtman SW et al. Discrepancy between self-reported and actual caloric intake and exercise in obese subjects. New England Journal of Medicine, 1992.
- Hall KD, Guo J. Obesity energetics: body weight regulation and the effects of diet composition. Gastroenterology, 2017.
- Burke LE, Wang J, Sevick MA. Self-monitoring in weight loss: a systematic review of the literature. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2011.
Questions
Do I need a food scale to count macros?
Not forever. Weighing for a week or two is the quickest way to learn what your usual portions really are. After that, most people estimate common foods well enough and only weigh the ones that are easy to get wrong, like oil, nut butter, rice and pasta.
How accurate do my macros need to be?
Close, not exact. Landing within about 10 grams of your protein target and near your calories on most days is enough. Judge by the weekly average and your weight trend over two to three weeks, not by any single day.
Should I count macros or just calories?
Calories decide whether your weight goes up or down. Macros add one useful thing on top: enough protein to keep muscle while you lose fat, or to build it. If counting three numbers feels like too much, track calories and protein and let fat and carbs fall where they fall.
What macro split is best for weight loss?
Controlled feeding studies that swap carbohydrate for fat at the same calories find only very small differences in fat loss. Keep protein around 1.6 g per kg of body weight and fat within 20% to 35% of calories, then pick the balance of fat and carbs you enjoy eating.