Body Recomposition Calculator
Lose fat and build muscle at the same time. Maintenance calories, protein pushed high, training that earns it.
What is a macro calculator?
A macro calculator breaks your daily calorie target into the three macronutrients that matter most: protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Knowing your macros lets you build muscle, lose fat, or maintain weight while optimizing energy, recovery, and hormones.
This free tool uses the scientifically validated Mifflin–St Jeor equation to estimate your BMR, then factors in activity, goal, and diet preference to deliver personalized targets.
Frequently asked
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Get your meal guide →Or start the free 7 day kickstart →How to actually run a recomp
Lift three to five days a week, and add load
Recomp without progressive resistance training is just maintenance eating. Every week you beat the last one by a rep or a little weight. That signal is what tells your body to keep the muscle and spend the fat.
Protein every meal, not just one big hit
Split your daily protein across three or four feedings of 30 to 50 grams. Same total, better use of it, and it makes hitting the number far easier than trying to cram it into dinner.
Eat most of your carbs around training
Calories are flat, so placement is the lever you have left. Carbs before and after the session give you better sessions, which means more load, which is what drives the muscle side of the trade.
Measure your waist every two weeks
Same spot, first thing in the morning, relaxed. A waist trending down while bodyweight holds is the clearest confirmation a recomp is working.
Give it twelve weeks before you judge it
Recomp is slower than a straight cut. If nothing has moved in your waist, your photos, or your lifts after twelve honest weeks, run a short deficit instead and come back to recomp later.
What your numbers mean
Calories sit at maintenance
No deficit, no surplus. Recomp runs on the fat you are already carrying, so the calories stay level while the composition underneath changes.
Protein carries the whole thing
This is the input that decides whether recomp works. Miss protein and you are just eating maintenance calories with nothing to show for it.
Stop reading the scale
Track your waist, your progress photos every two weeks, and the weight on the bar. A flat scale with a smaller waist and heavier lifts is a successful recomp.
How to adjust after two weeks
- 1Weigh in the same way every morningAfter the bathroom, before food or water, same clothing. One day means nothing. The seven day average is the number you read.
- 2Compare week two's average to week one'sLosing fat: you want a half pound to one percent of bodyweight down per week. Building: a quarter to half pound up. Holding steady inside those ranges means the numbers are right, so leave them alone.
- 3Move calories, not everything at onceOff target for two straight weeks? Change calories by roughly 150 to 200 and hold protein exactly where it is. Protein is what protects the muscle you already built.
- 4Recheck the calculator when your weight moves 10 lbA lighter or heavier body burns a different amount. Ten pounds in either direction is the trigger to run these numbers again.
Numbers are the easy part.
Eating them every day is where people fall off. Turn these macros into a full 7 day meal and training plan, built around your body, free.
Start my free 7 day kickstartCommon questions
What is body recomposition?
Losing fat and building muscle at the same time, rather than bulking then cutting. The scale barely moves while your body changes underneath it. It is the goal most people actually want when they say they want to lose weight.
Can you really build muscle and lose fat at once?
Yes, and it works best for beginners, people returning after time off, and anyone carrying extra body fat. Advanced lifters recomp much more slowly. Two conditions are non negotiable: high protein and progressive resistance training.
What macros for body recomposition?
Protein at the top of the range, calories at or just under maintenance. That is the setup this calculator produces. Your stored body fat funds the muscle building; you do not need a surplus to add tissue when you are carrying fuel already.
How long does body recomposition take?
Think in months, not weeks. Visible change usually shows up around week eight to twelve. Because the scale stays flat, progress photos, waist measurements, and how much weight you are moving in the gym are the metrics that matter.
Why is the scale not moving during recomp?
That is the point. You are trading fat for muscle at roughly the same weight. If your waist is shrinking and your lifts are climbing while the scale sits still, it is working exactly as designed.