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There are many different approaches to macros for cutting, and more than one of them actually works. The reason being is the high adaptability of the human body to changing conditions which facilitated our successful survival and made humans (presumably) dominant species.
My preference, as it pertains to any aspect of nutrition, including cutting, always goes with the approach that seems to not only work optimally but also has the best effect on your overall health and performance. It always is the one that is based on human physiology and metabolism. It only makes sense not to choose something that makes my biology work in an unnatural or sub-optimal way, even if it works. Who knows in what currency my body will pay for it, both in the short and the long term?
For those who are curious - quick physiology deep dive: nature plan for humans is using carbs as the main source of immediate energy for your muscles, organs, and brain. Using the fastest available source is important for all strength sports since your body has to generate peak energy as fast as possible to move as much weight as possible in a relatively short time. The more muscles you have the more energy you need, hence more carbs are welcome in your diet. Sure, under certain conditions your body is designed to also convert protein (unfortunately this is the second preference from metabolic perspective) into energy as well, but it means less protein for building muscles and remodeling your bones (which is a process that should constantly happen in your body) which is the primary reason for protein consumption. The third and the least loved by your body source of energy is fat. This is by the way why losing fat is so hard. Your body stores fat for either slow-burn activities or even emergency use. Ingested fat is predominantly converted into fat in your body because nature always chooses the path of least resistance and fat-to-fat obviously is the easiest path. Some fat is being used to create the exterior of your cells, the rest will be stored as fat, period (unless you deprive your body of carbs leaving your body no choice, which is the main idea of all low-carb, high-fat diets). Being the slowest available source of energy, the main intended use of fat for that purpose is low-intensity, long-duration activities which are the nature of cardio, not strength sports. This explains why cardio is optimal for fat loss, huh?
Based on the stated above, the most natural approach to macros for cutting purposes is as follows:
Since the goal is at least to preserve muscle mass (or ideally build despite cutting, which is definitely possible) your first priority decision should be made about protein intake. There are endless debates about how much protein your body needs to preserve and build muscle. Most of the estimates are extremely and unnecessarily high. Yes, you need a lot of protein, but what exactly “a lot” means? The answer is, it depends. Number one, it depends on your lean muscle mass, because whatever formula you decide to use will be based on it since this is what you are trying to support or improve. Number two is your training phase if you train seriously or your training style if you train casually. This means, for high volume, low-intensity training you will need a little more protein than for high-intensity, low volume. Most experienced vegan lifters (yes, there is some difference in opinions between vegan and carnivore lifters on this matter, but it’s not dramatic anyway) will tell you that the range between 1.2 and 1.8 grams of protein per kilo of lean body mass per day is efficient, safe and manageable from a vegan diet perspective. Respectively, if you are in your volume training phase you want to be anywhere between 1.5 and 1,8 grams of protein per kilo while for intensity training 1.2 is more than enough. To determine your protein intake in grams per day multiply your lean muscle mass in kilos (either estimated or based on some sort of body composition measurement). The resulting number of correctly performed calculations will ideally land between 20% and 30% of your daily calories (each gram of protein equals 4kcal).
Your second most important goal is to provide your body with enough energy to perform normal daily activities and to train efficiently. This normally requires sourcing about 60% of your calories (each gram of carbs equals 4kcal) from carbs. On training days this number can be even higher. It’s also a good idea to have the biggest portion of your carb intake before, during, and after training to prepare, support and replenish energy required for it and prevent storing it for later as fat.
From this point calculating fat percentages is a piece of cake. Just subtract your calories from protein and carbs from your daily limit and the rest will be fat, ideally about 20% of daily calories (fat is extremely high on calories, 9kcal per gram).
I highly recommend using a good macro/calorie tracker for calculating/planning this. Most of them will allow and help you calculate your custom macros using this logic. I always use MyFitnessPal for this purpose. I plan separately for training, rest and conditioning days playing around with carb/fat intake leaving protein constant. As I mentioned before, I also change it between high volume-low intensity, medium volume-medium intensity, and low volume-high intensity training blocks.
Now you are ready to create optimal macros for your goals.
Enjoy!
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