How Many Calories to Eat a Day for Cutting?

October 16, 2025 •

3 min read

According to research published in the journal Obesity, combining resistance training with a calorie deficit is key to preserving muscle mass during weight loss. A successful cut requires a strategic approach to know how many calories to eat a day for cutting, ensuring you lose fat, not muscle.

Quick Summary

This guide provides a comprehensive overview of how to determine your optimal daily calorie intake for a cutting phase. It explains how to calculate your calorie deficit, balance macronutrients, and maintain a safe and sustainable approach to fat loss.

Key Points

Calculate Your Baseline: Start by finding your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), the calories needed for weight maintenance, using an online calculator based on age, sex, weight, and activity level.
Aim for a Moderate Deficit: A 500-calorie daily deficit is ideal for most people, leading to a sustainable loss of about one pound per week while minimizing muscle loss.
Prioritize Protein Intake: Consume 1.0–1.4 grams of protein per pound of body weight to preserve lean muscle mass, boost metabolism, and increase satiety.
Include Resistance Training: Continue lifting weights during your cut to signal your body to retain muscle, which is a major factor in maintaining your metabolic rate.
Stay Consistent with Your Approach: Avoid drastic, very-low-calorie diets that can harm your metabolism and lead to muscle wasting. Consistency and a moderate deficit are key to a successful cut.
Support Your Cut with Lifestyle: Ensure you get enough sleep, stay hydrated, and incorporate some cardio to support fat loss and overall health.
Adjust as Needed: Monitor your progress weekly. If weight loss stalls, slightly reduce calories or increase activity, always prioritizing sustainability over speed.

Understanding the Calorie Deficit for Cutting

Cutting is the process of reducing body fat while maintaining muscle mass, a common goal among bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts. This is achieved by creating a calorie deficit—consuming fewer calories than your body burns. While the principle is simple, the execution requires careful calculation and a balanced nutritional approach to avoid losing hard-earned muscle. A deficit of 500 calories per day is often recommended for a sustainable weight loss of about one pound per week. However, the exact number of calories varies based on individual factors, including age, weight, height, and activity level.

Step 1: Calculate Your Maintenance Calories

Before you can cut, you must determine your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), which is the number of calories you need to maintain your current weight. This can be estimated using an online calculator that incorporates your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and your activity level. The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is a widely used formula for calculating BMR, with adjustments made for your daily activity. For men, the formula is: $$(10 \times \text{weight in kg}) + (6.25 \times \text{height in cm}) - (5 \times \text{age in years}) + 5$$ For women, the formula is: $$(10 \times \text{weight in kg}) + (6.25 \times \text{height in cm}) - (5 \times \text{age in years}) - 161$$ Once you have your BMR, you'll multiply it by an activity factor to find your TDEE, which accounts for the calories burned through exercise and daily movement.

Step 2: Establish Your Calorie Deficit

For most people, a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day is an effective starting point for a moderate cut. This moderate approach is crucial, as a drastic calorie reduction can lead to muscle loss and slow down your metabolism. For leaner individuals, a smaller deficit of 250-300 calories per day is often more appropriate to maximize muscle preservation.

Example calculation:

Goal: Lose 1 pound per week.
Required Deficit: 500 calories/day.
Your TDEE: 2,500 calories/day.
New Daily Intake: 2,500 - 500 = 2,000 calories.

Step 3: Optimize Your Macronutrients

Macronutrient distribution is as important as the total calorie count when cutting. To protect muscle mass, a high-protein diet is essential. Studies suggest consuming between 1.0 and 1.4 grams of protein per pound of body weight (2.2–3.0 g/kg) while cutting. Adequate protein intake helps reduce appetite, boost metabolism, and preserve lean mass. Your fat intake should constitute 20-30% of your total calories to support hormone production. The remaining calories should come from carbohydrates, which fuel workouts and help prevent muscle loss.

Comparison of Cutting Strategies


Strategy	Daily Calorie Deficit	Weekly Weight Loss	Who is it for?	Potential Downsides
Moderate Cut	500 calories	~1 pound	Most individuals with moderate body fat.	Slower progress for those wanting rapid results.
Aggressive Cut	750-1000 calories	~1.5-2 pounds	Individuals with higher body fat percentages (>25% for men).	Higher risk of muscle loss, fatigue, and hunger.
Cautious Cut	250-300 calories	~0.5 pounds	Leaner individuals aiming for maximum muscle preservation.	Very slow weight loss, requiring more patience.

Additional Factors for a Successful Cut

Hydration: Drinking plenty of water can help with satiety and boost your metabolism temporarily.
Resistance Training: Continuing to lift weights is crucial for signaling your body to preserve muscle tissue while in a deficit.
Cardio: Incorporating some form of cardio, like brisk walking, can help increase your calorie expenditure and accelerate fat loss.
Sleep: Getting adequate sleep is vital for hormone regulation, which impacts appetite and weight loss.
Meal Prepping: Planning and preparing your meals can help you stay on track and avoid high-calorie, processed foods.

Conclusion

Determining how many calories to eat a day for cutting is a personalized process that begins with calculating your maintenance calories and then establishing a moderate deficit. A balanced diet, high in protein, and a consistent resistance training routine are the cornerstones of preserving muscle while shedding fat. By following a strategic and sustainable plan rather than a drastic one, you can achieve your fat loss goals effectively and healthily. Before starting any significant dietary change, it is wise to consult with a healthcare professional or a registered dietitian, especially if you have existing health conditions. For further guidance on nutritional strategies for physique athletes, you can refer to the National Institutes of Health.

Frequently Asked Questions

While a larger calorie deficit can lead to faster weight loss, it also increases the risk of losing muscle mass, which is counterproductive for a cutting diet. A safe and sustainable rate is 0.5–1% of your body weight per week.

While precise calorie counting can be effective, it is not strictly necessary. A consistent approach, such as eating similar, nutritious meals and adjusting based on weekly weight changes, can also be very successful.

Some muscle loss is possible during any cut, but it can be minimized by maintaining a high protein intake, continuing resistance training, and not creating an excessively large calorie deficit.

Most cutting phases last between 2 to 4 months, depending on how lean you are when you begin and your specific fat loss goals. It's not designed to be a permanent, year-round diet.

It is difficult but not impossible to build muscle in a calorie deficit, especially for those new to resistance training or with a higher body fat percentage. For experienced lifters, the focus is on maintaining muscle mass rather than building it.

Eating too few calories can cause a variety of issues, including fatigue, continuous hunger, and even a slower metabolism as your body enters 'starvation mode.' It can also lead to malnutrition.

Focus on lean proteins (chicken, fish, eggs), fibrous carbohydrates (vegetables, whole grains), and healthy fats (avocado, nuts) to maximize satiety and nutrient intake while keeping calories in check.