Calculators

Low carb macro calculator

Add your age, height, weight and activity level, pick a goal, and this low carb macro calculator gives you a daily calorie estimate with fat, protein and carb targets in grams. It takes about two minutes and needs no maths.

Treat the results as a starting point, not a rule. Your appetite, energy and week all change, and your numbers can change with them.

Step by step

How to use the low carb macro calculator

1

Choose metric or imperial.

2

Enter your sex, age, height and weight.

3

Pick the activity level that matches a normal week. If you sit between two, choose the lower one. Rest days count.

4

Choose a goal, then read your results.

Tip: screenshot the three gram numbers or stick them on the fridge. Future-you won’t want to do this twice.

Your numbers

Understanding your results

Basal metabolic rate (BMR)

An estimate of the energy your body uses at rest.

Body mass index (BMI)

A rough height-to-weight number. It’s a screening tool, not a verdict on your health or how you eat. Our BMI calculator explains what it can’t tell you.

Target calories

Your BMR adjusted for your activity level and goal.

Fats, protein and carbs

The grams per day that match those calories.

Comparing with food labels? Australian labels list kilojoules (kJ), not calories. Multiply calories by about 4.2 to compare.

What is low carb?

Low carb means eating fewer carbs than a standard diet, but more than keto. That leaves room for a wider variety of fruit and vegetables.

Keto and low carb are often used to mean the same thing, but they aren’t quite. Keto keeps carbs much lower, so the choices are narrower. Low carb is the less strict option, with more flexibility and fewer rules.

Neither is better or more virtuous. It comes down to what suits your body, budget and kitchen. Read Keto vs low carb: what’s the difference? for the full comparison, or try the keto macro calculator. Not following a particular way of eating? The Australian Dietary Guidelines macro calculator is the better starting point.

Low carb macros

What are the macro ranges for low carb?

Low carb macros vary with your preferences, needs and how your body responds. This calculator’s goals put 15–25% of calories into carbs, which for most adults works out to somewhere around 60 to 180 g of carbs a day, depending on size, activity and goal.

40–70%

Fat

Foods like avocado, olive oil, nuts, seeds, butter, eggs and oily fish.

20–30%

Protein

Moderate to high, to support muscle repair and keep you full. Active people, or anyone building muscle, may prefer more.

20–40%

Carbohydrates

Vegetables, berries and other fruit, plus whatever else fits your range.

Good to know

It’s an estimate

The calculator uses standard formulas and averages. It doesn’t know about your medications, mobility, hormones or the days your appetite disappears. If the numbers don’t suit you after a couple of weeks, change them.

Low carb isn’t right for everyone

If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, take medication for diabetes or blood pressure, have kidney, liver, pancreas or gallbladder conditions, or have a history of disordered eating, talk to your GP or an Accredited Practising Dietitian first.

This isn’t medical or dietary advice

It shares what works in our own kitchens. Read our policy.

What’s next?

Got your numbers? Turn them into meals.

All No Spoons recipes are low carb, built on protein- and fat-rich whole foods with no guesswork.

Meal planning can use a huge number of spoons, so we’ve made weekly meal plans with the low carb and keto macros already worked out. Gotta save our spoons where we can.

Recipe cards list macros per serve, so you can pick dinners that fit your targets without redoing the maths.

Our recipe macros are estimates, worked out in Carb Manager from the brands we tested with. If you’re checking an American product, subtract the fibre from the total carbs to get net carbs. Australian labels already do that for you. See how we work out our macros.

Find recipes that fit →