What is compliance in Carbon?
Compliance is how closely you hit the calorie and macro targets Carbon sets specifically for you. Unlike generic macro calculators or static diet plans, Carbon functions like a coach in your pocket. It evaluates your progress every week, then adjusts your targets based on what your data shows. Compliance is what makes that coaching relationship work.
When you hit your Carbon-provided targets consistently, the app has a clear, reliable signal to evaluate at check-in. When you don't, the signal gets noisy and your adjustments become less accurate. The more closely you follow your prescribed targets, the better Carbon can coach you.
How is Carbon different from a standard macro tracking app?
Most macro tracking apps give you a static set of targets and leave you to figure out the rest. Carbon works differently. Every week, Carbon's coach evaluates your logged intake and your rate of progress toward your goal, then recalibrates your targets for the week ahead if an adjustment needs to be made. It's the same process a personal coach would follow, built into the app.
Compliance is the input that drives that process. Your targets aren't generic. They're prescribed specifically for you based on your body, your goal, and your rate of change. Hitting them consistently is how you get the most out of having a coach that adjusts to your progress rather than one that hands you a plan and walks away.
For a full breakdown of how Carbon sets and updates your targets, see How Carbon Sets and Adjusts Your Macros.
What do you need to hit to be compliant?
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
Carbs and fat have room to flex. If your protein and calories land in range, that day counts as compliant regardless of where your other macros land. This mirrors how a real coach would evaluate your week: protein and calories are the non-negotiables, and the rest is context.
For a full breakdown of how compliance is calculated, see Understanding Compliance in Carbon.
How does Carbon help you stay compliant?
Carbon doesn't just measure compliance after the fact. Compliance is calculated automatically throughout your check-in window, and the Coach tab surfaces nudges that flag where you're off track and what to focus on. If your calories are running high, your protein is short, or both need attention, you'll see specific guidance to help you course correct before check-in day.
Why does consistent compliance produce better results?
The most common reason people stall or receive unexpected target adjustments is inconsistent compliance, not their metabolism or macro split. A personal coach can only evaluate your progress based on what you actually did, not what you intended to do. Carbon works the same way. Consistent compliance gives the app accurate data to evaluate, which leads to more precise adjustments and faster progress toward your goal.
Additional details
Compliance is tied to Carbon-provided targets only. Targets set manually using the Custom Macros option are not factored in
Carbon's weekly check-in adjustment is based on your logged intake relative to your prescribed targets. Inconsistent weeks produce less accurate adjustments
If you use the Calorie Planner to shift calories across days, your daily tracked intake may land outside your standard targets on certain days. This can affect your compliance calculation. See Using the Calorie Planner for details
Questions about how your targets are set or adjusted? See How Carbon Sets and Adjusts Your Macros
Stay consistent with your Carbon-provided targets and give your coach the data it needs to get you to your goal!