Health and Fitness Calculators
Macro Split
A macro split divides a daily calorie target into grams of protein, carbohydrate and fat. The grams are what you actually count; the percentages are just how you got there.
Protein: 0 grams a day.
Carbohydrate: 0 grams a day.
Fat: 0 grams a day.
How it works
Each macronutrient carries a known amount of energy, so a percentage of your calories converts straight into grams. Protein and carbohydrate carry four calories a gram and fat carries nine.
Grams = (calories × percentage) ÷ calories per gram
Protein 4 cal/g, carbohydrate 4 cal/g, fat 9 cal/g
A 2000 calorie target on a balanced 30/40/30 split gives 150 g of protein, 200 g of carbohydrate and 67 g of fat.
The three splits
| Split | Protein, carbohydrate, fat |
| Balanced | 30/40/30 |
| Lower carbohydrate | 35/25/40 |
| Higher carbohydrate, for endurance training | 25/55/20 |
What this number is not
It is not a diet, and the split matters far less than the calorie target it came from. Two people eating the same calories on different splits will see similar weight changes; what the split changes is how you feel training and how easily you hold on to muscle.
How accurate it is
The arithmetic is exact. Everything uncertain is upstream, in the calorie target, and in how accurately anyone records what they ate, which in studies is usually off by around twenty percent.
Common questions
Which split should I pick?
Start balanced unless you have a reason not to. Endurance athletes training daily generally do better on more carbohydrate, and people who find themselves hungry often do better on more protein and fat.
Can I track these in FitnessSyncer?
Yes. Protein, carbohydrate and fat are charted on your Dashboard from any connected nutrition service or from what you log in the Notebook, and you can set a daily goal for each.
Does hitting my macros matter more than hitting my calories?
No, calories decide the direction and the macros decide how comfortable the trip is. The exception is protein, which is worth hitting for its own sake if you are training and trying to keep muscle.
