You know your calories. But what should that food actually be made of? Here is how to split it between protein, carbs and fat.
Getting the number is easy. This is the part people actually get stuck on.
Three things in food give you calories - protein, carbohydrate and fat. Those are your macros. Calories tell you how much to eat; macros tell you what to eat. Two people can both eat 2000 calories a day and end up looking completely different, purely because of the split.
Per gram: protein 4, carbs 4, fat 9. That is why even a small amount of oil adds up so quickly.
When you lose weight your body burns muscle along with fat. Keeping protein high protects that muscle, and it keeps you full for longer. That is why this calculator sets protein highest on a fat loss goal - around 2 grams per kg of bodyweight.
Our food leans very heavily on carbs - roti, rice, potato, poha. Protein is usually the thing that gets missed. That is why the list above exists. If you are vegetarian, lean on paneer, dal, rajma, chickpeas, soya chunks and curd. Dal alone will not get you there - one bowl only has about 9 grams.
Not at all. Get close and that is enough. Protein is the one worth being strict about; carbs and fat can swing 10-15 grams either way. People who weigh everything to the gram usually give up within two weeks.
Everything on this page is worked out from a formula or from published averages. It has never met you, and it cannot see your blood pressure, your medication or an old injury.
Talk to a doctor before you start if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a heart condition, diabetes or high blood pressure, take regular medication, have or have had an eating disorder, are recovering from injury or surgery, or are under 18. Stop and get advice if any exercise causes pain, dizziness or chest discomfort.
More about where these numbers come from is on the about page.
