Calculate Your Daily Macronutrient Needs: A Simple Guide

Caloric intake needs can vary from person to person. Gender, age and activity level all play a role in determining the amount of calories needed to maintain your current weight.

Once you know your maintenance level of calories, you can adjust for weight loss by reducing those calories. Or you can adjust for weight gain by adding to the maintenance level of calories.

Knowing your target caloric intake, you can use these values to determine your daily allowances of macronutrients.

Things You'll Need

• Calculator

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Instructions

Carbohydrates

• 1

  Convert your target percentage of carbohydrates to a decimal by using your calculator to divide the percentage by 100.

  Example: 45 percent would be the same as 45/100 or 0.45

• 2

  Multiply the decimal representation of your target carbohydrates by your target daily calorie intake.

  Example: 0.45 x 1,200 calories = 540 calories of carbohydrates

• 3

  Divide the calories of carbohydrates by four to convert your calories to grams.

  Example: 540 calories/4 (calories per gram) = 135 g of carbohydrates

Proteins

• 4

  Convert your target percentage of protein to a decimal by using your calculator to divide the percentage by 100.

  Example: 35 percent would be the same as 35/100 or 0.35

• 5

  Multiply the decimal representation of your target protein by your target daily calorie intake.

  Example: 0.35 x 1,200 calories = 420 calories of protein

• 6

  Divide the calories of protein by four to convert your calories to grams.

  Example: 420 calories/4 (calories per gram) = 105 g of carbohydrates

Fat

• 7

  Convert your target percentage of fat to a decimal by using your calculator to divide the percentage by 100.

  Example: 20 percent would be the same as 20/100 or 0.20

• 8

  Multiply the decimal representation of your target fat by your target daily calorie intake.

  Example: 0.20 x 1,200 calories = 240 calories of fat

• 9

  Divide the calories of fat by 9 to convert your calories to grams.

  Example: 240 calories/9 (calories per gram) = 26.7 grams of fat