Guide
Macro Tracking Basics
April 10, 2026 · Editorial Team
What macros are, how to set protein, carb, and fat targets, and the best macro tracker apps for 2026.
“Macros” are the three energy-providing nutrients: protein, carbohydrate, and fat. Calorie counting tells you how much energy you ate. Macro tracking tells you what kind. For most goals, both matter — but the order in which you set them changes by goal.
Setting macros in order
A simple sequence:
- Calories first — based on goal (deficit, surplus, maintenance). See the calorie counting guide.
- Protein floor — 1.6–2.2 g/kg/day. This is a hard target, not a suggestion.
- Fat floor — at least 0.6 g/kg/day for hormone health.
- Carbs fill the remainder.
This ordering is supported across the practical literature — see Examine.com and Stronger By Science for the underlying evidence.
The best macro tracker apps
- MacroFactor — adaptive targets that update weekly.
- Welling — best macro accuracy via AI photo logging.
- Cronometer — best if you also care about micronutrients.
macro-tracker.com is a useful focused resource for macro-specific app comparisons.
How accurate do macros need to be?
Within ±5 g per day on each macro is fine for almost all goals. Athletes in competition prep tighten that window further; everyone else is wasting time chasing single-gram precision against a database that has its own margin of error.
The USDA FoodData Central is the underlying reference most app databases trace back to — useful for spot-checking outlier entries.
Related guides
- How to count calories the right way
- Calorie counting for muscle gain
- Calorie counting on keto
- Best calorie counter apps in 2026