.png)
AyFit Coaching · Free Tool
Calorie & Macro Calculator
Set science-backed calorie, macro and heart rate targets around your goal in about a minute using the most up-to-date formulas. Pop in your details, choose a split that suits how you train and walk away with numbers you can actually eat and train to.
common questions
Calorie and macro calculator FAQs
The quick answers to what people ask most about calories, macros and getting an accurate target.
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
To lose weight you need to eat fewer calories than you burn each day. This tool works out your total daily energy burn, then sets a sensible deficit based on your goal weight and timeline. A safe rate for most people is around 0.5 to 1kg per week, which usually means eating a few hundred calories below your daily burn rather than slashing your intake.
What are macros and why do they matter?
Macros are the three nutrients that make up your calories: protein, carbohydrate and fat. Hitting your calorie target tells you how much to eat. Your macro split tells you what those calories should be made of. Getting enough protein is the part that protects your muscle while you lose fat, which is why our recommended split puts protein first.
How accurate are calorie calculators?
Any calculator gives an estimate, not an exact number. The formulas are built from population averages, so your real needs can sit around 10 to 20 percent either side. Use the number as a starting point, track your results for two to four weeks, then adjust. The most accurate way to sharpen it is to measure your body fat and lean mass with a scan rather than relying on averages.
Should I eat below my BMR to lose weight faster?
No. Your BMR is the energy your body needs just to keep you alive at rest, so eating below it for long is hard to sustain and tends to cost you muscle. This calculator sets your BMR as the floor for that reason. If progress stalls, add movement or give yourself a longer timeline rather than cutting calories further.
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
Your BMR is what you would burn lying in bed all day. Your TDEE is your total daily burn once you add everything else on top, your training, your steps and general movement. Your calorie target is worked out from your TDEE, which is why your activity level changes the result.
Why does adding my body fat percentage make the result more accurate?
Two people at the same weight can carry very different amounts of muscle. Muscle is what drives how much energy you burn. When you enter your body fat percentage the calculator switches to the Katch-McArdle formula, which works from your lean mass instead of just your bodyweight. That is why a body composition scan, like an InBody, makes every number here more precise.
How often should I recalculate my calories and macros?
Every few weeks, or whenever your weight changes by a few kilos. As your body changes your energy needs shift with it, so a number that was right two months ago can drift. Recalculating regularly keeps your targets matched to the body you have now, not the one you started with.
What are the heart rate zones used for?
The zones show you how hard you are working during cardio, from easy recovery through to all-out effort. Training in the right zone for your goal makes your cardio more effective, whether you are building an aerobic base or pushing your peak fitness. The ranges here are worked out from your age using the Tanaka formula.
Want your numbers measured instead of estimated? Book a body composition scan.