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Carb Loading Calculator

Enter your body weight and carbs per kg to get the daily carbohydrate-loading target.

How it is calculated

carbs (g) = body weight (kg) × g per kg, and calories = carbs × 4, because carbohydrate is counted at 4 kcal per gram. The weight is in kilograms and the target in grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight for one day.

If you leave the grams-per-kilogram field empty, the tool uses 8 g/kg. Both values must be above zero. Results are rounded to whole grams and whole kcal. The figure is a total for the day, not for a single meal, so you still have to split it across meals and snacks. It says nothing about how many days to load or what foods to choose.

Worked example

An athlete weighs 70 kg and picks a target of 10 g/kg for the day before the race. Carbohydrate = 70 × 10 = 700 g. Energy from that carbohydrate = 700 × 4 = 2,800 kcal. With the default of 8 g/kg the same athlete would get 560 g and 2,240 kcal.

Try this example →

Common mistakes

  • Entering weight in pounds: the tool needs kilograms, and a 154 lb athlete typed as 154 would get a target more than double what is intended.
  • Treating the calories line as the total diet: it is only the energy from carbohydrate, and protein, fat and everything else come on top.
  • Eating the whole figure at one sitting: it is a daily total, so spreading it across several meals and snacks is far easier on the stomach.
  • Expecting the tool to choose the g/kg value: leaving it empty means 8, which may not suit your event length or tolerance.

Sources

About this calculator

Carbohydrate loading is a pre-race nutrition strategy used by endurance athletes to maximize muscle glycogen stores before a marathon, triathlon, or long cycling event. Sports nutrition guidelines typically recommend 7-12 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight per day in the 1-3 days leading up to the event, scaled by the athlete's weight and event duration.

Since muscle glycogen is the body's primary fuel for sustained high-intensity effort, and depleted stores are the main cause of “hitting the wall,” this calculator converts your target grams-per-kilogram into a concrete daily carbohydrate gram count and its calorie equivalent, giving runners, cyclists, and triathletes a practical eating target instead of a vague guideline. Current sports-nutrition position stands cite 10–12 g/kg per day for the 36–48 hours before events longer than about 90 minutes; the tool's default of 8 g/kg is lower, so enter your own value if you follow that advice.

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Comments (1)

  • Editorial team

    It helps to test whether the target is realistic before race week. At 75 kg and 12 g/kg the tool gives 900 g, about 3,600 kcal from carbohydrate alone, which is a lot of food to fit into one day. Planning the meals and drinks on paper first shows whether a lower g/kg value is more workable for you. How do you usually spread a high-carbohydrate day?

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