Cutting Calculator (Fat Loss for Lifters)
A cut is a phase of eating below maintenance to lose fat while you keep lifting to hold on to muscle. Estimate your calories, protein, fat and carbs for a cut, or for a recomposition at maintenance. The math runs in your browser: nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Your estimated cutting calories and macros
Fill in the form and press Calculate to see your daily calories, the deficit, the estimated weekly loss and your protein, fat and carbs.
- Daily calorie estimate
- Deficit below maintenance
- Estimated loss
- Protein
- Fat
- Carbs
- Maintenance (TDEE)
These are estimates, not medical or dietary advice. How we estimate, with sources
How fast should you cut?
A review on contest preparation for natural bodybuilders suggests losing about 0.5–1% of body weight a week to keep as much muscle as possible. This calculator's paces run from about 0.25% to 1%, with 0.5% as the default. For example, a 30-year-old man at 180 cm and 80 kg who trains 3 days a week gets an estimate of 2,141 kcal a day at the default pace: 440 below maintenance, about 0.4 kg a week.
Cutting diet basics: protein first
The calculator sets protein first, at 1.6 g per kg of body weight, then gives 30% of calories to fat and the rest to carbs. In the example above that is 128 g of protein, 71 g of fat and 247 g of carbs. Build meals around a protein food and log them for a few days to see how close you get. These are estimates, not a meal plan.
Body recomposition: can you lose fat and gain muscle at the same time?
Often, yes. A review of studies found people losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time, including trained lifters, when they did resistance training and ate enough protein. In recomposition mode this calculator keeps your calories at maintenance and protein at 1.6 g per kg. Your weight may barely move, so judge it by your measurements and your lifts.
How to lose fat without losing muscle
When you eat less, part of the weight you lose can be muscle. In a randomized trial of people training hard in a deficit, a higher-protein diet kept lean mass and lost more fat. Keep the lifts you already do and track whether your strength holds: a steady estimated 1RM during a cut is a good sign.
After the cut
When the cut ends, bring calories back up to maintenance before deciding what's next. A slow gain, about 0.25% of body weight a week in the app, is the usual way to build muscle without adding much fat back. Your TDEE estimate is the starting point for both.
Why your targets should change each week
As you lose weight, your maintenance drops, so the same calories make a smaller deficit. The BodyMacros app re-estimates your targets each week from your weight trend and the days you train, and tells you the reason in plain words.
What cutting is, and how it differs from bulking
Cutting and bulking are the two phases lifters alternate. A bulk eats above maintenance to support muscle gain; a cut eats below it to lose the fat gained along the way, while training and protein help keep the muscle. A recomposition sits in between, at about maintenance.
How to cut: deficit, protein and strength training
Three things carry a cut. A moderate calorie deficit makes you lose fat. Enough protein, about 1.6 g per kg of body weight a day in this calculator, helps keep muscle. And keeping your strength training tells your body the muscle is still needed.
FAQ
How many calories should I eat when cutting?
Start from your maintenance and subtract enough to lose about 0.5% of body weight a week. For a 30-year-old man at 180 cm and 80 kg training 3 days a week, this calculator estimates 2,141 kcal, 440 below maintenance. Treat it as a starting point and adjust it from your weekly weight trend.
Can you lose fat and gain muscle at the same time?
Yes, in many cases. A review found people doing both at once, including trained lifters, when they did resistance training and ate enough protein. It tends to be slower than a cut for fat loss. This calculator's recomposition mode keeps calories at maintenance and protein at 1.6 g per kg of body weight.
How fast should I cut?
A review on contest preparation for natural bodybuilders suggests losing about 0.5–1% of body weight a week to keep muscle. For an 80 kg person that is roughly 0.4 to 0.8 kg a week. This calculator defaults to 0.5% and never goes below its calorie floor, so the fastest pace may give less.
What macros should I eat on a cut?
This calculator puts protein first at 1.6 g per kg of body weight, then 30% of calories from fat and the rest from carbs. For an 80 kg lifter at 2,141 kcal that is about 128 g of protein, 71 g of fat and 247 g of carbs. Other splits can work if protein stays high.
Is a cutting calculator different for women?
Only in the energy formula: the resting energy equation uses a different constant for women, so maintenance comes out lower at the same height and weight. Protein per kg, the fat share and the paces are the same. For a 30-year-old woman at 165 cm and 65 kg training 3 days, the default cut is 1,644 kcal.
What is cutting?
Cutting is a phase of eating below maintenance to lose body fat while you keep lifting and eat enough protein to hold on to muscle. It usually follows a bulk, a phase of eating above maintenance to support muscle gain. Lifters often alternate the two, with a cut lasting a few weeks to a few months.
What do you eat on a cut?
The same foods as usual, in amounts that add up to your calorie and protein estimates. Build each meal around a protein food such as meat, fish, eggs, dairy, tofu or legumes, then fill the rest with carbs and fats you like. Logging what you eat for a few days shows how close you get.
Should I bulk or cut first?
It depends on where you start. If you want to lose fat, a cut comes first; if you are lean and want to build muscle, a slow bulk does. Newer lifters and people returning to training can often recompose at maintenance instead. The calculator's recomposition mode gives an estimate for that middle path.
Track this in the app
Log your food and your lifts in one place. Your estimates adjust each week to how you eat and train.
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