What is compliance?
Compliance measures how closely you hit the calorie and macro targets Carbon sets for you. Those targets are calculated by the app based on your profile, your goal, and your progress. Hitting targets you've set yourself, or targets from another source, does not count toward compliance. Carbon can only adjust your targets accurately when it's working from data tied to what it actually prescribed.
Compliance matters because your check-in adjustments are based on your logged data. The more consistently you hit your app-provided targets, the more accurately Carbon can interpret your progress and make the right call on your next targets. For a deeper look at how Carbon calculates your initial targets and makes adjustments over time, see How Carbon Sets and Adjusts Your Macros.
What counts as a compliant day?
You don't need a perfect day across every macro. Carbon considers you compliant when you meet two things:
Your minimum protein target
Your total calorie target
If your carbs and fat are slightly off but your protein and calories land where they should, that day counts as compliant. Research shows that when protein and calories are matched, the specific carb-to-fat ratio has little impact on outcome. Compliance is designed around what actually moves the needle.
Where to view your compliance
Open the Coach tab and look for the Compliance card. It updates in real time as you log throughout the day, showing your targets alongside your tracked averages for the current check-in window.
A note on the Calorie Planner
Compliance is based on your tracked calories, not your scheduled targets. If you use the Calorie Planner to shift calories across days in your week, your daily tracked intake may land outside your standard targets on certain days. This can affect how compliance is calculated, even if your weekly calories are balanced across the plan.
If you use the Calorie Planner regularly, keep this in mind when reviewing your Compliance card.
Compliance nudges
Carbon doesn't just track your compliance. It actively helps you improve it. Throughout your check-in window, you may see nudges on the Coach tab that flag where you're off track and tell you exactly what to focus on. Common nudges include guidance on closing a protein gap, pulling calories back into range, or staying the course when both are on target.
These nudges update based on your running averages, so the guidance stays relevant as the week progresses.
How compliance affects your check-in
At each check-in, Carbon reviews your logged calories for the week. In most cases, your targets are adjusted based on your compliance with the targets Carbon set. However, if your logged intake outside of those targets still supported progress toward your goal, Carbon may adjust your targets to reflect what you were actually eating instead.
This won't happen every time. It depends on what your data shows.
Additional details
Compliance is calculated automatically. There is no button to tap or box to check
Carbon's targets are the reference point for compliance.
Protein is weighted heavily in compliance because it plays the biggest role in preserving muscle during fat loss and supporting muscle growth during a gaining phase
Missing calories significantly on either end (too high or too low) can affect your check-in adjustment, even if protein is on target
Consistent compliance gives Carbon the clearest data to work with. Inconsistent weeks make it harder for the coach to accurately adjust your targets
Questions about how your targets are calculated or adjusted? See How Carbon Sets and Adjusts Your Macros
The more consistently you hit your Carbon-provided targets, the better the app understands your body and the more dialed-in your targets become over time.