Macro tracking
Macros are the three nutrients that give food its calories: protein, carbohydrates and fat. A macro tracker counts them in what you eat and compares them with daily targets, which tells you more about your meals than calories alone. If you want to track macros without a spreadsheet, Calorix works out your targets and then acts as your macro counter app, adding up your macros from every meal you log. No separate macros calculator needed.
Macros in plain terms
| Macro | Calories per gram | Common sources |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 4 | Meat, fish, eggs, yogurt, tofu, beans and lentils |
| Carbohydrates | 4 | Bread, rice, pasta, oats, potatoes and fruit |
| Fat | 9 | Oils, butter, nuts, seeds, cheese and avocado |
The energy values come from MedlinePlus. Because fat has more than twice the calories per gram, a little oil or butter moves your totals more than you might expect. Fiber, a type of carbohydrate, gets its own target too.
How Calorix sets your macro targets
Your macros start from your calorie target, which Calorix builds from your body, activity level and goal (here’s how Calorix calculates your calorie target). Then it fills in the rest:
- Protein comes first: 1.6 g per kg of goal-adjusted weight, or 2.0 g/kg while you’re losing weight, capped at 2.2 g per kg of your current weight and at 35% of your calories. The protein tracker page explains the reasoning.
- Fat is a share of your calories, set by your diet style.
- Carbs fill whatever is left once protein and fat are counted.
- Fiber is 14 g per 1,000 kcal, the Adequate Intake from the National Academies’ Dietary Reference Intakes, which the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans use as their fiber goal. It’s based on intakes observed to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
- Water is 33 ml per kg of body weight, tracked in glasses or in ml or oz, with a quick +1 from the dashboard or a widget.
Balanced, lower fat or keto
Pick the eating style that suits you, and your fat and carb targets follow. Here’s how each style plays out on a 2,000 kcal target with 120 g of protein, which supplies 480 kcal:
| Diet style | Fat | Carbs | Daily targets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balanced | 30% of calories | The remainder | 67 g fat, 230 g carbs |
| Lower fat | 25% of calories | The remainder | 56 g fat, 255 g carbs |
| Keto | 70% of calories | The remainder, up to 30 g | 156 g fat, 30 g carbs |
For adults, the National Academies’ acceptable ranges are 20 to 35% of calories from fat and 10 to 35% from protein, ranges the Dietary Guidelines repeat in their nutrient goals. Calorix’s protein cap keeps protein at or below 35%, and balanced and lower fat both keep fat inside its range. Keto goes well beyond the fat range by design, so if you have a medical condition, take medication, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, talk with your doctor or a registered dietitian before you switch.
Want to see your own numbers first? The free macro calculator uses the same formulas as the app, and the TDEE calculator shows your maintenance calories.
Tracking macros day to day
- Every log counts. Photo scans, barcodes, nutrition labels, voice, text, search, recents, favorites and custom foods all add to your protein, carbs, fat and fiber. Quick-add is there for the times you only know the calories.
- Home cooking gets easier with the recipe and meal builder: add the ingredients once, then log the portion you ate.
- Meal ideas fill the gap. When you have macros left, Calorix suggests meals that fit what remains, respecting your diet style and any allergies.
- Insights show the pattern. Your weekly recap covers adherence and macro trends, so one unusual day doesn’t define your week.
- Challenges keep it light. A daily challenge such as reaching 90% of your protein earns coins for Toasty’s outfits.
Curious how a photo turns into macros? See how the AI calorie scanner works.
Make macro tracking stick, IIFYM style
“If it fits your macros”, or IIFYM, is a flexible approach: no food is off-limits, and you aim for daily totals rather than a list of approved foods. Calorix suits that style because it treats every food the same way. Toasty never calls a food good or bad, and it cheers every meal you log.
A few habits that help:
- Start with two numbers. If four targets feel like a lot, watch calories and protein for the first couple of weeks, then add the rest.
- Aim for close, not perfect. A target is a guide, and landing near it on most days is a good result.
- Plan one meal ahead. Check what’s left after lunch and choose dinner from there.
- Keep an eye on fiber. More than 90% of women and 97% of men in the US don’t meet recommended fiber intakes, according to the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines, so the fiber target is a useful nudge toward more vegetables, fruit and whole grains.
Updated October 9, 2026
