Body Recomposition: Calories & Macros
Eat near maintenance with very high protein to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time.
Example TDEE
2,740 kcal
Target
2,740 kcal
Protein
144 g
The strategy for body recomposition
Body Recomposition comes down to one decision: how far to set your calories from maintenance. To body recomposition, eat right at your TDEE. Anything more aggressive risks losing muscle (when cutting) or piling on fat (when bulking); anything too gentle and progress stalls. The sweet spot is a change you barely notice day to day but that adds up over weeks.
Macros do the fine-tuning. Protein stays high at around 1.8g per kilogram of body weight to protect or build muscle. Fat sits near 30% of calories to keep hormones healthy. Whatever calories are left go to carbohydrates, your main training fuel. In our worked example (a moderately active 30-year-old, 80 kg), that lands at 144g protein, 336g carbs and 91g fat on roughly 2,740 calories.
Get your own personal numbers by entering your details on the home page calculator, then track your weight trend and adjust every couple of weeks.
Why Body Recomposition might be right for you
Body recomposition — losing fat and gaining muscle simultaneously — is the holy grail of fitness. It's most achievable for beginners, detrained people coming back after a layoff, and those with higher body fat percentages. The formula is simple but not easy: eat at or slightly below maintenance, protein at 1.8 to 2.2g per kg, and train like you mean it.
Common mistakes people make
Expecting recomposition to work forever. After the first 6 to 12 months of consistent training, the 'recomp window' narrows significantly and you'll eventually need dedicated bulk/cut cycles. Also: not giving it enough time — recomp is slow by design. You might only see 1 to 2 lbs of scale change in a month while your body shape changes dramatically underneath.
A real example
Carlos, 30 years old and roughly 28% body fat, had never lifted consistently in his life. He ate right at maintenance (2600 cal), hit 180g protein every day, and ran a basic 3-day full-body program. After 6 months the scale had only moved 3 lbs and he was getting discouraged — until he noticed his waist was down 3 inches and his chest and arms were visibly bigger. A DEXA scan confirmed it: lost 8 lbs of fat, gained 5 lbs of lean mass.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories for body recomposition?
Start from your TDEE, then eat right at your TDEE. In our example, a TDEE of 2,740 calories becomes a target of about 2,740 calories a day. Calculate your own TDEE on the home page first.
What macros work best for body recomposition?
For this goal we suggest about 1.8g of protein per kg of body weight, 30% of calories from fat, and the rest from carbs. In the example that's 144g protein, 336g carbs and 91g fat.
How fast will I see results with body recomposition?
Eat at maintenance. Progress is rarely linear — weigh in a few times a week, average it, and adjust calories every 2–4 weeks based on the trend rather than any single day.
How fast will I see changes with body recomposition?
At maintenance calories you are not aiming to lose or gain weight — the goal is stability. Body recomposition (losing fat while gaining muscle at the same body weight) is slower than dedicated cutting or bulking. Expect visible shifts in body composition over 8–12 weeks of consistent training and precise macros at maintenance.
What if body recomposition isn't working for me?
First, audit your tracking — most people underestimate what they eat by 20–30% without realizing it. Weigh and log everything for one week to calibrate. Second, confirm you are using your real TDEE, not a generic number. If the scale has not moved in 3+ weeks despite honest tracking, adjust by 200–300 calories in the right direction and give it 2 more weeks before changing course again. Sleep, stress, and daily non-exercise movement (NEAT) also have a bigger impact than most people think — fix those before slashing calories further.
Should I change my macros when doing body recomposition?
Protein is the anchor — keep it at 1.8g per kg of body weight regardless of calorie adjustments. Fat should stay above about 30% of total calories to support hormone function. The main lever for adjusting your intake is carbohydrates: add or remove 50–100g of carbs to shift total calories without touching your protein and fat floors. For body recomposition, that means about 336g carbs at 2,740 calories — adjust from there based on your results.
How to combine body recomposition with exercise?
For body recomposition, aim for 3–4 focused resistance sessions and 1–2 conditioning sessions each week. Without a calorie surplus or deficit, body-composition changes come entirely from your training stimulus — train with intensity, recover well, and let months of consistency do the work that weeks cannot.