Body Recomposition Calculator: Calories and Macros
Free body recomposition calculator for men and women: recomp calories, protein, carbs and fat, and an honest outlook for losing fat while gaining muscle.
Recomp stuck? Waist and lifts both flat? Find out why.
A rough guess is fine.
Trained and fairly lean is the hardest case, but it has been shown: in a 10-week study of lifters with over a year of training, lean mass rose about 1 kg while fat fell 1.4–2.9 kg. Expect changes that show over months, not weeks.
Maintenance = Mifflin–St Jeor BMR × 1.53 (FAO/WHO/UNU activity example). The 250 kcal deficit and the maintenance option both produced recomposition in trained lifters eating about 2.5 g/kg of protein (Vargas-Molina et al. 2026). The protein target is the upper end of Morton et al.'s range, which its authors suggest for maximizing muscle gain; these g/kg figures come from studies of mostly lean to average lifters. Fat sits mid-range of Iraki et al.'s 0.5–1.5 g/kg and carbs fill the rest.
Sources: Barakat et al. 2020, Strength Cond J — body recomposition in trained individuals; Vargas-Molina et al. 2026, Eur J Appl Physiol; Morton et al. 2018, Br J Sports Med; Iraki et al. 2019, Sports — nutrition for bodybuilders; Mifflin et al. 1990, Am J Clin Nutr; FAO/WHO/UNU Human Energy Requirements.
Numbers not moving for weeks? Find out why- Updated
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This body recomposition calculator sets your calories between maintenance and 250 kcal below it, then splits them into protein, carbs and fat, and tells you honestly how fast a recomp is likely to go. Recomposition means losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time, so the scale barely moves; judge it by your waist and your lifts.
How do you calculate calories and macros for body recomposition?
Four steps, the same ones the calculator runs: estimate maintenance, set calories from maintenance to 250 below, set protein at 2.2 g per kg, then fat at about 0.9 g per kg, and fill the rest with carbs.
- Maintenance: Mifflin-St Jeor resting energy × an activity factor (Mifflin et al., 1990).
- Calories: maintenance down to 250 kcal below it.
- Protein: 2.2 g/kg of bodyweight.
- Fat and carbs: fat 0.9 g/kg, mid-range of 0.5–1.5 g/kg (Iraki et al., 2019); carbs take the remaining calories.
| Example, desk job | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Man, 30, 5′10″, 185 lb (84 kg) | 2,510–2,760 | 185 g | 305 g | 76 g |
| Woman, 30, 5′5″, 150 lb (68 kg) | 1,890–2,140 | 150 g | 217 g | 61 g |
Macros are at the middle of each range. Your numbers update in the calculator above.
How many calories should you eat to recomp?
Between maintenance and about 250 kcal below it. In a 10-week trial of 30 lifters with 1.5 years of training on average, both the maintenance group and the 250 kcal deficit group gained lean mass and lost fat on 2.5 g/kg of protein (Vargas-Molina et al., 2026).
| Group | Fat mass | Fat-free mass |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance calories | −1.41 kg | +0.97 kg |
| 250 kcal deficit | −2.94 kg | +1.04 kg |
Start in the middle. Move to the low end if your waist has not shrunk after four weeks.
How much protein do you need to recomp?
About 2.2 g per kg of bodyweight a day, the upper end of the range where muscle gains level off (Morton et al., 2018). The high end matters more below maintenance, when protein helps protect lean mass. Spread it over three to five meals.
Does the calculator work for women?
Yes. Mifflin-St Jeor has a separate equation for women, and the protein, fat and carb targets are per kilogram, so they scale to your size. The outlook treats women above about 35% body fat as having more fat to lose, the bound researchers used for lean female lifters (Helms et al., 2014).
Who can recomp, and how fast?
Beginners and lifters carrying more fat recomp fastest; lean, experienced lifters can still do it, slowly. A review found recomposition well documented in trained people, not only beginners, with progressive training and nutrition as the drivers (Barakat et al., 2020).
The calculator's outlook follows that: "best" for beginners, "good" above about 23% body fat for men or 35% for women, and "slow" for lean trained lifters, who are usually better served by a small surplus.
What if your recomp stalls?
If waist, lean mass and lifts have all been flat for six weeks, it has stalled. The usual causes are no progression, sets that stop early, protein drifting low and short sleep. Body fat readings are noisy too: scales were off by −3.5 to +4.4 points across 12 studies (Oliver et al., 2026). If the tape and the bar agree you are stuck, find out which cause is yours.
FAQ
How long does body recomposition take?
Expect measurable change in 8–12 weeks: in the trial above, the deficit group lost about 3 kg of fat and gained about 1 kg of lean mass in 10 weeks.
Should I recomp or bulk?
Recomp if you are new or carry more fat than you want; bulk if you are lean and your lifts have stalled. See how to lean bulk.
Can experienced lifters recomp?
Yes, but slowly. Lean experienced lifters usually progress faster alternating small surpluses and short cuts.
Written and maintained by LiftDecode. Training and nutrition education for healthy adults, not medical advice — if you have a health condition or an injury, talk to a professional who can examine you.