Macronutrients are the three nutrient groups your body needs in large quantities: proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Each serves a different function: proteins repair and build muscle tissue, carbohydrates are your primary energy source, and fats regulate your hormones and protect your organs.
Knowing how many grams of each macronutrient you need per day is the foundation of any serious nutrition plan. It's not just about counting calories — macro distribution determines whether you lose fat, maintain muscle, or gain mass efficiently.
How are TDEE and daily calories calculated?
TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the total number of calories your body burns each day, combining your basal metabolic rate (BMR) with your physical activity level. Our calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor formula, considered the gold standard by the American Dietetic Association, to estimate your BMR from your sex, age, weight, and height.
Once BMR is calculated, it's multiplied by an activity factor to get your TDEE. Then, based on your goal (lose fat, maintain weight, or build muscle), a caloric deficit or surplus is applied. Macronutrients are distributed prioritizing protein to preserve muscle mass.
Why does calculating your macros matter?
Counting only calories is an incomplete approach. Two 2,000 kcal diets can produce completely different results depending on how macronutrients are distributed. A high-protein diet preserves more muscle during a cutting phase, while a balanced carbohydrate distribution maintains your athletic performance.
The problem is that calculating macros manually is tedious: it requires apps, scales, and nutritional knowledge. Our free calculator does it in 60 seconds, and with Makroa you can go one step further: receive meals with your exact portions, without calculating, cooking, or weighing anything.