PacerThe calculator that shows its working.
Your calories, your macros, and the part most apps skip — exactly how many grams of each food hits your target. Because 100 g of chicken is not 100 g of protein.
These are example numbers. This free tool starts from a sample weight and goal so you can see the method — edit the weights on the tab to make them yours. Nothing is saved to an account.
Calories & macros
Enter your weight and goal weight. We use your coach's method — bodyweight × 12 — and show every step.
Per-meal targets
These are grams of protein, carbs & fat to aim for — not how much food to weigh. Use the Food density tool to turn a target into grams on the scale.
100 g of chicken ≠ 100 g of protein
Pick a food and a target to see how much to weigh out — and what a swap really costs.
How much do I need?
Swap one food for another
Holds protein equal, then shows what changes.
Meals
Start from a ready-made plate and tweak it to taste — or build one to a target. Protein, carbs, fat and fibre are always covered.
Your plate
No black box
This calculator follows the sustainable, no-extremes method taught by coach Jordan Syatt — the same one Pacer's coaches use with clients. It's deliberately simple so you can do it on a napkin, and it's transparent so you actually learn it.
Calories
- Maintenance = your current bodyweight in pounds × 12.
- Goal calories = your goal bodyweight in pounds × 12. Lighter goal → a deficit (a cut). Heavier → a surplus (a lean bulk).
- The gap between the two is your starting deficit. It eases off as you approach your goal — which is exactly why it's sustainable.
Macros
Calories are split into protein (37%), fat (25%), carbs (35%) and fibre (3%), then converted to grams at 4 kcal/g for protein and carbs, 9 kcal/g for fat. Protein is set high to protect muscle while you're in a deficit.
Food
Every food carries a different mix. 100 g of chicken breast is 31 g of protein; 100 g of salmon is 25 g of protein but four times the fat. So we weigh foods by how much of each macro they actually contain — and when you swap one for another, the grams change with it.
Let Pacer do the math every day
Pacer tracks your protein target, daily calorie target and meals for you — and Pacer Coach lets your trainer set those targets. Open the web app to start in your browser today. The native iOS & macOS apps are still in private development.