Macro splits for different goals: a cheat sheet

The eternal forum question: what should my macros be? The honest answer: it depends on your goal, your body weight, and what makes you feel good. Here's a useful starting framework.

The protein floor (non-negotiable)

Regardless of goal:

• Sedentary, healthy weight: 1.2 g/kg body weight (~0.55 g/lb)
• Active or training: 1.6 g/kg (~0.7 g/lb)
• Cutting (in deficit): 1.8–2.2 g/kg (~0.8–1.0 g/lb)
• Older adult (60+): 1.6 g/kg minimum, regardless of activity
• Bulking: 1.6–1.8 g/kg is plenty

Protein first. Carbs and fat fill the rest.

Cutting (fat loss)

Goal: maintain muscle, drop fat, manage hunger.

For a 75kg adult eating ~1,800 cal:

• Protein: 165g (660 cal, ~37%)
• Fat: 60g (540 cal, ~30%)
• Carbs: 150g (600 cal, ~33%)

Why: high protein for satiety + muscle retention. Moderate fat for hormones and palatability. Carbs fill the gap and fuel training.

Maintenance

Goal: feel good, train well, sustain weight.

For a 75kg adult eating ~2,400 cal:

• Protein: 130g (520 cal, ~22%)
• Fat: 80g (720 cal, ~30%)
• Carbs: 290g (1,160 cal, ~48%)

Why: protein still meets the floor. Carbs and fat in the 30/50 range, which most healthy adults tolerate well.

Bulking (muscle gain with intentional surplus)

Goal: build muscle, manage fat gain, support training volume.

For a 75kg adult eating ~3,000 cal:

• Protein: 140g (560 cal, ~19%)
• Fat: 90g (810 cal, ~27%)
• Carbs: 410g (1,640 cal, ~55%)

Why: extra calories should be biased toward carbs to support training and recovery. Protein doesn't need to scale with calories beyond the 1.6–1.8 g/kg target.

Endurance (high-volume training)

Goal: fuel long sessions, recover, maintain or modestly cut.

For a 70kg runner training 8h/week:

• Protein: 120g (480 cal, ~17%)
• Fat: 70g (630 cal, ~22%)
• Carbs: 425g (1,700 cal, ~61%)

Why: carbs are the rate-limiter for endurance performance. Fat as low as ~20% is fine. Protein meets the recovery floor.

Keto / very low carb

Goal: leverage carb restriction for satiety, mostly fat loss context.

For a 75kg adult eating ~1,800 cal:

• Protein: 130g (520 cal, ~29%)
• Fat: 130g (1,170 cal, ~65%)
• Carbs: 30g (120 cal, ~6%)

Why: keto requires carbs under ~50g/day. Fat is the energy source. Protein moderate (high protein can blunt ketosis; low protein costs lean mass).

Pregnancy

Goal: support fetal development, maintain energy.

Increases over baseline:

• 2nd trimester: +340 cal/day
• 3rd trimester: +450 cal/day
• Protein floor: 71g/day minimum (per IOM); 1.1 g/kg body weight in modern guidelines
• Folate, iron, calcium, DHA, choline are critical to track separately

This is one context where "talk to your provider" is not boilerplate — pregnancy nutrition has real protocols.

Older adults (60+)

Goal: maintain lean mass, prevent sarcopenia.

• Protein: 1.6 g/kg minimum, distributed across 3–4 meals (per-meal threshold matters more with age)
• Calorie needs decline modestly; activity is the better lever to maintain TDEE
• Vitamin D, B12, calcium are common deficiency points

How to use this

Pick the goal that matches your phase. Use the percentages as a starting frame. Adjust based on:

• Hunger (if you're starving, more protein and fat, fewer fast carbs)
• Energy in training (if you're flat, more carbs)
• Digestion (if you bloat, slowly transition fiber up)

Macros are a planning tool, not a rule. The right macros are the ones you can sustain.

The best macro split is the one you can hit consistently for the goal you're actually pursuing.