Key takeaways
- Order matters: calories first, then protein, then fat, then carbohydrate with what remains.
- Protein: 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg when bulking, up to about 2.4 g/kg when cutting lean.
- Fat: 20 to 35% of calories, and not below about 0.5 g/kg for long.
- Carbohydrate is the flexible macro: it shrinks on a cut and grows on a bulk.
On this page
- Calories first, macros second
- The numbers you need
- Step 1: set your calories
- Step 2: lock in protein
- Step 3: set fat
- Step 4: fill the rest with carbohydrate
- Worked example: a cut
- Worked example: a bulk
- Cut, maintain and bulk side by side
- Training days and rest days
- Macros for recomposition
- Clean and dirty bulking
- How precise do macros need to be?
- Questions about macros for bulking and cutting
Calories first, macros second
Your calorie intake compared with your TDEE decides whether your weight goes up, down or stays the same. When studies keep calories and protein the same, diets that are high in carbohydrate and diets that are high in fat lead to very similar fat loss. In one year-long trial of more than 600 adults, a healthy low-fat diet and a healthy low-carbohydrate diet produced almost the same weight loss.
So why bother with macros at all? Because once calories are right, the split affects three things that matter if you train: how much muscle you keep or build (mainly protein), how well you perform (mainly carbohydrate), and how satisfied you feel (protein, fibre and fat all help). The four steps below get the important parts right without turning your diet into a spreadsheet.
The numbers you need
Each macro has a fixed energy value per gram, which is how a calorie target turns into grams:
| Macro | kcal per gram |
|---|---|
| Protein | 4 |
| Carbohydrate | 4 |
| Fat | 9 |
| Alcohol (not a macro you need, but it counts) | 7 |
Step 1: set your calories
Start from your TDEE, from the TDEE calculator, and adjust for your goal:
- Cutting: 10 to 25% below TDEE. Use the smaller deficit if you are already lean. The cutting calculator helps you choose.
- Maintaining or recomposition: about your TDEE.
- Bulking: 5 to 10% above TDEE, which for most people is 150 to 300 kcal. The lean bulk calculator sets it from your training experience.
Step 2: lock in protein
Protein is set from your body weight, not as a percentage of calories, because your muscles’ needs don’t shrink just because you are eating less.
- Bulking: 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg. A large meta-analysis found that the muscle-building benefit of extra protein levelled off at about 1.6 g/kg, with 2.2 g/kg covering almost everyone.
- Cutting: 1.6 to 2.4 g per kg, towards the top when you are lean and the deficit is large. A review of lean, resistance-trained people dieting found higher intakes, around 2.3 to 3.1 g per kg of lean mass, best protected muscle.
- Maintaining: 1.4 to 2.0 g per kg if you train regularly.
If you have a lot of weight to lose, basing protein on your full body weight gives a number that is higher than you need. Use your goal weight instead, or let the protein calculator adjust it for you.
Step 3: set fat
Fat is needed for hormones, the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K, and for meals that keep you full. Official guidance for adults puts a healthy range at 20 to 35% of calories. In practice:
- Cutting: 20 to 30% of calories, and not below about 0.5 g per kg of body weight for long periods.
- Bulking: 25 to 35% of calories. Fat is the easiest way to add calories if your appetite is small.
Most of it should come from foods such as olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocado, oily fish, eggs and dairy.
Step 4: fill the rest with carbohydrate
Whatever calories remain after protein and fat go to carbohydrate. It is the main fuel for hard training, so it is the macro that changes most between a cut and a bulk. Sports nutrition guidelines suggest about 3 to 5 g per kg of body weight a day for light training and 5 to 7 g/kg for around an hour of moderate exercise a day, with more for endurance athletes. For strength training, a review of bodybuilders’ off-season diets suggested at least 3 to 5 g/kg where possible.
On a cut, carbohydrate often falls below that, and that is acceptable for a few months. Put most of it in the meals around training so your sessions don’t suffer. Choose mostly high-fibre sources such as oats, potatoes, rice, wholegrain bread, fruit, beans and lentils; aim for about 14 g of fibre per 1,000 kcal.
Worked example: a cut
A 31-year-old woman, 168 cm (5′6″) and 72 kg (159 lb), works at a desk and lifts three times a week. Her TDEE is about 2,000 kcal (lightly active). She chooses a 20% cut.
Calories: 2,000 × 0.80 = 1,600 kcal Protein: 2.2 g × 72 kg = 158 g (634 kcal) Fat: 25% of 1,600 = 400 kcal = 44 g (0.6 g/kg) Carbs: 1,600 − 634 − 400 = 566 kcal = 142 g
This is the macro calculator’s High protein setting, which suits a cut. Her carbohydrate is modest, about 2 g/kg, so she eats most of it before and after her gym sessions.
Worked example: a bulk
A 24-year-old man, 175 cm (5′9″) and 68 kg (150 lb), moderately active, has been lifting for a year. His TDEE is about 2,571 kcal. He chooses a 10% surplus.
Calories: 2,571 × 1.10 = about 2,830 kcal Protein: 1.8 g × 68 kg = 122 g (490 kcal) Fat: 30% of 2,830 = 849 kcal = 94 g Carbs: 2,830 − 490 − 849 = 1,491 kcal = 373 g (5.5 g/kg)
This matches the Balanced setting in the macro calculator. Plenty of carbohydrate fuels his training, and his protein sits comfortably inside the range for building muscle.
Cut, maintain and bulk side by side
| Cutting | Maintaining | Bulking | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 10 to 25% below TDEE | About TDEE | 5 to 10% above TDEE |
| Protein | 1.6 to 2.4 g/kg | 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg | 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg |
| Fat | 20 to 30% of calories, at least about 0.5 g/kg | 20 to 35% | 25 to 35% |
| Carbohydrate | The rest, often lower | The rest | The rest, often higher |
Training days and rest days
You don’t need different macros on training days. Your weekly totals decide your results. If you prefer, you can eat more carbohydrate on training days and a little less on rest days while keeping protein steady and your weekly calories the same. Some people find this helps their training; others find one daily target simpler. Both work. Our guide to rest day and training day calories shows how to split the week.
Macros for recomposition
If you want to build muscle and lose fat at the same time, eat at about your TDEE, or slightly below, and keep protein at the higher end, around 2.0 to 2.2 g/kg. Recomposition works best for beginners, people returning after a break and people with more body fat, although a review found it happens in trained lifters too. Progress is slower than a dedicated cut or bulk, so judge it by your waist and your strength rather than the scale.
Clean and dirty bulking
A “dirty bulk” usually means eating whatever you like in a large surplus. The problem isn’t any particular food; it is the size of the surplus, which mostly adds fat. You can hit your macros with any food, but a diet built mostly on whole foods gives you more fibre, vitamins and minerals, keeps your digestion comfortable at higher intakes and makes it easier to cut later. A sensible rule is that most of your calories come from minimally processed foods, with room for some treats.
How precise do macros need to be?
Not very. Aim to be within about 10 g of your protein target and about 100 kcal of your calorie target on most days. Carbohydrate and fat can swap freely as long as the total calories are right. If you only track two numbers, make them calories and protein.
When you recalculate your TDEE after a change in weight, update your calories first, then your protein from your new weight. Fat and carbohydrate follow on from those.
Questions about macros for bulking and cutting
What if I hit my calories but miss my macros?
On most days that is fine. Calories decide your weight change. Protein matters most for muscle, so try to hit that, and let carbs and fat vary.
Should I track macros or just calories?
Calories and protein cover what most people need. Tracking carbohydrate and fat too can help with training or a particular diet style, but it rarely changes results on its own.
Should my macros be different on workout days and rest days?
They can be, but they don’t have to be. Moving some carbohydrate to training days is optional; keep protein steady and the weekly calorie total the same.
Is a clean bulk better than a dirty bulk?
A smaller surplus matters more than “clean” food. That said, a bulk built mostly on whole foods gives you more fibre and nutrients and usually leaves you with less fat to lose afterwards.
What macros should I use for recomposition?
Eat at about maintenance with protein at 2.0 to 2.2 g/kg, fat at 25 to 35% of calories and carbohydrate for the rest, and keep lifting with progressive overload.
Do my macros change when I recalculate my TDEE?
Yes. Update your calories first, then your protein from your current weight. Fat and carbohydrate follow from what is left.
Is a high protein intake safe?
For healthy adults, intakes in the ranges here are considered safe. If you have kidney disease or another medical condition, ask your doctor before raising your protein.
What percentage split should I use, such as 40/30/30?
Fixed percentage splits can work, but setting protein by body weight first is more reliable, because your protein needs don’t change just because your calories do.
Sources
- Morton RW, Murphy KT, McKellar SR, et al. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(6):376-384. doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-097608
- Helms ER, Zinn C, Rowlands DS, Brown SR. A systematic review of dietary protein during caloric restriction in resistance trained lean athletes: a case for higher intakes. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2014;24(2):127-138. doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.2013-0054
- Iraki J, Fitschen P, Espinar S, Helms E. Nutrition recommendations for bodybuilders in the off-season: a narrative review. Sports (Basel). 2019;7(7):154. doi.org/10.3390/sports7070154
- Thomas DT, Erdman KA, Burke LM. American College of Sports Medicine joint position statement: nutrition and athletic performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2016;48(3):543-568. doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000000852
- Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2005. doi.org/10.17226/10490
- Gardner CD, Trepanowski JF, Del Gobbo LC, et al. Effect of low-fat vs low-carbohydrate diet on 12-month weight loss in overweight adults: the DIETFITS randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2018;319(7):667-679. doi.org/10.1001/jama.2018.0245
- Hall KD, Guo J. Obesity energetics: body weight regulation and the effects of diet composition. Gastroenterology. 2017;152(7):1718-1727. doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2017.01.052
- Barakat C, Pearson J, Escalante G, et al. Body recomposition: can trained individuals build muscle and lose fat at the same time? Strength Cond J. 2020;42(5):7-21. doi.org/10.1519/SSC.0000000000000584