How to Set Your Macros for Fat Loss (Without Losing Muscle)

Setting macros for fat loss isn't complicated — but most online guides turn it into calculus. Here's the straight version, in four steps, with the specific numbers to use.

Step 1: Get your calorie target

Macros are a split of total calories, so you need the total first.

• Maintenance (TDEE): use our calorie calculator.
• Deficit: subtract 300–500 kcal/day for a sustainable ~0.3–0.5 kg/week loss. Our calorie deficit calculator does this for you.

For a 70 kg adult with a 2,400 kcal maintenance, a typical fat-loss target lands at 1,900 kcal/day.

Step 2: Lock in protein first

Protein is the one macro that matters most in a deficit. Hit this and everything else becomes easier.

Target: 1.6–2.2 g per kg of bodyweight.

Err toward the higher end when your deficit is aggressive, when you're already lean, or when you're lifting seriously.

For the 70 kg person, that's 112–154 g/day. Let's use 140 g.

Protein calories: 140 × 4 = 560 kcal (29% of 1,900).

Step 3: Set a fat floor

Fat isn't optional. It runs your hormones and helps you absorb vitamins A, D, E and K.

Minimum: 0.6 g per kg bodyweight. For 70 kg, that's 42 g/day.

A more comfortable target is 0.8–1.0 g/kg — roughly 55–70 g/day for our example. Let's use 60 g.

Fat calories: 60 × 9 = 540 kcal (28% of 1,900).

Step 4: Fill the rest with carbs

Whatever calories are left go to carbs. Carbs fuel training, feed your brain and keep workout performance up.

From 1,900 kcal, subtract protein (560) and fat (540) → 800 kcal remaining.

Carbs: 800 ÷ 4 = 200 g/day.

The finished split

For our 70 kg adult at 1,900 kcal:

| Macro | Grams | Calories | % of total | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Protein | 140 g | 560 kcal | 29% | | Fat | 60 g | 540 kcal | 28% | | Carbs | 200 g | 800 kcal | 42% |

That's a classic high-protein cut setup. You can run it in our macro calculator and cross-check.

Common mistakes to avoid

Mistake 1: Under-eating protein

The #1 error. People in a cut almost always undershoot protein, then wonder why they look "smaller" instead of leaner. If you take one thing from this post, weigh your protein sources and hit the target.

Mistake 2: Going too low on fat

"Low-fat" cuts look tempting because fat is 9 kcal/g — the densest. But below 0.6 g/kg you start hitting hormonal issues (low testosterone, irregular cycles, mood dips) that sabotage your plan.

Mistake 3: Chasing perfect daily numbers

No one hits exactly 140/60/200 every day. Aim for within ±10% on any given day, and track a weekly average. If you land at 95% of your protein target across seven days, you're winning.

Mistake 4: Never re-adjusting

As you lose weight, your TDEE drops. Roughly every 4–5 kg of weight loss, recalculate. Old targets go stale fast.

What about keto, carnivore, or other splits?

Keto (5% carbs) and Mediterranean (50% carbs) both produce fat loss when calories are in a deficit — that's what the research consistently shows. The "right" split is the one you'll actually stick to for 12+ weeks.

If you've failed on a low-fat plan, try higher fat. If you've failed on low-carb, try higher carb. Adherence > macros optimisation.

Putting it all together

1. Calorie target from the calorie deficit calculator.
2. Macro split from the macro calculator.
3. Real food from the meal planner.

Three tools, five minutes, and you've got a plan that's actually going to preserve muscle while fat drops.