How to set your macros for fat loss

A calorie deficit of roughly 15–25% below your estimated maintenance (TDEE) is a common, sustainable starting range for fat loss, aggressive enough to see steady progress, moderate enough to stick with for more than a couple of weeks. Very large deficits tend to increase muscle loss and make the process harder to sustain, which usually costs more progress than it saves.

In a deficit, protein’s job is to signal your body to hold onto muscle while the calorie shortfall does the work of burning fat. A common guideline is roughly 1.6–2.2g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight for people actively training, on the higher end of that range if the deficit is more aggressive or the goal is to preserve as much muscle as possible.

Once protein and total calories are set, the remaining calories are split between carbs and fat based on personal preference and how you perform. People who train hard often do better with more carbs; people who feel fine on fewer carbs can lean more toward fat. Neither split is objectively superior for fat loss once total calories and protein are held constant.

Set a target, hold it for two to three weeks, and look at the trend, not a single day’s number. If weight isn’t moving, the deficit is smaller than estimated and needs a modest adjustment. This is the part consistent tracking actually enables: without a log, there’s no trend to read, just guesswork.