Body recomposition calculator
Recomposition means losing fat and building muscle at the same time, at roughly stable bodyweight. It works for some people and barely at all for others. This gives you the numbers and an honest read on whether you are a candidate.
The deficit here is small on purpose. Recomposition needs enough energy to build with and enough of a shortfall to lose with, which is a narrower band than either a cut or a bulk.
- Estimated maintenance
- 2,740 kcal
- Protein
- 146 g
- Carbohydrate
- 338 g
- Fat
- 80 g
An estimate from a published formula, not a measurement. Use it as a consistent yardstick for tracking change.
Training days and rest days
Optional. Moving calories towards training days while keeping the weekly total fixed puts the energy where the work is. If it complicates your eating, ignore it: the weekly average is what matters.
| Day type | kcal | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Training day | 2,923 | More carbohydrate where the work is |
| Rest day | 2,302 | Lower, to hold the weekly shortfall |
| Weekly average | 2,657 | The number that actually drives the outcome |
Who this actually works for
Three groups reliably recomp: people new to resistance training, people returning after a long layoff, and people carrying enough body fat to fuel muscle growth from their own stores. In all three, the body has a large adaptive gap to close and can do two things at once.
A lean lifter with five years of consistent training is not in that group. For them, recomposition is technically possible and so slow that the same year spent on a deliberate gaining phase followed by a deliberate cut produces more.
Why the deficit is small
Building tissue costs energy. A large deficit forces the body to prioritise, and it does not prioritise adding muscle. A shortfall of roughly 3 to 7% of maintenance leaves enough headroom to build while still pulling from fat stores.
The number scales with experience here: a beginner can afford a slightly larger shortfall because their capacity to build is high enough to work through it. A trained lifter needs to stay closer to maintenance.
Protein is not optional here
This calculator sets protein at roughly 2.4 g per kilogram of lean mass, higher than it would for either a straightforward cut or bulk. Recomposition asks the body to build and lose simultaneously, and protein is what makes that split favourable.
If one number on this page is worth hitting exactly, it is this one. The calorie figure has room for error; the protein figure does not.
How to tell it is working
Not from the scale. Stable bodyweight is the expected outcome and it tells you nothing about what is underneath. Two signals do: your working weights in the log going up, and measurements or photos changing while weight does not.
Give it twelve weeks before judging. Recomposition is the slowest thing you can ask a body to do, and eight weeks of it looks a lot like nothing happening.
Questions people ask
Can you really build muscle and lose fat at the same time?
Yes, and it is well documented in beginners, returning lifters and people with higher body fat. It is much harder for lean, experienced trainees, where the same time spent on separate phases usually produces more.
How long does a recomp take?
Months, not weeks. Twelve weeks is the shortest window where a change is usually visible, and six months to a year is a more realistic frame for a meaningful one.
Should I eat at maintenance or in a small deficit?
A small deficit for most people, because it produces visible fat loss while leaving enough energy to build. True maintenance also works, and is the safer choice for a lean, experienced lifter with little fat to spare.
Why is my weight not changing?
That is the expected result. Recomposition trades fat for muscle at roughly equal mass, so the scale sits still while your composition changes underneath it. Judge it on training performance and measurements instead.
Related tools
The proof is in the log, not the scale
Mekimeki tracks working weights, estimated 1RM and volume per exercise, which is how you see a recomp working while the scale sits still.
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