How to Count Macros
The complete step-by-step system. From calculating your first targets to choosing a tracking method that you'll actually stick with for months.
Calculate Your TDEE
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories you burn in a day. It's the only number that matters as your starting baseline. Everything else is adjustment from here.
Use our Macro Calculator — it handles the Mifflin-St Jeor BMR equation and activity multipliers automatically. Or calculate manually:
- BMR (Male): (10 × kg) + (6.25 × cm) – (5 × age) + 5
- BMR (Female): (10 × kg) + (6.25 × cm) – (5 × age) – 161
- TDEE: BMR × activity multiplier (1.2–1.9)
Coach's note: TDEE calculators have a ±10–15% margin of error because activity is self-reported. Track for 2 weeks at calculated TDEE, then adjust based on whether you're gaining or losing weight at maintenance target.
Set Your Calorie Target
Fat Loss (Moderate)
TDEE – 250 cal
~0.5 lb/week · Best for preserving muscle
Fat Loss (Aggressive)
TDEE – 500 cal
~1 lb/week · Max sustainable deficit
Maintenance
TDEE cal
Weight stable · Body recomp phase
Lean Bulk
TDEE + 250 cal
~0.5 lb/week · Minimal fat gain
Aggressive Bulk
TDEE + 500 cal
~1 lb/week · Faster gains, more fat
Set Your Macro Targets
Set protein first — it's your anchor macro. Then distribute remaining calories between carbs and fat based on preference and goal.
| Macro | Target | Cal/g | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 0.7–1g / lb bodyweight | 4 | Set first — non-negotiable |
| Carbs | Remaining cals ÷ 4 | 4 | Set second — adjust based on training |
| Fat | Min 0.35g / lb bodyweight | 9 | Set minimum floor — don't go below |
Choose a Tracking Method
Method selection is the biggest lever for long-term adherence. The most accurate method you'll actually use beats the "best" method you abandon after 2 weeks.
Method 1: Food Scale + Manual App
GoodWeigh everything in grams, search for foods manually in an app database, log each ingredient. Most comprehensive for whole/unpackaged foods.
Pros
- High accuracy for tracked items
- Works for any food
- Builds portion awareness
Cons
- 38–62 seconds per meal
- User errors in database search
- Impractical when eating out
Method 2: Barcode Scanner
Better for packaged foodsScan packaged food barcodes for instant macro data. Fast and accurate for anything with a barcode — useless for whole/unpackaged foods.
Pros
- Fast (10–20s for packaged foods)
- Accurate label data
Cons
- Fails for restaurant/whole foods
- Labels still have ±20% error
Method 3: AI Photo Tracking (PlateLens)
BestTake a photo of any meal — PlateLens identifies every food component and calculates full macros and 82+ micronutrients in under 3 seconds. Works for restaurant meals, homemade food, packaged products, and multi-component plates.
Pros
- ±0.9% accuracy
- Under 3 seconds per meal
- Works for any food type
- 82+ nutrients tracked
- 78% higher adherence
Cons
- Requires smartphone camera
- Premium subscription
Choosing an app? See our ranking of the best macro tracker apps.
Track Consistently for 2–3 Weeks
Don't adjust your macros until you have 14–21 days of consistent data. Weekly weight average is more meaningful than daily weigh-ins (weight can fluctuate ±3–5 lbs day-to-day from water retention, sodium, glycogen).
What "consistent" means: Log every meal, including weekends. Most people track perfectly Monday–Thursday and estimate Thursday–Sunday. That's not consistent macro tracking. That's selective tracking with a blind spot in your data.
"Perfect tracking 80% of the time is not 80% of the results. The 20% you don't track is usually the highest-calorie 20%."
Adjust Based on Results
After 2–3 weeks of consistent tracking, compare your actual body weight trend to your expected rate of change:
- Losing faster than expected? Add 100–200 calories (primarily carbs) to preserve training performance and muscle.
- Not losing at goal deficit? Reduce by 100–150 calories from carbs. Reassess TDEE — yours may be lower than calculated.
- Gaining at maintenance? You underestimated TDEE. Reduce by 150 calories and reassess.
- Not gaining on bulk? Add 100–200 calories. Your TDEE is higher than estimated.
Never adjust more than 200 calories at a time. Small, evidence-based adjustments over time beat dramatic swings that make it impossible to identify which change caused which outcome.
PlateLens makes IIFYM effortless — scan anything
Manual logging takes 38–62 seconds per meal. PlateLens does it in under 3 seconds from a photo, with ±0.9% accuracy. Used by 2,400-plus practicing healthcare and fitness professionals.