Calories and macros, explained: how to set targets you can keep

A calorie target sets how much you eat, and macros (protein, carbohydrate and fat) split it up. Protein and carbohydrate have 4 calories per gram, and fat has 9.^[1] In trials, diets with very different splits led to similar weight loss when calories were cut.^{[2, 3]}

Step 1: estimate what you burn

Your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is everything you burn in a day. Resting burn is typically 60% to 70% of it, digesting food about 10%, and the rest is movement.^[4] A 2005 review found the Mifflin-St Jeor equation the most reliable of four common ways to estimate resting burn.^[5] An activity factor then scales it up to a daily total. Dalia uses five activity factors, from 1.2 for sedentary to 1.9 for athlete.

See BMR vs TDEE vs RMR for what each number means and what TDEE is for the daily number in depth. The TDEE calculator shows the math with your own numbers.

Step 2: set a calorie target

To keep your weight steady, the target is your TDEE. To lose weight, a 2026 US guideline says intensive weight loss programs should aim for a deficit of 500 to 750 calories a day.^[20] The older 2013 US obesity guideline listed set ranges of 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day for women and 1,500 to 1,800 for men, usually adjusted for body weight.^[6] Dalia's app never sets a daily target below 1,200 calories.

Pace matters for keeping it off. People who lose about 1 to 2 pounds a week are more likely to keep the weight off.^[7] For the full method, see how many calories to eat to lose weight and what a calorie deficit is, or use the calorie deficit calculator.

Step 3: split it into macros

The National Academies set ranges for each macro as a share of calories. They chose ranges because carbohydrate, fat and protein can stand in for one another to some extent as energy sources.^[8]

For more on each one, see how much protein you need, how much fiber you need and how to count macros.

Two minimums sit alongside these ranges. The protein RDA for adults is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight a day.^[8] Separately, the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans set a protein serving goal of 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg a day, adjusted to calorie needs.^[9] Adults and children should also eat at least 130 grams of carbohydrate a day.^[8]

On US food labels, fiber is listed under total carbohydrate, and the total includes it.^[1] When labels work out calories with the 4-4-9 factors, the rules allow non-digestible carbohydrates to be left out.^[1]

Our macro calculator starts from 30% protein, 40% carbohydrate and 30% fat. That puts carbohydrate below the 45% floor, so the worked example below shows how to bring it inside the ranges. For foods that help you reach a protein number, see high-protein foods.

Does the split matter for weight loss?

For weight alone, it mattered little in these trials. A trial put 811 adults with overweight on one of four lower-calorie diets, each with a different mix of fat, protein and carbs.^[2] Weight loss was similar on all four at 2 years.^[2] The authors concluded that cutting calories leads to meaningful weight loss whichever macros a diet emphasizes.^[2]

A 12-month trial of 609 adults compared a healthy low-fat diet with a healthy low-carbohydrate diet.^[3] Weight change was −5.3 kg and −6.0 kg, and the difference was not significant.^[3] In the 811-person trial, attending more group sessions went with more weight loss, about 0.2 kg per session.^[2]

The split can still matter for other goals. In a review of 24 trials, higher-protein diets with the same calories kept about 0.43 kg more fat-free mass during weight loss, a modest benefit.^[11] For building muscle while losing fat, see body recomposition.

Step 4: track, then adjust

The National Academies describe two steps: estimate what you need, then watch your weight over time.^[10] Food logs help, but they have errors. In a review of 59 studies, most found people under-reported calories compared with a lab measure of energy burned.^[12] See how accurate photo calorie estimates are for how photo and hand logging compare.

NIH guidance on choosing a weight program includes checking your weight every week.^[13] Tracking itself goes with success. A review of 22 studies found a steady link between tracking and weight loss, though the evidence was weak.^[14] To compare apps, see the best calorie tracker apps.

If your weight trend and your target disagree for several weeks, adjust the target. Targets in the Dalia app are starting points you can change.

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