Free tool
Body recomposition calculator
Recomp is the quiet art of building muscle and losing fat at once, so the scale barely moves while your shape does. Get your maintenance calories, training and rest-day targets and a high-protein goal, then track the change where it actually shows.
Recomp works at or just below maintenance, not in a big deficit: enough fuel to build, a small enough gap to lean out. The lever that makes it happen is high protein (around 2.2 g/kg here) plus progressive training. It is slow and shows up in the mirror and the tape before the scale. Calories roughly 144 g protein, 397 g carbs, 64 g fat. FORM keeps you honest around maintenance and tracks it by photos and measurements, not scale weight alone.
How recomp works
Maintenance, not a big deficit
Recomposition lives around maintenance: enough fuel to build muscle, a small enough gap to lean out. Push calories too low and you cut fat but stall growth; go too high and you build muscle under a layer of new fat. The calculator keeps you in the narrow lane where both can happen at once.
The two levers
High protein and progressive training
Calories set the stage, but protein and training drive the recomp. Aim for roughly 2.2 g of protein per kg of bodyweight, and train with progressive overload so your muscles have a reason to grow. Without the training stimulus, eating at maintenance just maintains. FORM's workout generator with auto-progression and its protein-first tracking cover both.
How to measure it
Judge the mirror, not the scale
Because muscle gained offsets fat lost, recomp is the one goal where a flat scale is success. Track progress photos, waist and limb measurements and your lifts instead. FORM keeps progress photos with a ghost guide for consistent angles and logs measurements over time, so you see the change the scale hides.
Read the full recomp guide
The complete body recomposition guide covers who can recomp, timelines and training, and the protein calculator nails your daily target.
FAQ
Body recomposition: FAQ
What is body recomposition?
Body recomposition means building muscle and losing fat at the same time, so your weight barely moves while your shape changes. It runs at or very close to maintenance calories, not in a big deficit, with high protein and progressive resistance training doing the work.
How many calories for body recomposition?
Around your maintenance level, give or take a small trim on rest days. The calculator sets training days at maintenance and rest days slightly lower. The precise number matters less than eating near maintenance consistently, hitting your protein, and training hard.
Can you really build muscle and lose fat at once?
Yes, especially if you are new to training, returning after a break, carrying higher body fat, or getting protein and sleep dialled in. Advanced lifters recomp more slowly and may prefer separate build and cut phases. For most people reading this, recomp is very achievable.
How long does body recomposition take?
It is a patient game measured in months, not weeks, because you are not chasing fast scale drops. Expect visible change over 8 to 12 weeks and meaningful change over several months. Track it with photos, tape measurements and strength in the gym, not just bodyweight.
Why is the scale not moving during recomp?
That is the point: muscle gained roughly offsets fat lost, so weight holds while your body changes underneath. Judge progress by progress photos, waist and limb measurements, how clothes fit and whether your lifts are climbing. FORM tracks all of these so a flat scale never fools you into quitting.