How to Track Macros as a Beginner

Tracking macros means counting the grams of protein, carbohydrates, and fat you eat each day. It gives you more detail than counting calories alone, because you can see where your calories come from.

Read on for what macros are, the 5 steps with a worked example, and what the research says about weight loss.

What are macros?

Macros, short for macronutrients, are the three main nutrients that supply calories: protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Your body needs them in large amounts, measured in grams.

Carbohydrates come in three main types: sugars, starches, and fiber. Alcohol isn't one of the three macros, but it still adds calories, so count it in your log.

How to track macros in 5 steps

You track macros in 5 steps: set a calorie target, choose a macro split, convert it to grams, log everything you eat, and review your totals each week.

1. Set a daily calorie target

Your calorie target depends on your age, sex, height, weight, and activity level, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The free NIH Body Weight Planner estimates the calories you need to reach and keep a goal weight, and it takes your activity level into account.

To estimate by hand, start with your resting energy expenditure (the calories your body burns at rest). You can estimate it with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which was developed from measurements in 498 healthy adults.

For a 40-year-old woman who weighs 165 pounds (75 kg) and is 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm) tall, that's about 1,450 calories a day at rest. Activity adds calories on top, so total daily needs are higher.

For weight loss, the NIH suggests about 1/2 to 2 pounds a week. Losing 1 pound a week takes about 500 fewer calories a day than you burn. Subtract this from your total daily needs, not from your resting calories.

2. Choose a macro split

A macro split is the share of your calories from protein, carbs, and fat. The National Academies' adult ranges are the usual starting point: 45% to 65% of calories from carbs, 20% to 35% from fat, and 10% to 35% from protein.

The 2025 to 2030 Dietary Guidelines also set a protein goal of 1.2 to 1.6 g per kilogram of body weight a day. Choose a split that reaches that protein amount, then divide the rest between carbs and fat.

3. Convert percentages to grams

To convert a percentage to grams, multiply your calorie target by the percentage, then divide by the calories per gram. Use 4 for protein and carbs, and 9 for fat.

Here's an example for an adult who weighs 165 pound (75 kg) and has a 1,800-calorie target and a 25% protein, 45% carb, 30% fat split.

The 113 g of protein equals about 1.5 g per kilogram, inside the federal range of 90 to 120 g for this person.

4. Log everything you eat and drink

Log every food and drink, including cooking oil, sauces, and alcohol, because small extras add up. Weigh or measure portions at first, since the grams on a label match its serving size, not your portion.

Read the Nutrition Facts label for grams of protein, total carbohydrate, and total fat. For foods without a label, use USDA FoodData Central, the federal nutrient database.

Labels are close estimates, not exact counts. Calories are rounded to the nearest 5 or 10. For calories and fat, federal rules allow the actual amount to be up to 20% higher than the label before a food counts as mislabeled.

5. Review your totals and adjust

Compare your daily totals with your targets, and look at the weekly average rather than single days. If your weight hasn't changed after a few weeks, lower your target slightly or see our guide on why you might not be losing weight.

Tracking what you eat is consistently linked to more weight loss, though the quality of that evidence is weak, according to a review of 22 studies. How often you log seems to matter most.

In one 24-week study of 142 adults, people who lost at least 5% of their weight opened their food log about 2.4 times a day, versus 1.6 times for others. Logging also got faster, from about 23 minutes a day in month 1 to about 15 by month 6.

[MODULE: obesity | learn-how-to]

How many macros are in common foods?

Chicken breast and shrimp are mostly protein, bananas and sweet potatoes are mostly carbs, and olive oil and almonds are mostly fat, according to USDA FoodData Central. The table lists 13 common foods by portion.

For more protein-rich options, see our list of 30 high-protein foods.

What should your macros be for weight loss?

For weight loss, research suggests your calorie target matters more than your macro split. Two large trials that compared very different splits found similar weight loss.

In the POUNDS Lost trial, 811 adults followed one of four reduced-calorie diets with different splits for 2 years. All four led to similar weight loss, about 3 to 4 kg, regardless of which macronutrients they emphasized.

In the DIETFITS trial of 609 adults, a healthy low-fat diet led to 5.3 kg of weight loss over 12 months and a healthy low-carb diet to 6.0 kg. The difference wasn't statistically significant.

Protein still deserves attention, because it helps protect muscle while you lose weight. If meals fall short, see our guide to protein powder for weight loss.

If you take a GLP-1 medicine such as Wegovy® or Zepbound® (tirzepatide), a 2025 joint advisory suggests 80 to 120 g of protein a day. See our GLP-1 eating plan or compare Wegovy® vs Zepbound®.

When to see a healthcare provider

Talk to a healthcare provider before tracking macros if you have diabetes, kidney disease, or a history of an eating disorder. People with diabetes who use insulin often count carbs to choose their doses, so their targets need a care team. Some people with chronic kidney disease need moderate amounts of protein.

Food tracking isn't right for everyone. In a study of 493 college students, calorie-tracker users reported more eating concerns and stricter dieting. If tracking makes you anxious or leads you to skip meals, stop and talk to a provider.

See a provider too if you're tracking carefully but still not losing weight. They can check for other causes and discuss treatment options.

Why trust our experts

This guide was researched and written by the peptides.io Editorial Team. Food values were calculated from USDA FoodData Central, label rules come from the Code of Federal Regulations, and every other number was checked against the sources above on October 6, 2026. Clinical review is pending, and this line will name the reviewer once it's complete.

Sources