Protein Calculator for Cutting

A cut means eating below maintenance, and that is the one setting where a higher protein intake matters most. When energy is scarce, protein does two useful things: it helps protect lean muscle, so the weight you lose is fat rather than muscle, and it is the most filling of the three macronutrients, so it helps curb hunger while calories are low. That is why the cutting band sits above the everyday one. This page pre-selects the fat-loss goal and a very active training level, which lifts the base fat-loss band of 1.8–2.4 g/kg up by 0.3 to land at 2.1–2.7 g/kg, midpoint 2.4 g/kg. These are general estimates for healthy adults, not medical advice.

Take a 180 lb (about 82 kg) adult on a cut. At the recommended 2.4 g/kg midpoint that is roughly 196 g of protein a day, sitting inside a range of 171–220 g. A metric 70 kg adult lands at about 168 g, in a range of 147–189 g. The two differ only because they are different weights — the g/kg factor is the same. This page sets the protein target; the size of the deficit is a separate decision. Work out how far below maintenance to eat with the Calorie Deficit Calculator, then hold your protein at the figure above while you diet.

Once your protein figure is set, it becomes the anchor of your cutting diet. Lock it in first, then split whatever calories are left between carbohydrate and fat with the Macro Calculator, which uses the same per-kg protein logic so the two tools agree. The deficit decides how much you lose; the protein target decides how much of that loss is fat. These figures are general estimates for healthy adults, not medical advice.