With the increasing number of so-called “wellness experts” plugging the latest pills, powders, cleanses, creams etc out there to help you lose fat it is hard to navigate what is fact and what is fiction.
If you are serious about losing weight/fat plan on dieting for 10-12 weeks as this is a great period of time to fine tune your diet taking into consideration your activity level and food preferences.
Get Specific With Your Macros
It sounds easy, what this formula assumes is that you know what your calorie intake and what your expenditure is. You can estimate how many calories your body requires each day by using this simple calculation, click the link here, see an example below:
Total Daily Energy Expenditure: 2442cals per day, so if I wanted to lose 1.2lbs per week from my diet I would need to have a restriction of 600kcals per day. (You require 3500 calorie deficit per week to lose 1lbs of body fat)
2442cals – 600cals = 1842 calories required per day
Calories from Carboydrates: 50g x 4 (4 is the number of kcals per 1g of carbohydrate) = 200 kcals
Calories from Protein: 194g of Protein required p.d x 4 (4 is the number of kcal’s per 1g of protein) = 777 kcal’s
Calories from Fat: Add Total Kcals from Carbohydrates + Protein = 977
1842 – 977 = 865kcals from fat. ( Divide 865 by 9 number of kcal’s per 1g of fat = 96g of fat per day is required.
*** It is important to pick the level of activity that matches what you do each day on average, if you say you are more active than you really are you will most likely gain weight. For the moment chose your goal as maintenance. It is also really important to build a healthy diet around these numbers that you can sustain over that time for example, if you ate nothing but a McDonald’s Big Mac for breakfast lunch and dinner and remained under your daily caloric requirement you will certainly lose weight, however factors to consider that will happen will be that you will lose muscle mass, decreased training performance and threaten your overall health. You want to
The Importance of Protein
To get maximum muscle-maintenance and appetite-management benefits from the protein, consume 20-25 grams of high-quality protein every few hours, rather than having one or two protein-rich meals a day.
In addition to giving your muscles the nutrients they need to grow and recover, protein also triggers the release of several appetite-suppressing hormones, primarily cholecystokinin. The more protein you eat, the more cholecystokinin your body produces, and the less hungry you feel.
Protein also has a higher thermic effect than carbohydrates and fat combined. This means that your body must burn more calories to digest, absorb, and distribute nutrients from protein than it must to do the same with carbs and fats. Just by eating protein, you’re helping your body lose weight!
Good protein sources include chicken and turkey breast (without skin), pork tenderloin, lean beef (filet mignon, steak sirloin, flank steak), lean ground meats (90/10 or leaner), eggs (yolks and whites), fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, tilapia, cod), seafood, low-fat dairy (Greek yogurt, milk, cheese), whey and casein protein, soy (tofu, edamame, seitan), beef, and vegetable protein powders.
THE IMPORTANCE OF CARBOHYDRATES
The number of carbs your body needs depends on how much energy you expend every day. If you work out on Monday and rest on Tuesday, you’ll need more carbs on Monday.
- On a non-exercise day, you need about 0.5 grams of carbs per pound of body weight.
- If you exercise for 30-40 minutes a day, you need about 0.75 grams per pound of body weight.
- If you exercise for 40-60 minutes a day, you need 0.75-1.0 grams per pound of body weight.
- If you exercise for 60-90 minutes a day, you need 1.0-1.25 grams per pound of body weight.
- If you exercise for 90-120 minutes a day, you need 1.25-1.75 grams per pound of body weight.
Good carbohydrate sources include brown and wild rice, quinoa, whole-grain pasta, bread and tortillas, oats, beans, legumes, lentils, peas, corn, popcorn, whole-grain cereals, fruits, and vegetables.
THE IMPORTANCE OF FAT
Eating fat won’t make you fat, so don’t make the mistake of dropping your fat levels too low when leaning out. Extremely low-fat diets are a huge mistake. Not only do fats provide your body with energy, they also help transport vitamins through your bloodstream and absorb them into your body. Essential fatty acids—such as those found in whole grains, seeds, nuts, and some fish—have a hand in brain development and blood clotting. Balance your fat intake by eating saturated (butter, coconut oil) and unsaturated (olive oil, nuts, flaxseed) fats.
NOW THAT I KNOW MY NUMBERS, WHAT NEXT:
This is where it gets tricky and where most people fail, hitting your targets consistently each day! If you have done this you should begin losing weight/fat. An ideal weightloss goal each week is to lose 0.5-1.0%of your bodyweight each week. If your weight stalls which the body generally does as it has learned how to function on fewer daily calories we need to reignite fat loss and reduce your current calorie intake. Dropping another 200-300 calories is a safe bet. When reducing calories its best to reduce from your fat intake as keeping your carbohydrates and protein consumption as high as possible as this will help maintain your energy. Tip: Don’t let your fat intake drop 10% of your total daily calories. Having to low a fat intake can be detrimental to your performance, recovery, muscle maintenance and testosterone production.
BUT I’M STILL HUNGRY!
If you follow the steps outlined above, you’ll be on your way to effective and sustainable fat loss, but you may start to feel hungry a lot and have less energy. To help you navigate this inevitable rise in hunger and fatigue, try these strategies:
- Each day, drink your body weight in ounces of fluid. Filling your stomach with fluid sends satiety signals to your brain, which can help you feel less hungry. Toward the end of your diet, drink 12-16 ounces of fluid immediately before and after each meal to help keep your appetite from raging.
- Choose high-fiber carbohydrates. Fiber slows down digestion, which helps keep your energy levels steady and your appetite in check.
- Include vegetables with each meal. Vegetables are high in both fiber and water, each of which helps you better manage your appetite and energy.
- Consume your carbohydrates before, during, and after your workouts. To avoid low-energy workouts and poor recovery, get 70-80 percent of your daily carbohydrates from your pre-, intra-, and post-workout meals.
References: he American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
