Lose or gain: your numbers

The rules behind it

• Pace: losing 0.5–0.75% of your body weight a week is the sweet spot; never more than 1%. Gaining muscle, 0.25% a week keeps most of the gain lean.
• Calorie floors: never below 1,500 a day for men or 1,200 for women, and never below your BMR. If the pace you pick needs less, the calculator holds at the floor and suggests extra walking instead.
• Protein: 2.0 g per kg when losing fat or recomping, 1.8 when building, 1.6 to maintain. With a high body fat (BMI 30+ or a waist over 0.6 of your height), it's based on a healthier weight, so the target stays realistic.
• Fat: at least 0.6 g per kg and about a quarter of your calories, for hormones and health. Carbs fill the rest, which fuels your training.
• Water: about 35 ml per kg, plus 500 ml on training days.

Make it work

Hit your protein every day, lift 3 or more times a week so the weight you lose is fat and not muscle, and judge progress by your 2–3 week weight trend, not single weigh-ins. Not sure where to start with training? See how much weight to lift and progressive overload.

General information for healthy adults, not medical advice. Not for pregnancy, under-18s, or a history of eating disorders; if any applies, or you have a health condition, talk to your doctor first.