A Sustainable Weight-Loss Plan for a Body-Composition Program
How to lose 3–8 lbs/month without losing ACFT strength — the deficit, protein target, and training balance the program expects.
By The VivMetric Editorial Team · independent editorial research project
The math
A pound is roughly 3,500 kcal, so 3–8 lbs/month is about a 350–900 kcal daily deficit. A 300–500 kcal deficit with 1.6–2.2 g/kg protein preserves muscle and ACFT performance better than crash dieting.
Train through it
Keep strength work (deadlift, carries) and run conditioning; the 540 ACFT exemption exists so strong, lean soldiers are not penalized by the tape. Losing fat at a moderate deficit while lifting is the durable path.
Source
AR 600-9 program expectations; Mifflin-St Jeor BMR. Data retrieved 2026-08-19.
Calculate your TDEE
Total daily energy expenditure by activity level — what to eat to sustain a training cycle.
Result
Quick answers
Related pages
- Metric page → /metrics/tdee
- Standards detail → /standards/army/acft
- Tool page → /tools/tdee