Cutting meal prep: plan a fat-loss week you'll actually stick to
Cutting meal prep means planning a week of meals that land on a calorie deficit with high protein, cooked in batches so busy nights don't push you off plan. Start about 500 to 550 calories under maintenance, aim for around 2 g of protein per kilogram, and choose filling, high-volume dishes. Cauli plans that week for you, with every day held to your target.
Key takeaways
- A cut fails on the hard days, not on paper. Plan the busy nights first.
- Protein high, every day: about 2 g per kg of your lower body weight.
- Volume keeps you full: vegetables, soups, lean proteins, measured carbs.
- Hold every day to the target. A 1,200-calorie Tuesday and a 3,000-calorie Saturday don't average out in how you feel.
Your cutting target, worked through
Example: a 30-year-old man, 180 cm and 80 kg, on his feet a lot (1.4) and training 4 days a week (+0.20). Resting estimate 1,780 kcal × 1.60 = about 2,850 kcal to maintain.
| Goal | Starts from | Daily target | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lose fat | about 550 kcal under | 2,300 kcal | 150 g (2.0 g × 75 kg, goal weight 75 kg) |
| Build muscle | about 250 kcal over | 3,100 kcal | 145 g (1.8 g × 80 kg, current weight is lower than the goal) |
| Recomp | about 10% under | 2,560 kcal | 160 g (2.0 g × 80 kg, no goal weight) |
| Maintain | maintenance | 2,850 kcal | 130 g (1.6 g × 80 kg, no goal weight) |
An illustration of the method on Methods and sources, not advice for you. Cauli computes yours from your own answers, or you can enter your own numbers.
How to meal prep for a cut
- Set the target and the floor. Calories within 5% each day, protein at 90% of target or more.
- Mark your busy nights. That's where cuts break: takeout at 9 pm. Put a Leftover there.
- Batch the bulky dishes. A turkey chili or a chicken and vegetable curry makes three or four portions and reheats well.
- Quick Cooks for the rest. Ten to twenty minutes: a salmon tray bake, an egg and vegetable scramble.
- Lean swaps over new recipes. The dishes you already like, with leaner mince, more vegetables and measured oil, are easier to stick with than diet food. Our protein-per-calorie ranking shows the swaps that save the most, such as 95% lean ground beef over 80%.
- Weigh in once a week and adjust only when the trend is off, not after one heavy morning.
How Cauli plans a fat-loss week
- Targets from your goal: about 550 kcal under maintenance, never more than 0.75% of body weight a week, protein at 2.0 g/kg. Or your own numbers.
- Dishes shaped for a cut: filling, high-volume meals with lean swaps, composed for your tastes, time and equipment.
- Batches before busy nights, labelled with what they feed, so the hard days are already handled.
- Every day on target, computed from USDA data, with no weekly averaging.
- A weekly Weigh-in. If your trend is off pace, Cauli proposes new targets for you to confirm; one odd reading never changes them.
- Honest about time: Cauli shows a projection like "around June", never a promise.
Cauli is a planning tool for healthy adults, not medical advice. If you have a history of disordered eating, are pregnant or have a medical condition, plan with a clinician. Cauli is on the App Store for iPhone.
Questions people ask
How many calories should I eat on a cut?
A common starting point is a deficit of about 500 calories a day under maintenance, which is roughly 0.5 kg (1 lb) a week. Cauli starts at about 550 kcal under its estimate of your maintenance and never plans a pace faster than 0.75% of your body weight a week.
How much protein do I need when cutting?
Cauli sets 2.0 g per kilogram of the lower of your current and goal weight for losing fat, the highest of its four goals, and plans every day to reach at least 90% of it.
What foods are best for cutting meal prep?
Filling, high-volume dishes: lean proteins, lots of vegetables, potatoes and rice in measured portions, soups, chilis and stir-fries. They hold up as Leftovers and keep you full on fewer calories. Cauli leans this way for a fat-loss goal, with lean swaps in dishes you already like.
Can I use Cauli to cut if I'm under 18?
No. People aged 16 and 17 can use Cauli to eat well at their current weight only, with no calorie deficit.
