Bulk vs Cut Decision Tool

First, it estimates your maintenance calories (TDEE_est) from your current body weight using a simplified baseline formula. Next, your goal intent sets the direction (surplus for bulk, deficit for cut/lean out, near-neutral for maintain). Finally, progress and recovery adjust the aggressiveness: worsening progress and lower recovery reduce the size of the change, while strong readiness allows a more direct cut/bulk. The result is a starting calorie target: Calorie_target = TDEE_est + Δkcal/day, plus a timeframe based on your schedule and safety.

Because the tool uses a simplified maintenance estimate (and doesn’t collect age, sex, step count, or activity), your true TDEE may be higher or lower than TDEE_est. Progress signal helps correct for this, but it’s based on trend consistency—not day-to-day water changes. Recovery readiness acts like a safety lever: lower scores limit how aggressive your deficit/surplus should be to protect adherence and performance. Treat the output as a strong first pass and refine using your 2–4 week weigh-in trend.

If you set a cut/lean out intent but your recovery readiness is low (or progress is worsening), the tool may recommend Maintain (or a smaller change) instead of pushing a harsher deficit. Similarly, if you choose a bulk but your progress is worsening or recovery is poor, it will shift toward caution rather than a bigger surplus. If your schedule is short and recovery is low, the tool reduces aggressiveness and implicitly recommends reassessing early. The goal is to keep the plan realistic enough to execute.

Avoid using the recommended calories as a “set and forget” number—re-check your bodyweight trend and adjust after 2–4 weeks. Don’t interpret short-term scale fluctuations (water/glycogen/salt/sleep) as true fat gain or loss; the calculator’s progress signal is meant to reflect trends since your last check-in. If you feel unusually fatigued, your recovery score should reflect that—aggressive deficits/surpluses are more likely to backfire when recovery is low.