Body recomposition calculator: find your calories and macros
Trying to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time? A body recomposition calculator needs two things: an estimate of your maintenance calories (TDEE) and a calorie and macro plan you can adjust as your results come in. There is no single calorie deficit or macro percentage that works for everyone.
Start here: Open the free MacroCodex app. Enter your details for an initial maintenance-calorie estimate, then use its goal planner to see whether recomposition fits you and to set calorie, protein, fat, and carbohydrate targets.
How to calculate body recomp calories
- Estimate maintenance calories. TDEE is a starting estimate of how much energy you burn per day. A formula cannot know your exact expenditure from body measurements and an activity label alone.
- Choose a recomp approach. Maintenance or a modest deficit can be reasonable starting points, depending on your body composition, training, and whether fat loss or performance matters more to you. Avoid treating one preset percentage as a universal rule.
- Set macros and train. MacroCodex turns your calorie target into protein, fat, and carb goals in the app. Resistance training and sufficient protein are central to gaining or preserving muscle during a recomp.
- Review the trend. Track calorie intake, body weight, strength, and measurements over several weeks. Scale weight alone may stay similar while body composition changes.
Why a one-time TDEE calculation can miss your recomp target
Most static calculators estimate resting calorie needs from body measurements, then multiply by a broad activity level. That multiplier cannot measure how much you actually move outside workouts, and it does not update when your activity or body weight changes. Two people with the same stats and training schedule can therefore have different maintenance calories. A recomp target built on the wrong TDEE estimate can leave you eating more or less than you intended.
Use the first number as a starting point. MacroCodex refines its maintenance estimate from your recorded calorie intake and weight trend, then updates the target for your goal. Read our adaptive TDEE guide for the full explanation of why activity factors and one-time TDEE calculators can miss an individual's actual expenditure.
Our body recomposition guide explains when this approach is useful and how to interpret progress. It includes a more detailed calorie strategy and macro setup.
Want your target to update as you go?
MacroCodex gives you an initial maintenance estimate, helps choose a goal, and updates your calorie and macro targets from your logged intake and weight trend. The app is free, with no ads or subscription. You can use a separate food logger to collect daily calorie totals.
Use the app's initial body recomp plan as a starting point, then check it against what actually happens. MacroCodex handles the ongoing adjustments as your intake and weight data accumulate.