A good cutting rate is 0.5 to 1 percent of your body weight per week, and 0.7 percent is a solid default. Here is how to work it out: trend weight times rate gives kilos per week, kilos per week times 1,100 gives the daily deficit in kcal. At 80 kg and 0.7 percent that is 0.56 kg a week (about 1.2 lb) and a deficit of roughly 620 kcal a day. Whether you hit that rate is read from your trend from week three onwards, not from single morning readings.
The 0.5 to 1 percent range comes from evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest prep (Helms et al. 2014). Within that range, muscle mass is most likely to be kept.
Step 1: target pace in kg per week. Trend weight × rate in percent ÷ 100. At 80 kg and 0.7 percent: 80 × 0.7 ÷ 100 = 0.56 kg a week.
Step 2: deficit per day. kg per week × 7,700 ÷ 7. The 7,700 kcal per kilo is an approximation for weight lost as fat and tissue (Hall 2008). Divided by seven, that is about 1,100 kcal a day per kilo of weekly loss. At 0.56 kg: 0.56 × 1,100 = roughly 620 kcal.
Subtract the deficit from your maintenance calories. If you do not know your maintenance yet, start with an estimate from the bulk and cut calorie calculator and correct it later using your trend.
Table: cutting rate in kg and kcal
| Body weight |
0.5% per week |
0.7% per week |
1.0% per week |
Deficit at 0.7% (approx.) |
| 60 kg |
0.30 kg |
0.42 kg |
0.60 kg |
460 kcal |
| 70 kg |
0.35 kg |
0.49 kg |
0.70 kg |
540 kcal |
| 80 kg |
0.40 kg |
0.56 kg |
0.80 kg |
620 kcal |
| 90 kg |
0.45 kg |
0.63 kg |
0.90 kg |
690 kcal |
| 100 kg |
0.50 kg |
0.70 kg |
1.00 kg |
770 kcal |
These values are worked examples. Because your trend weight falls during a cut, your target in kilos falls slightly too. Recalculate with your new trend weight every four to six weeks.
Why 0.7 percent is a good default
A study with elite athletes compared two rates of loss directly (Garthe et al. 2011). Both groups did four strength sessions a week and lost about 5.5 percent of body weight in the end. The slow group lost 0.7 percent a week on average and needed about eight and a half weeks. The fast group lost 1.0 percent a week and was done after just over five weeks.
The difference was in muscle: the slow group gained 2.1 percent lean mass along the way, while it stayed unchanged in the fast group. The authors therefore recommend 0.7 percent a week for athletes who want to keep or gain muscle and strength in a deficit.
Where you should land within the range depends mainly on your body fat. The split in the table is my own placement within the Helms et al. range, not a figure from a study:
| Starting point |
Sensible rate |
Reason |
| Higher body fat, start of the cut |
0.8 to 1.0% |
More reserves, lower risk of losing muscle |
| Moderate body fat |
0.6 to 0.8% |
Good compromise between speed and muscle retention |
| Already lean, final weeks |
0.5 to 0.6% |
The leaner you are, the higher the risk of losing muscle |
A review on protein intake in a deficit describes the same relationship: needs rise the leaner you are and the bigger the deficit. It recommends 2.3 to 3.1 g of protein per kg of lean mass (Helms et al. 2014). Work out your own needs in the protein calculator.
Reading your real cutting rate from your trend
The planned rate is an assumption. Your trend shows the real one:
- Build a trend weight, for example as a 14 day average. How that works is explained in Weight moving average for bulking and cutting.
- Take the change over 14 days and divide by two. That is calmer than comparing just seven days.
- Convert to percent: weekly change ÷ current trend weight × 100.
An example: your trend was 84.0 kg 14 days ago and is 82.9 kg today. That is 1.1 kg in two weeks, or 0.55 kg a week. Divided by 82.9 kg that gives 0.66 percent a week. You are on plan.
The weight trend calculator does the arithmetic for you: paste your morning readings, read off the weekly rate.
The first week does not count
In the first days of a cut, glycogen stores drop, and each gram of glycogen takes about three to four grams of water with it (Kreitzman et al. 1992). The first week therefore often shows a much bigger loss than your deficit can explain. That is not fat loss and not a reason to eat more.
Judge your cutting rate from week three. Later disruptions, such as a carb-heavy weekend or starting creatine, also shift the trend briefly. How to handle creatine on a cut is covered in Creatine on a bulk or cut, why morning readings jump so much in the first place in Daily weight fluctuations on a bulk or cut.
Too fast or too slow: how to correct
Use the same rule for the deviation: deviation in kg per week × 1,100 = change in kcal per day.
- Too fast: target 0.56 kg, measured 0.90 kg a week from week three. The difference of 0.34 kg equals about 370 kcal you should add per day. A pace above 1 percent a week makes muscle loss more likely.
- Too slow: target 0.56 kg, measured 0.25 kg a week over three weeks. The gap of 0.31 kg equals about 340 kcal. As a first step, cut 150 to 250 kcal and check again rather than closing the whole gap at once.
After every change: measure for two to three weeks, then reassess. More on dieting phases is in the Cutting section.
FAQ
How many kg per week should I lose on a cut?
0.5 to 1 percent of your body weight. At 80 kg that is 0.4 to 0.8 kg a week, with 0.56 kg as a good default.
Is 1 kg per week too much on a cut?
From about 100 kg of body weight, 1 kg a week is still 1 percent. At 70 kg it would be over 1.4 percent a week, and the risk of losing muscle rises.
Why do I lose so much faster in the first week?
Because glycogen stores drop and take water with them. The rate from week three shows your real pace.
Should I change my cutting rate during the cut?
As you get leaner, a slightly slower pace makes sense. Many lifters lower the rate to the bottom of the range in the last weeks of a long cut.
Sources
- Helms ER, Aragon AA, Fitschen PJ. Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2014;11:20. PubMed
- Garthe I, Raastad T, Refsnes PE, Koivisto A, Sundgot-Borgen J. Effect of two different weight-loss rates on body composition and strength and power-related performance in elite athletes. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2011;21(2):97-104. PubMed
- Helms ER, Zinn C, Rowlands DS, Brown SR. A systematic review of dietary protein during caloric restriction in resistance trained lean athletes: a case for higher intakes. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2014;24(2):127-138. PubMed
- Hall KD. What is the required energy deficit per unit weight loss? Int J Obes (Lond). 2008;32(3):573-576. PubMed
- Kreitzman SN, Coxon AY, Szaz KF. Glycogen storage: illusions of easy weight loss, excessive weight regain, and distortions in estimates of body composition. Am J Clin Nutr. 1992;56(1 Suppl):292S-293S. PubMed
