What macros actually are
“Macros” are the three macronutrients your calories come from:
- Protein — 4 kcal per gram. Builds and protects muscle, and is by far the most filling.
- Carbohydrates — 4 kcal per gram. Your body's preferred quick fuel.
- Fat — 9 kcal per gram. Hormones, satiety, and the reason food tastes good.
Same calories, different macros, very different experience. A 1,800-kcal day built on protein and volume feels like plenty; the same 1,800 kcal from pastries and lattes feels like starvation with extra steps.
The one macro beginners should watch: protein
If you take a single thing from this guide: most people trying to lose weight under-eat protein, and it costs them twice — more hunger during the diet, more muscle lost by the end of it. A practical target while losing weight is roughly 1.6–2.2 g per kilogram of body weight (about 0.7–1 g per pound). For a 75 kg person that's 120–160 g a day, which takes deliberate effort: eggs or yogurt at breakfast, a real protein source at every meal.
Carbs and fat: mostly preference
Once protein is set and calories are right, the carb/fat split barely changes fat-loss results — pick the balance that makes you happiest and most consistent. Love bread and rice? Lean carb-heavy. Feel better on eggs, olive oil and fewer starches? Lean fat-heavy. The best split is the one you stop noticing. A sane default to start:
Starter split: protein 30% · carbs 40% · fat 30% of calories. Adjust to taste after two weeks — the protein line is the only one worth defending.
How to track macros without weighing everything
The old way was a food scale and a database: weigh the rice, search the chicken, log the oil you forgot. It works, and almost nobody sustains it. The 2026 way is photo-first: snap the plate, let an AI food scanner estimate calories and the macro breakdown, and correct anything that looks off with a tap. You trade a little precision for a logging habit that actually survives — and the habit is what moves the scale.
Macro tracking in Calfit
Calfit sets protein, carb and fat targets from your goal during onboarding, then fills your three macro rings automatically every time you snap a meal. You always know where the day stands — “62 g of 114 g protein by lunch” tells you dinner should be the chicken, not the pasta. And when you ask Pip's coach “what should I eat?”, the suggestions respect both your calories left and the protein you still owe yourself.