FAQ
Macro & calorie tracking, answered
50 straight answers on macros, calories, bulking, cutting, AI food tracking, apps that adjust calories automatically, and how macroBody compares to other trackers.
Macros & calories
What are macros?
Macros (macronutrients) are the three nutrients that give you energy: protein, carbohydrates and fat. Protein and carbs have about 4 calories per gram and fat about 9. Tracking them — not just calories — is how you control body composition, not only body weight.
How do I calculate my macros?
Start from your maintenance calories (TDEE), set a goal (a deficit to lose fat or a surplus to gain), then split the calories: protein around 1.6–2.2 g per kg of bodyweight, fat around 0.8–1 g per kg (or 20–35% of calories), and the rest from carbohydrates. macroBody does this for you and then adjusts it every week from your real results.
How many calories should I eat per day?
It depends on your size, activity and goal. A reasonable starting point is your TDEE for maintenance, about 300–500 kcal below it to lose fat, or about 200–400 above it to gain. macroBody estimates it, then corrects it based on how your weight actually responds.
What is TDEE?
Total Daily Energy Expenditure is the number of calories you burn in a day — resting metabolism plus activity plus digestion. Most tools estimate it once; macroBody measures your real TDEE from your trend weight and food logs and keeps it up to date.
How much protein should I eat?
For most people who train, about 1.6–2.2 g of protein per kg of bodyweight per day, toward the higher end when cutting or building muscle. macroBody sets a protein floor for you from your goal and training.
How many calories are in protein, carbs and fat?
Protein has 4 calories per gram, carbohydrate 4, and fat 9. Alcohol is 7 but isn't a macronutrient. This is the math behind every calorie and macro target.
Do I need to count calories to lose weight?
Fat loss requires a calorie deficit, but you don't have to count perfectly. macroBody's Lazy Add lets you log by feel, and its weekly adjustment keeps you in a deficit even when your logging is rough.
What's the difference between counting calories and tracking macros?
Calories mainly control your weight; macros — especially protein — control whether you keep muscle while losing fat, or build muscle while gaining. macroBody tracks both.
Bulking, cutting & bodybuilding
What is the best calorie app for bodybuilding?
Bodybuilders need a firm protein target, calories that adapt through bulk and cut phases, and precise macros. macroBody is built for that: it adapts your calories weekly, holds a protein floor, and its Complete my day feature tells you the exact grams to hit your remaining macros.
What is the best app for bulking?
For a lean bulk you want a controlled surplus that adjusts as you gain. macroBody measures your real weekly gain rate and nudges your calories to keep you gaining at a steady, muscle-friendly pace instead of overshooting into fat.
What is the best app for cutting?
One that keeps you in a real deficit while protecting muscle. macroBody holds a high protein target, smooths your weight trend so you don't panic over daily swings, and recalculates your deficit each week as your metabolism adapts.
How do I do a lean bulk?
Eat in a small surplus (about 200–400 kcal), keep protein high (about 1.8–2.2 g/kg), train hard, and aim for roughly 0.25–0.5% bodyweight gain per week. macroBody sets that rate and adjusts your calories to hold it.
How fast should I lose weight?
For most people, about 0.5–1% of bodyweight per week preserves muscle; faster tends to cost muscle. macroBody keeps your rate in a safe band, with an optional advanced mode for faster targets.
What is body recomposition, and can I track it?
It's losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time, usually near maintenance calories with high protein. Because the scale barely moves, macroBody's trend line and adaptive targets are especially helpful.
How do I set macros for keto or low-carb?
Keto caps carbohydrates (around 5% of calories) and fills the rest with fat plus enough protein. macroBody has Balanced, Low-fat, Low-carb and Keto presets that set the split automatically.
Should I eat more on training days than rest days?
It's optional. Some people prefer more carbs on training days and fewer on rest days. macroBody lets you shift calories high and low across the week while keeping the weekly average — and your goal — intact.
AI & auto-adjusting calories
Is there an AI food tracker?
Yes. macroBody has AI photo logging: point your camera at a plate and a vision model identifies the foods and estimates portions into an editable, fully-macro'd entry. It also uses AI to suggest exact-gram meals to finish your day.
Can AI track calories from a photo?
Yes. macroBody identifies foods in a photo and estimates their portions, then lets you review and correct each item. Photo AI is best for whole meals; a barcode scan is more exact for packaged foods.
Is there an app that adjusts calories automatically?
Yes — macroBody. It measures your real energy expenditure from your trend weight and food logs and recalculates your calorie and macro targets every week, with no manual tweaking.
How does macroBody adjust my calories?
It compares how your smoothed trend weight moved against what you ate, back-calculates your true energy expenditure, and updates your daily target to keep you on your chosen rate of loss or gain.
How often does macroBody update my targets?
Every week, at your check-in. Your target stays steady between check-ins so you're not chasing a number that moves day to day.
Do I have to log every day for it to work?
No. Empty days are ignored and quick or rough logs are trusted less, so the coaching stays accurate even with imperfect logging. More consistent logging simply makes it more precise.
What is Complete my day?
Given what's left of your calories and macros, macroBody suggests real, coherent plates built from foods you already eat and solves the exact grams to close the gap — and tells you honestly when the day can't be finished cleanly.
What is Lazy Add?
A way to log a whole day by feel: drag one slider to say how today compared to a usual day and macroBody estimates your full intake. It's tagged as an estimate, so it doesn't skew your coaching.
Is there an app that tells me what to eat to hit my macros?
Yes — that is exactly what macroBody's Complete my day does, using foods you already log and giving you exact gram amounts.
Comparisons & alternatives
Is macroBody better than MyFitnessPal?
macroBody focuses on adaptive nutrition: it analyses your progress weekly and adjusts your calorie and macro targets automatically. MyFitnessPal is mainly a food database and calorie tracker with a goal you set yourself. For coaching, macroBody does more; for sheer database size, MyFitnessPal still leads.
What is the best alternative to MyFitnessPal?
macroBody is a strong alternative if you want targets that adapt to your body, log-by-feel entry, exact what-to-eat suggestions and no ads. MyFitnessPal remains a good choice for its very large database.
What is the difference between macroBody and MacroFactor?
Both use an adaptive-expenditure model. macroBody adds Lazy Add, Complete my day, AI photo logging, optional gamification, and French and Arabic support. MacroFactor is a polished, well-established adaptive tracker in its own right.
What is the difference between macroBody and YAZIO?
YAZIO is strong on recipes, meal plans and fasting. macroBody is an adaptive coach that recalculates your targets weekly and adds Lazy Add, Complete my day and AI photo logging.
Is there a free alternative to MyFitnessPal Premium?
macroBody isn't free, but it is ad-free with a 7-day trial and affordable plans, and it covers Premium-style features like macro goals and micronutrients while adding adaptive coaching MyFitnessPal doesn't.
What is the best AI calorie tracker?
The best AI calorie tracker uses AI both to log food from a photo and to tell you what to eat to hit your macros. macroBody does both, on top of targets that adapt to your body.
Cronometer vs macroBody — which is better?
Cronometer is excellent if your priority is detailed, lab-grade micronutrient tracking. macroBody focuses on adaptive coaching and effortless logging while still tracking key micronutrients — better if you want a coach that adjusts your targets for you.
Is macroBody good for beginners?
Yes. It calculates your calories and macros for you, Lazy Add makes logging low-effort, and Complete my day removes the what-do-I-eat guesswork.
Features & data
Where does macroBody's food data come from?
From a blend of USDA FoodData Central, Open Food Facts and FatSecret, re-ranked for relevance, plus barcode scanning and foods you create yourself.
Can I scan barcodes?
Yes. Scan any packaged product to pull its nutrition information straight into your log.
Does macroBody track micronutrients?
Yes — fiber, sugars, fat subtypes, omega-3 and omega-6, and minerals, broken down per food and totalled per day.
Can I create and save recipes?
Yes. Build a meal once from its ingredients and macroBody sums the macros; then log the whole thing or a fraction of it like any other food.
Does it show a weight trend instead of just the scale number?
Yes. macroBody draws a smoothed trend line through your daily weigh-ins so you see your real direction instead of reacting to water and salt swings.
What is trend weight and why does it matter?
Trend weight is a moving average of your scale weight. Day-to-day weight is noisy; the trend reveals your true trajectory, and it's what macroBody's adaptive coaching uses to adjust your targets.
Does macroBody need a step tracker or wearable?
No. It uses your stated activity level in its calorie model and also captures your real activity indirectly through how your weight responds, so it stays accurate without a wearable.
Does macroBody have streaks or gamification?
Yes, and it's optional. You can earn XP and level up a character for staying consistent — XP is computed on the server from your real history so it can't be gamed — or you can hide it completely.
Pricing, privacy & getting started
How much does macroBody cost?
There's a 7-day free trial, then plans starting at €7.99/month, with 3-, 6- and 12-month options. There are no ads on any plan. Subscriptions are billed through the App Store or Google Play.
Is there a free trial?
Yes — 7 days of everything, plus a complimentary 24-hour logging window on every new account so you can try it instantly.
Is macroBody free?
It offers a free trial and is a paid, ad-free app after that.
What platforms is macroBody on?
iOS and Android.
What languages does macroBody support?
English, French and Arabic, including right-to-left support for Arabic.
Is my data private?
Your account is yours. Your logs sync securely so you can switch devices, access is enforced on the server, and your data is never sold.
Does macroBody work offline?
You can log while offline, and your changes sync automatically when you're back online.
Can I sync across multiple devices?
Yes. Your food log lives in the cloud, so switching phones keeps all your data.
How do I get started with macroBody?
Download the app, answer a few quick questions about your body and your goal, and macroBody builds your plan — then it adapts every week as you log.
macroBody is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by MyFitnessPal, MacroFactor, YAZIO or Cronometer; those names are trademarks of their respective owners, used here only to describe and compare. This page is general information, not medical or dietary advice. Feature details reflect our understanding as of August 2026 and can change.