Should I Lower My Carbs or Fats for Cutting

When you're trying to get lean, the question of whether you should lower your carbs or fats for cutting is one of the most common points of confusion. The answer is surprisingly simple: you lower your carbohydrates, but only *after* you've locked in your two most important numbers: total calories and daily protein.

Key Takeaways

• The debate over carbs vs. fats is secondary; your total calorie deficit and protein intake are what drive 90% of your fat loss results.
• For cutting, you should first set your protein intake high, at 0.8 to 1.2 grams per pound of your target body weight, to preserve muscle.
• Next, set a minimum fat intake of around 25% of your total daily calories (or 0.3g per pound of bodyweight) to support hormone function.
• Carbohydrates are the variable you will lower to create the remainder of your calorie deficit, as they are your body's primary performance fuel but are not as essential as protein or fats for survival.
• Dropping fats too low can negatively impact testosterone levels and satiety, making your cut feel much harder than it needs to be.
• A 300-500 calorie daily deficit is the ideal range to lose 0.5-1% of your body weight per week without significant muscle loss or performance drops.

Section 1: The Only 2 Numbers That Actually Matter for Cutting

If you're stuck on whether to drop carbs or fats, you're focusing on the wrong part of the equation. Before you even think about that, you need to get two other numbers right. Get these wrong, and it doesn't matter what you do with your carbs and fats-your cut will fail. You'll either lose muscle, feel terrible, or not lose any weight at all.

Your two non-negotiable priorities are:

1. A Calorie Deficit: This is the only way fat loss happens. You must consume fewer calories than your body burns. A sustainable deficit is around 300-500 calories below your maintenance level. This typically leads to about one pound of fat loss per week.
2. Sufficient Protein: This is what determines whether you lose body fat or valuable muscle. During a cut, your body is looking for energy. If you don't provide enough protein, it will break down muscle tissue. To prevent this, you must eat more protein than you normally would. Aim for 0.8 to 1.2 grams of protein per pound of your goal body weight. For a 200-pound person aiming to be 180 pounds, that's at least 144 grams of protein daily (180 x 0.8).

Think of it like building a house. The calorie deficit is the foundation. Protein is the frame. Carbs and fats are the drywall and paint. You can argue all day about paint color, but if the foundation is cracked and the frame is missing, the house is going to fall down.

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Section 2: The Verdict: Lower Carbs, Not Fats

Once your calorie and protein targets are set, you have a certain number of calories left to distribute between carbs and fats. So, which one do you lower?

For almost everyone focused on maintaining gym performance, the answer is to lower carbohydrates while keeping fat intake at a healthy minimum.

Here’s why.

Why You Need to Keep Fats

Dietary fat is not the enemy. In the 90s, the low-fat craze led people to believe that eating fat makes you fat. This is wrong. Your body needs a certain amount of dietary fat to function correctly. It's essential for:

• Hormone Production: Fats are the building blocks for critical hormones, including testosterone. Cutting fats too low for too long can crush your hormone levels, leading to low energy, poor recovery, and a stalled metabolism.
• Satiety: Fat digests slowly, which helps you feel full and satisfied after a meal. A diet that's too low in fat often leads to constant hunger, making it nearly impossible to stick to your calorie deficit.
• Nutrient Absorption: Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble, meaning your body can't absorb them without fat.

As a rule, you should never let your fat intake drop below 20% of your total daily calories, with 25% being a safer and more effective target. For a 2,000-calorie diet, that's about 55 grams of fat.

Why Carbs Are the Variable

Carbohydrates are your body's preferred source of fuel for high-intensity activity, like lifting weights. They are stored in your muscles as glycogen. When you lift, your body uses this glycogen for energy.

However, unlike protein and fat, there isn't an "essential" amount of carbohydrate you need to survive. Your body can create glucose from other sources if needed. This makes carbohydrates the perfect "lever" to pull when creating a calorie deficit.

After you've set your non-negotiable protein and fat minimums, you simply fill the rest of your daily calorie budget with carbohydrates. As you need to lower your calories further during a cut, you will pull from your carb allowance.

This approach ensures your hormones are supported (from fats), your muscle is preserved (from protein), and you still have enough fuel for your workouts (from carbs).

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Section 3: How to Calculate Your Cutting Macros (Step-by-Step)

Let's stop talking in hypotheticals and calculate this for a real person. We'll use a 180-pound individual who is moderately active.

Step 1: Find Your Maintenance Calories

This is the number of calories you need to eat daily to maintain your current weight. A simple and effective formula is to multiply your body weight in pounds by 14-16.

• Use 14 if you're less active (desk job, 3 workouts a week).
• Use 16 if you're more active (active job, 4-5 workouts a week).

For our 180-pound person, we'll use 15: 180 lbs x 15 = 2,700 calories.

Step 2: Create Your Calorie Deficit

Subtract 300-500 calories from your maintenance number. A 500-calorie deficit is aggressive but effective. A 300-calorie deficit is slower but easier to stick to. Let's use 500.

2,700 - 500 = 2,200 calories per day for cutting.

Step 3: Set Your Protein Intake

This is your muscle-sparing macro. Aim for 1 gram per pound of body weight.

180 lbs x 1g/lb = 180 grams of protein.

Since protein has 4 calories per gram, this accounts for 180g x 4 cal/g = 720 calories.

Step 4: Set Your Fat Intake

This is your hormone-supporting macro. Aim for 25% of your total cutting calories.

2,200 calories x 0.25 = 550 calories from fat.

Since fat has 9 calories per gram, this works out to 550 cal / 9 cal/g = 61 grams of fat.

Step 5: Fill the Remainder with Carbs

This is your performance macro. To find your carb budget, subtract your protein and fat calories from your total calorie goal.

• Total Calories: 2,200
• Protein Calories: -720
• Fat Calories: -550

Remaining Calories for Carbs: 2,200 - 720 - 550 = 930 calories.

Since carbs have 4 calories per gram, this is 930 cal / 4 cal/g = 232 grams of carbs.

So, the final daily macros for our 180-pound person are:

• Calories: 2,200
• Protein: 180g
• Fat: 61g
• Carbs: 232g

This is your starting point. You follow this for 2-3 weeks, track your progress, and adjust as needed.

Section 4: Common Mistakes and What to Expect

Knowing your numbers is one thing; executing is another. Here are the mistakes that trip people up and what a realistic timeline looks like.

Common Cutting Mistakes

• Dropping Calories Too Fast: If you slash your calories by 1,000 overnight, you'll lose weight fast, but a large portion will be muscle. Your metabolism will adapt downwards, your energy will plummet, and you'll set yourself up for a massive rebound.
• Going "Zero Fat": People still do this. They eat nothing but chicken breast, rice, and broccoli. Within weeks, their libido is gone, their joints ache, and they feel miserable. Don't sacrifice your hormones for a slightly faster result.
• Going "Zero Carb": Unless you're specifically following a ketogenic diet for medical reasons, this is a bad idea for anyone who lifts weights. Your performance will tank. Lifts that felt easy will feel heavy, and you won't have the energy to push hard enough to maintain muscle.
• Not Tracking Honestly: A "small" handful of almonds can be 200 calories. That extra splash of olive oil is 120 calories. If you don't weigh and track your food, especially calorie-dense sources like fats and oils, your deficit on paper won't be a deficit in reality.

What to Realistically Expect

• Week 1: You will see a fast drop of 2-5 pounds on the scale. This is exciting, but it's mostly water weight and glycogen depletion from the reduced carbs. It is not 5 pounds of fat.
• Weeks 2-8: The rate of loss will slow to 0.5-1.5 pounds per week. This is real fat loss. The scale will not go down every single day. It will fluctuate due to water retention, salt intake, and digestion. Trust the weekly average, not the daily weigh-in.
• Energy Levels: You will feel a bit less energetic. You are in an energy deficit, after all. This is normal. However, you should still have enough energy to complete your workouts with high intensity. If you feel completely drained, your deficit might be too large.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I prefer a lower-carb diet like keto?

A ketogenic diet can work for fat loss because it controls calories. However, for optimal strength training performance, it is not the best choice. If you choose this path, ensure your protein is still high (1g/lb) and your fats make up the bulk of your calories.

Will eating carbs at night make me fat?

No. This is one of the most persistent fitness myths. Your body doesn't have a clock that stores carbs as fat after 6 PM. Total daily calorie intake is what determines fat gain or loss, not the timing of your meals.

How low can I safely drop my fats?

Do not go below 0.3 grams per pound of your body weight, which is roughly 20% of your total calories. For a 180-pound person, this is a hard floor of 54 grams of fat per day. Going lower for extended periods can cause hormonal issues.

My energy is crashing in the gym. What should I do?

This is a clear sign your carbs are too low for your activity level. Try timing a larger portion of your daily carbs 60-90 minutes before you train. Even an extra 25-40 grams of carbs pre-workout can make a massive difference in your strength and endurance.

Should I use carb cycling?

Carb cycling is a strategy where you alternate between high-carb and low-carb days. It can be a useful tool for advanced athletes trying to break a plateau, but it adds a layer of complexity that is unnecessary for most people. Master a consistent daily deficit first.

Conclusion

Stop the debate between low-carb and low-fat. The hierarchy for a successful cut is clear: calorie deficit first, high protein second, adequate fat third, and fill the rest with carbs. Use carbs as your flexible tool to adjust calories up or down, and you'll finally have a sustainable plan to get lean without losing muscle or your sanity.