How Many Carbs Per Day for Shredding?

December 20, 2025 •

4 min read

According to sports nutrition experts, severely restricting carbs for shredding can lead to muscle loss and impaired performance. Determining how many carbs per day for shredding is a crucial step that depends on individual factors like body type, activity level, and total calorie intake.

Quick Summary

Learn to calculate and adjust your daily carbohydrate intake for an effective shredding phase. This guide covers ideal macronutrient ratios, timing strategies, and the importance of quality carb sources for fat loss while protecting muscle mass.

Key Points

Calculate a Calorie Deficit: Start by determining your daily calorie needs and subtract 10-20% to create a sustainable deficit for fat loss.
Prioritize Protein First: Allocate 1.6-2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight to preserve muscle mass during your cut.
Moderate Carb Intake: Fill remaining calories with complex carbs after setting your protein and healthy fat goals, as severely restricting them can hinder performance and muscle.
Consider Carb Cycling: Strategically increase carbs on intense training days and decrease them on rest days to optimize energy and fat metabolism.
Focus on Quality Sources: Choose nutrient-dense, high-fiber carbs like vegetables, whole grains, and fruits over processed options for better satiety and sustained energy.
Time Carbs Strategically: Consume some carbs before and after your workouts to fuel performance and aid recovery.
Monitor and Adjust: Pay attention to your body's response in terms of weight, energy levels, and performance, and adjust your macros as needed.

Understanding the Role of Carbohydrates During Shredding

Carbohydrates are your body's primary fuel source, especially for high-intensity exercise like weightlifting, which is essential for preserving muscle mass during a cut. When you reduce your overall calorie intake to lose fat, strategically managing your carb consumption becomes vital. The goal is to provide enough energy to sustain your workouts and prevent muscle loss without overshooting your calorie deficit.

Cutting carbs too drastically, a common mistake, can lead to lethargy, reduced training performance, and metabolic slowdowns as your body fights back against rapid weight loss. A more sustainable and effective approach is to moderately reduce carbs while increasing protein intake, which helps with satiety and muscle preservation.

Step-by-Step Guide to Calculating Your Daily Carb Intake

Determining the right number of carbs requires more than a single magic number. It begins with establishing your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) and setting a calorie deficit. Here's how to calculate your ideal intake:

Step 1: Calculate Your Total Daily Calories

First, determine your maintenance calories. You can use an online calculator that considers your age, gender, weight, and activity level. For a shredding phase, aim for a 10-20% calorie deficit from this number. For example, if your TDEE is 2,500 calories, a 500-calorie deficit would set your daily target at 2,000 calories.

Step 2: Set Protein and Fat Intake

Next, prioritize your protein and fat intake, as these are critical for muscle preservation and hormonal health. A common recommendation for shredding is 1.6-2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For fat, a good starting point is 20-30% of your total calories.

Protein calories: Multiply your target protein grams by 4 (calories per gram).
Fat calories: Multiply your target fat grams by 9 (calories per gram).

Step 3: Calculate Your Remaining Carb Calories

Subtract your calculated protein and fat calories from your total daily calorie target. The remainder is for your carbohydrates. Divide this number by 4 (calories per gram) to get your daily carb total in grams.

Example calculation:

Total calories: 2,000
Protein: 180g (180g * 4 = 720 calories)
Fat: 56g (56g * 9 = 504 calories)
Remaining calories for carbs: 2,000 - 720 - 504 = 776 calories
Carb intake: 776 calories / 4 = 194 grams

How to Fine-Tune Your Carb Strategy

Carb Cycling

For many, especially experienced athletes, carb cycling is an effective strategy. This involves strategically fluctuating your carbohydrate intake throughout the week, often consuming more on intense training days and fewer on rest days.

High-Carb Days: Align these with your most demanding workouts (e.g., leg day). Higher carbs replenish glycogen stores and fuel performance. On these days, your macro split might shift to prioritize carbs over fats.
Low-Carb Days: On rest days or during light cardio, a lower carb intake helps the body utilize stored fat for energy.

Timing Your Carb Intake

Timing your carbohydrates can maximize their impact. Consuming carbs, especially those with a moderate-to-high glycemic index, in your pre-workout and post-workout meals helps fuel performance and speed up recovery. During the rest of the day, prioritizing complex carbs from nutrient-dense sources is best for sustained energy and satiety.

Shredding Macronutrient Ratios: Comparison Table

This table illustrates different macro ratios for shredding based on body type and activity level. These are starting points and should be adjusted based on your body's response.


Body Type	Carbs (%)	Protein (%)	Fat (%)	Notes
Ectomorph	45-55%	25-30%	20-25%	Naturally leaner, higher carb tolerance, may need more carbs to maintain energy.
Mesomorph	40-45%	30-35%	25-30%	Balanced physique, responds well to a moderate carb approach.
Endomorph	25-40%	35-40%	30-40%	Higher body fat, benefits from lower carb and higher protein/fat ratio.
Active Athlete	40-50%	30-35%	15-25%	Requires more carbs for fueling intense, regular workouts.

Conclusion

There is no single correct answer to how many carbs per day for shredding, but rather a personalized approach based on your individual needs and how your body responds. The most effective strategy involves starting with a moderate carb intake calculated within a sensible calorie deficit, prioritizing high-quality sources, and strategically adjusting based on your training and progress. By combining this method with sufficient protein, healthy fats, and consistent resistance training, you can achieve your fat loss goals while preserving hard-earned muscle mass. Patience and consistent monitoring are key, as your body will adapt and require adjustments along the way.

For additional support and meal planning during a low-carb cycle, resources like Trifecta Nutrition can provide example macros and diet guidance tailored to your goals.

Recommended Carb Sources

To ensure your carb intake supports your shredding goals, focus on nutrient-dense, high-fiber complex carbohydrates. These provide sustained energy and help keep you feeling full.

List of Optimal Carb Sources:

Vegetables: Broccoli, spinach, bell peppers, asparagus
Starchy Vegetables: Sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, oats
Fruits: Berries, apples, bananas (especially around workouts)
Legumes: Lentils, chickpeas, beans

Avoid or minimize processed, refined carbohydrates and sugary foods, as these can spike insulin and hinder fat loss.

Monitoring Your Progress

As you adjust your carbs, it's important to monitor how your body responds. Pay attention to changes in body weight, body fat percentage, energy levels, and workout performance. If your weight loss stalls, or if you feel consistently fatigued, it may be time to slightly adjust your carb intake or implement a refeed day. Conversely, if you are losing weight too rapidly and feel weak, your carb intake might be too low. Remember that slow and steady progress, typically 0.5-1% of body weight per week, is the most sustainable approach for fat loss while retaining muscle.

Frequently Asked Questions

While it is possible to lose weight on a very low-carb diet like keto, completely eliminating carbs is not necessary for shredding and can negatively impact athletic performance and mood. A balanced approach that provides enough energy for workouts is often more sustainable.

If you feel consistently lethargic, weak during workouts, or find your performance declining significantly, you may not be consuming enough carbohydrates. Proper carb intake supports energy levels and prevents muscle loss during a cut.

During a shredding or cutting phase, your total calorie and carbohydrate intake is lower to promote fat loss. For bulking, you consume a calorie surplus with higher carbs to maximize muscle growth.

Yes, timing matters. Consuming some carbohydrates in the pre-workout and post-workout window is beneficial for fueling intense exercise and replenishing muscle glycogen stores for better recovery. The timing can be less critical for less intense training days.

Carb cycling, which involves varying your carb intake based on training intensity, can be an effective strategy for body recomposition. It can help overcome plateaus by strategically managing energy and metabolism.

Focus on high-quality, complex carbs from whole foods. Good choices include vegetables, legumes, whole grains like oats and brown rice, and fruits. These provide sustained energy and essential nutrients while being high in fiber.

A common mistake is cutting calories and carbs too quickly, leading to metabolic slowdown and muscle loss. A gradual reduction allows your body to adapt without compromising performance or health. Another error is relying on packaged 'diet' foods with low nutritional value.