Maintenance Macro Calculator

How the maintenance target is built

Two steps. First the calorie adjustment: your entered maintenance figure is used as-is (no deficit or surplus). Then the split: 30% protein / 40% carb / 30% fat, converted to grams at 4 kcal/g for protein and carbs and 9 kcal/g for fat, and divided by your meals-per-day for the per-meal figures.

Worked example

Maintenance 2,500 kcal, no adjustment. Balanced split: protein 2,500 × 0.30 ÷ 4 = 188 g, carbs 2,500 × 0.40 ÷ 4 = 250 g, fat 2,500 × 0.30 ÷ 9 = 83 g. Across 4 meals: 47 g protein, 63 g carb, 21 g fat each.

Why this split for this goal

Maintenance is the reference point every other goal is measured from, and a useful place to spend time: after a cut it lets metabolism and hormones recover ('reverse dieting' is just a slow return to it), and between bulk and cut phases it stabilises your baseline. The balanced split keeps protein adequate for muscle retention (~1.6 g/kg for most) while leaving carbs high for training and fat sufficient for health.

The other goals

• Cutting — Fat loss — high protein, calories cut 20% below maintenance.
• Bulking — Muscle gain — balanced split, calories 10% above maintenance.
• Keto — Very low carb — ~5% of calories from carbs, at maintenance.
• Body recomposition — Lose fat and gain muscle at once — high protein, a slight 5% deficit.

The plain macro calculator lets you pick any split by hand. Get your calorie number first with the TDEE calculator or the calorie calculator, and check your protein target against your bodyweight from the BMI or body fat calculators.