How to Set Your Macros for Cutting and Bulking (2026)

Counting calories tells you how much to eat. Counting macros tells you what those calories should be made of. Getting your protein, carbohydrate, and fat split right is the difference between losing fat while keeping muscle, and just losing weight while looking soft. This guide shows you how to set macros for a cutting phase and a bulking phase in 2026, with real gram targets you can use today.

Start With Your Calories

Macros are built on top of a calorie target, so you need that first. Calculate your maintenance calories with a TDEE calculator, then adjust:

• Cutting: TDEE minus 15 to 25 percent. For a 2500 TDEE that is roughly 1900 to 2125 calories.
• Bulking: TDEE plus 10 to 15 percent. For a 2500 TDEE that is roughly 2750 to 2875 calories.

Once you have your daily calorie number, you split it into the three macronutrients. Remember the energy values: protein has 4 calories per gram, carbohydrate has 4 calories per gram, and fat has 9 calories per gram.

Step 1: Set Protein First

Protein is the most important macro in both cutting and bulking. It preserves muscle in a deficit and builds it in a surplus, and it keeps you full. A solid target is 0.7 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, leaning toward the higher end while cutting.

Example: a 180 pound person aiming for 0.9 grams per pound needs 162 grams of protein. At 4 calories per gram, that is 648 calories from protein.

Step 2: Set Fat Next

Fat supports hormones and should not be cut too low. A reasonable target is 0.3 to 0.45 grams per pound of body weight, or about 20 to 30 percent of total calories. Never go below roughly 0.25 grams per pound for long, as very low fat intake can hurt hormone health.

Example: the same 180 pound person at 0.35 grams per pound needs 63 grams of fat. At 9 calories per gram, that is 567 calories from fat.

Step 3: Fill the Rest With Carbs

Carbohydrates are your energy and training fuel, and they get whatever calories are left after protein and fat. This is why carbs are highest on a bulk and lower on a cut.

Example on a 2000 calorie cut: protein 648 plus fat 567 equals 1215 calories. The remaining 785 calories come from carbs. At 4 calories per gram that is roughly 196 grams of carbohydrate.

Sample Cutting Macros

For our 180 pound person on a 2000 calorie cut:

• Protein: 162 g (648 cal, about 32 percent)
• Fat: 63 g (567 cal, about 28 percent)
• Carbs: 196 g (785 cal, about 40 percent)

A common cutting split lands near 40 percent protein, 30 percent fat, 30 percent carbs, but the gram targets above matter more than hitting exact percentages.

Sample Bulking Macros

For the same person bulking at 2800 calories:

• Protein: 162 g (648 cal, about 23 percent)
• Fat: 78 g (702 cal, about 25 percent)
• Carbs: 362 g (1448 cal, about 52 percent)

On a bulk, protein stays roughly the same in grams but carbs climb sharply to fuel heavier training and recovery. A typical bulking split is near 25 percent protein, 25 percent fat, 50 percent carbs.

Cutting vs Bulking: The Key Differences

1. Calories: a cut is below maintenance, a bulk is above it.
2. Protein: stays high in both, slightly higher as a percentage on a cut.
3. Carbs: the main lever, low on a cut and high on a bulk.
4. Goal: a cut preserves muscle while losing fat, a bulk adds muscle while minimizing fat gain.

How to Adjust Over Time

Treat your starting macros as a hypothesis, not a law. Track them consistently for two to three weeks and watch the scale and the mirror.

• Cutting and not losing? Drop carbs by 25 to 50 grams or trim total calories by 100 to 150.
• Cutting but losing strength fast? Make sure protein is high enough and the deficit is not too aggressive.
• Bulking but gaining fat too quickly? Reduce carbs slightly so the surplus is smaller.
• Bulking but not gaining? Add 25 to 50 grams of carbs to nudge calories up.

Practical Tips

Hit protein first every day, since it is the macro that drives results and the easiest to fall short on. Use a food scale at the start so you learn real portion sizes. Do not chase perfection; being within 5 to 10 grams of each target is plenty. Prioritize whole foods, fiber, and water, because macros are a framework, not an excuse to live on protein bars.

This article is general educational information and not medical or nutritional advice. Consult a doctor or registered dietitian before starting a cutting or bulking plan, especially if you have any health conditions.

Frequently Asked Questions