Calories and Macros in Fight Camp: How to Set Your Numbers

Weight loss ultimately comes down to calories — but how you split them decides whether you lose fat or burn off muscle. Here’s a simple way to set your numbers during a fight camp.

Step 1: Find your maintenance needs

Your maintenance level is the number of calories that keeps your weight stable. A quick starting point: multiply your body weight in kg by 30-33 (higher the more you train). A 75 kg fighter with hard daily training typically sits around 2,400-2,500 kcal.

That’s only an estimate. The precise way is to log your food and weight for 1-2 weeks and see what actually holds your weight steady — see how in nutrition in fight camp.

Step 2: Set a moderate deficit

To lose fat without losing performance, subtract 300-500 kcal from maintenance — no more. That gives a gentle loss of about 0.5-1% of body weight per week, which is the recommended rate (see how much you can cut).

If the loss goes faster than that, you’re eating too little and risk burning off muscle.

Step 3: Set your macros

Split your calories like this during a cut:

• Protein — the most important. 1.8-2.2 g per kg of body weight. It protects muscle when calories are low and keeps you full. For 75 kg: about 150-165 g.
• Fat — keep it moderate. 0.8-1 g per kg. Important for hormones. For 75 kg: about 60-75 g.
• Carbohydrate — the rest. Whatever calories are left go to carbohydrate. It’s your fuel for hard training, so don’t cut it away unnecessarily.

Step 4: Adjust by the trend, not the day

Weigh yourself every morning and look at the trend over 14 days, not single days. Weight stalled for two weeks? Cut 200 kcal. Dropping too fast? Add 200 kcal. Your weight curve tells you whether the numbers are right.

Remember that carbs and salt bind water, so your weight swings day to day — that’s completely normal and says nothing about your fat loss.

Important

This guide is general information, not medical advice or a meal plan. The numbers are starting points, not answers. If you have special needs, a medical history, or are in doubt, talk to your coach and a dietitian or doctor.

MyFightPrep makes it easy to log calories and macros — with an AI meal scanner — and see your weight curve so you can quickly adjust your numbers. Free.