Fight Camp Calories & Macros: How to Set Your Numbers

Contents

To set your fight camp numbers: estimate your maintenance calories, create a deficit that loses about 0.5–1 kg per week, set protein at 1.6–2.2 g per kg, keep carbohydrate at or above 3–4 g per kg and give fat 0.7–1.3 g per kg (Ricci et al., 2025). Then let your weekly weight trend tell you whether the numbers are right.

Weight loss comes down to calories, but how you split them decides whether you lose fat or burn off muscle and training quality. Here is a step-by-step way to set your numbers, with a worked example you can copy.

Step 1: Estimate your maintenance calories

Your maintenance is the calorie intake that keeps your weight stable at your current training load. A lab test of resting metabolic rate is the most accurate starting point. Without one, the ISSN suggests prediction equations such as Mifflin–St Jeor or Cunningham, combined with your activity level (Ricci et al., 2025).

Two methods named in the ISSN position stand:

• Cunningham equation: resting energy (kcal/day) = 500 + 22 × lean body mass in kg. You then factor in your activity level (Ricci et al., 2025).
• Quick estimate: body weight in pounds × 14, plus the calories burned in training and the thermic effect of food, which is typically 3–10 % of expenditure (Ricci et al., 2025).

Example (arithmetic only): a 75 kg fighter at an estimated 15 % body fat has about 63.75 kg lean mass. Cunningham gives 500 + 22 × 63.75 ≈ 1,900 kcal at rest, before training. With the quick method: 75 kg ≈ 165 lb × 14 ≈ 2,310 kcal, plus whatever your training actually burns.

Both are estimates. The most reliable number comes from 1–2 weeks of logging your food and morning weight: the intake that holds your weight steady is your real maintenance.

Step 2: Set your calorie deficit

Pick a weekly rate of loss first, then set the deficit that produces it. The ISSN says combat athletes are commonly advised to lose 0.5–1 kg of body mass per week. If you need to lose faster, you can use a bigger deficit, but not below your resting metabolic rate (Ricci et al., 2025). Physique-sport guidelines use a similar 0.5–1 % of body weight per week to maximise muscle retention (Helms et al., 2014).

How big a deficit is that? A useful reference is a study of 24 elite athletes:

Group	Energy intake cut	Weekly weight loss	Lean body mass
Slow reduction	~19 %	~0.7 % of body weight	Increased 2.1 %
Fast reduction	~30 %	~1.0 % of body weight	Unchanged

Source: Garthe et al., 2011. Both groups lost about 5.5 % of body weight, but the slower group took longer and came out with more muscle. The authors recommend about 0.7 % per week for athletes who want to keep or gain lean mass and strength.

The practical takeaway: start with a moderate cut of your maintenance, then fine-tune it from your scale trend. The earlier you start, the smaller the deficit you need. See how much weight you can cut to check your target is realistic.

Step 3: Set protein first

Protein is the number you protect most in a deficit. The ISSN combat sports position stand recommends 1.6–2.2 g per kg per day during weight descent (Ricci et al., 2025). A review of weight loss in elite athletes puts current recommendations at 1.6–2.4 g/kg/day. Where you land in that range depends on how big the deficit is and how hard you train (Hector & Phillips, 2018).

For lean, resistance-trained athletes in a hard deficit, the general ISSN protein position stand notes that intakes of 2.3–3.1 g/kg/day may be needed to maximise retention of lean mass (Jäger et al., 2017). Most fighters do fine in the 1.6–2.2 g/kg range.

Spread it out: 20–40 g per serving, roughly every 3–4 hours (Jäger et al., 2017).

Step 4: Set fat, then give the rest to carbs

Keep fat moderate and make sure carbohydrate never falls below the floor. The ISSN ranges during weight descent:

• Fat: 0.7–1.3 g/kg/day, often the part you lower to create the deficit, but not below 15–20 % of total calories (Ricci et al., 2025).
• Carbohydrate: do not drop below 3–4 g/kg/day, because fight camp training is intense (Ricci et al., 2025).

To turn grams into calories, use the standard factors: 4 kcal per gram of protein and carbohydrate, 9 kcal per gram of fat (USDA National Agricultural Library).

Worked example: 75 kg fighter on 2,400 kcal

Here is the full calculation, step by step. The 2,400 kcal target is an example. Use your own number from steps 1–2.

Macro	Rule	Grams	Calories
Protein	2.0 g × 75 kg	150 g	150 × 4 = 600 kcal
Fat	0.9 g × 75 kg	67.5 g	67.5 × 9 ≈ 608 kcal
Carbohydrate	Remaining: 2,400 − 600 − 608 = 1,192 kcal	1,192 ÷ 4 ≈ 298 g	1,192 kcal
Total			2,400 kcal

Check against the floors: carbs are 298 ÷ 75 ≈ 4.0 g/kg (above the 3–4 g/kg floor), and fat is 608 ÷ 2,400 ≈ 25 % of calories (above 15–20 %). If your carbs fall below the floor, your calorie target is probably too low for your training load. Eat more, start camp earlier, or reconsider the weight class.

Hard days vs rest days: cycling your carbs

Keep protein and fat steady and move carbohydrate with your training load. The ISSN gives about 3–5 g/kg for light activity (Ricci et al., 2025). The ACSM consensus lists 5–7 g/kg for a moderate exercise load (Burke et al., 2021). Same 75 kg fighter, same protein (150 g) and fat (67.5 g):

Day type	Carbs	Carb kcal	Day total
Rest or light day	3 g × 75 = 225 g	900 kcal	600 + 608 + 900 ≈ 2,108 kcal
Hard double-session day	5 g × 75 = 375 g	1,500 kcal	600 + 608 + 1,500 ≈ 2,708 kcal

With four hard days and three light days, the weekly average is (4 × 2,708 + 3 × 2,108) ÷ 7 ≈ 2,450 kcal, close to the 2,400 target. You eat the most when you train the hardest, which is when you need it. See fight camp nutrition for meal timing and a sample day.

Common mistakes when setting macros

1. Cutting carbs first. Dropping below the 3–4 g/kg floor saves calories but costs you sparring quality.
2. Trusting the formula over the scale. Equations are only estimates. Two weeks of real data beat any calculator.
3. Setting protein from a bodybuilding forum. Most fighters are well covered at 1.6–2.2 g/kg. More protein means less room for carbs.
4. Starting the diet too late. A short camp forces a bigger deficit, and the ISSN links cutting large amounts in under 8 weeks with a higher risk of low energy availability (Ricci et al., 2025).

Step 5: Adjust by the trend, not the day

Judge your numbers on the weekly average of your morning weigh-ins. Carbs, salt and water move your scale weight from day to day, and that says nothing about fat loss.

• Losing faster than about 1 kg per week? Eat a little more. In the study above, the faster rate cost the lean-mass gain that the slower group made (Garthe et al., 2011).
• Stalled for two weeks? Lower intake slightly, usually from fat or rest-day carbs, not protein.
• As you get lighter, your needs fall too. The ISSN notes that energy intake usually has to come down in proportion to the weight you lose (Ricci et al., 2025).

Fight week is a different phase with its own rules on water, sodium and glycogen. Follow the week-by-week weight cut plan for that part. If you are new to all this, start with what weight cutting is.

MyFightPrep makes it easy to log calories and macros with the AI meal scanner and see your weight trend, so you can adjust your numbers quickly — free.

Important

This guide is general information, not medical advice or a personal meal plan. The numbers are starting points from sports-nutrition research. If you are under 18, have a medical condition or a history of disordered eating, or need to lose a lot of weight, work with a doctor or registered sports dietitian. Stop and seek help if you feel dizzy, faint, constantly exhausted or unwell.

Frequently asked questions

How many calories should a fighter eat to lose weight in camp?

Enough to lose about 0.5 to 1 kg per week while still training well, and never below your resting metabolic rate. Estimate your maintenance, set a moderate deficit, then adjust based on your weekly weight trend rather than a fixed formula.

How much protein do I need during fight camp?

The ISSN combat sports position stand recommends 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg of body weight per day during weight descent. A 75 kg fighter would eat about 120 to 165 g a day, spread over several meals.

How many carbs should a fighter eat per day?

During weight loss in camp, the ISSN advises not dropping below 3 to 4 g of carbohydrate per kg per day, with more on hard training days. For a 75 kg fighter that is a floor of roughly 225 to 300 g.

How fast should I lose weight in fight camp?

About 0.5 to 1 kg per week is the commonly recommended rate for combat athletes. In one study of elite athletes, losing around 0.7 % of body weight per week preserved lean mass better than a faster rate.

Sources

This guide is based on the works below. Numbers in the text refer to them.

1. Ricci AA, Evans C, Stull C, Peacock CA, French DN, Stout JR, et al. (2025). International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Nutrition and Weight Cut Strategies for Mixed Martial Arts and Other Combat Sports
2. Garthe I, Raastad T, Refsnes PE, Koivisto A, Sundgot-Borgen J (2011). Effect of Two Different Weight-Loss Rates on Body Composition and Strength and Power-Related Performance in Elite Athletes
3. Hector AJ, Phillips SM (2018). Protein Recommendations for Weight Loss in Elite Athletes: A Focus on Body Composition and Performance
4. Jäger R, Kerksick CM, Campbell BI, Cribb PJ, Wells SD, Skwiat TM, et al. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Protein and Exercise
5. Helms ER, Aragon AA, Fitschen PJ (2014). Evidence-Based Recommendations for Natural Bodybuilding Contest Preparation: Nutrition and Supplementation
6. Burke LM, Slater GJ, Matthews JJ, Langan-Evans C, Horswill CA (2021). ACSM Expert Consensus Statement on Weight Loss in Weight-Category Sports
7. USDA National Agricultural Library (2026). Food and Nutrition Information Center: How many calories are in one gram of fat, carbohydrate, or protein?