First things first: how do you lose fat?

Despite how complicated many people make fat loss out to be, it's actually typically nothing more than basic math. There are 3500 Calories in a pound of bodily mass. So, if you burn 3500 Calories over any period, you'll lose ~1 lb of bodily tissue. This could look like 500 Calories per 7 days in a week for 1 lb lost, for example. This state of consuming under your caloric maintenance is called a Caloric deficit. If you don't like my style, here is a great alternative diet guide.

So, how can you stay in a caloric deficit to effectively lose fat?

There are several effective practices to aim to lose bodyfat:

Counting Calories

A Calorie is a unit of measurement for the amount of energy contained in foods/drinks. The best way to ensure you're in a deficit is certainly by counting your calories. This is, by far, the most effective dieting practice to achieve long-term progress. To count your calories, you need to consider all the foods & drinks you consume as well as your daily physical activity. Your maintenance calories are the amount of calories you need to maintain your weight over any period at a set amount of physical activity. This number should be initially estimated by using the TDEE Calculator website; be sure to be honest about your activity level when using it. MyFitnessPal or MyNetDiary are free options for tracking your caloric/macro intake throughout the day, while MacroFactoris a good paid option.

Cardio

Cardiovascular exercise is an essential practice in improving & maintaining your cardiovascular (heart) health. Most benefits of cardio can be achieved by consistently doing 20-30 minutes of dedicated light-moderate intensity cardio 3-4x weekly. To prioritize muscle stimulus, you should do your cardio after lifting & not on the day before a leg day. It doesn’t matter what kind of cardio you do; simply utilize your favorite machine/exercise(s) and stay consistent. And, with all jokes aside, cardio does not ‘kill gains’ when implemented properly into a program. Here’s a list of approximate caloric demands for various exercises.

Adults should not aim to create a deficit with cardio, but rather to supplement a deficit with it. The people who try to create a deficit solely through cardio often end up over-eating after the activity, even without realizing. Preventing this can be key in obtaining weight loss alongside other strategies.

Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting, or IF for short, can be a viable method of reducing your daily caloric intake to achieve a deficit–without having to count your calories. This can be a 16:8 hour ratio fast for 5 days weekly, for example. I believe this is the most effective non-pharmaceutical method of weight loss for people who do not want to count their calories. Like all diets, IF users should still track their protein intake to maximize progress in the gym. Protein frequency is greatly bottlenecked while fasting, so this practice isn't advisable for anyone seeking to maximize muscle/strength gain. Training fasted is also detrimental to gym performance due to low muscle glycogen. Doing cardio while fasted also doesn't burn more total fat compared to completing cardio after breaking a fast, due to how the body compensates for it.

IF Tips

1. IF is neither a novel “fad technique” nor unhealthy when planned properly & used in moderation. IF is NOT to be used to punish oneself, “make up” for dietary failures, or as a starvation tactic to escape the patience required on a caloric deficit/cut. It's simply a tool. If you fail, you have to forgive yourself. Guilt will only make fasting a negative experience.

2. Try to break your fasts with a protein of some sort, preferably 15+ minutes before carbs, but ideally not with simpler carbs (e.g. pasta, bread, pasta, pastries, even protein powder with dextrose or maltodextrin). Note that not all of these are not inherently bad, just simply less than ideal to break a fast with.

3. You don’t need a perfectly precise format to achieve IF. All you need to do is start with a fasting period/schedule that you can tolerate & increase your protocol over time (e.g. 16 hr fast 3x weekly, with more challenging variable(s) over time, depending on your goal).

4. To curb hunger during the fasting period, consider activated charcoal, tea, coffee and/or MCT oil on a fast, with a few others that make you forget you’re even going without normal food.

Thomas DeLauer on YouTube has great further information on fasting. He also has info on ketogenic diets, though I do not recommend using keto.

Intuitive Eating

Instead of honing down & tracking every Calorie you eat, you could simply aim to eat healthier. This can be termed 'intuitive eating.' Of course, you know vegetables tend to be healthy & ice cream is essentially the opposite. In my experience, intuitive eating has only been somewhat effective for a limited period of time when I was higher in bodyfat percentage; eating intuitively will certainly plateau. Do not expect groundbreaking results when you're only giving a tenth of the effort you could be giving.

Intuitive Eating Tips

1. Eat more vegetables & protein for their satiating properties & health benefits. Eat fish 2-3x weekly as well, for its healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Swap to diet drinks & low fat sources of food.

2. Drink lots of water (2-4 liters daily).

3. Consider implementing another dieting strategy such as intermittent fasting.

Now, how can someone maximize muscle growth over time 'in the kitchen?'

To be blunt, beginners generally benefit most from consuming more food, but specifically, more protein.

A Caloric Surplus (Bulking)

To optimize muscle growth, you have to eat more Calories than your maintenance; this is called a surplus or a 'bulk.' However, too high of a surplus leads to excessive fat gain. How fast you should bulk is determined by how fast you can grow muscle; which is dependent on training age, physical age, supplements, & gender. Since beginner natural men grow muscle quite quickly, they benefit most from a 350-600 Caloric surplus (0.7-1.1lb gain weekly). In general, both women and intermediate level (or higher) natural lifters generally benefit most from a 150-350 Calorie surplus (0.3-0.7lb gain weekly). This smaller surplus is commonly referred to as a 'lean bulk.'

These 'lean bulks' should additionally be utilized in people who consider themselves ‘skinny fat,’ in order to especially minimize fat gain (at the expense of muscle growth).

Intelligently designed bulks tend to last 6-18 months; the length also depends on the training age and circumstance. With a surplus comes eventual fat gain; it's generally a good choice to only bulk up to ~17-19% body fat.

A recent study has found no added benefit comparing a tiny surplus to a moderate one. This evidence is overblown in

Bulking Tips

1. Consume more foods that you enjoy. These are typically calorically dense and give you reason to eat a larger portion.

2. Maintain a baseline diet of healthy eating. If you were eating 2000 calories of clean food before you started a bulk, maintain that and simply add calories on top of it-do not eat garbage food all the time.

3. Eat more frequently throughout the day. For example, be sure to eat before you sleep & after wake up.

4. Utilize 'liquid calories' when necessary, such as calorie dense protein shakes.

5. Consider using a lower relative protein intake, such as 0.8g protein / lb bw - protein is satiating & requires calories to break down.

A Caloric Deficit (Cutting)

The purpose of a deficit is to reduce the amount of fat that someone has. Ideally, this 'cut' is then followed up with a well-paced lengthy bulk after.

In a caloric deficit, you eat a set amount of calories under your maintenance. A common deficit choice is 500 Calories under maintenance (1 lb lost weekly). However, can be better to reduce your TDEE / maintenance calories by 10-20% to result in ~0.25-1.25% bodyweight lost weekly, depending on your goal & experience.

This especially applies to those approaching lower levels of body fat %. However, anecdotally, increased protein intake such as 1+g/lb bodyweight (2.2+g/kg) daily has been found to offset this loss in muscle mass to a degree. Generally, the quicker you cut, the more muscle you lose. Reducing your TDEE by 40% guarantees massive muscle atrophy. Cuts tend to last at least 2 months; as a cut stretches on, you may benefit from temporary maintenance phases (ie. maintenance for 1 week every 6 weeks). The frequency of these diet breaks depends on the deficit intensity, duration, & the athlete themself. A good practice is to cut to 11-14% body fat before changing to another diet phase. Maintaining non-exercise related activity (NEAT) is essential to long-term dieting success. This can be achieved with planned physical outings outings & a target daily step count daily.

Cutting Tips

1. Implement the aforementioned diet breaks. Ensure that you're maintaining your NEAT & EAT (activity) rates throughout a cut.

2. Consume foods that are more satiating. This includes more protein sources, potatoes, & fiber-containing fruit/vegetables. Note protein's higher thermic effect of food (TEF).

3. Eat less frequently.

4. Implement anti-hunger protocols - gum, artificial sweeteners, etc

5. Consider fat burner supplements for a tiny extra boost in TDEE. Caffeine 50-150mg 1-3x daily; not within 12hr sleep. Note their risk/mechanism of action via increase in heart rate.

6. Maintain fluid homeostasis within your body; a 2:1 Sodium/Salt to Potassium ratio, to try to prevent fluctuations in water weight. See the hydration section.

Body Recomposition

When trying to achieve body recomposition, a lifter should aim to consume maintenance calories. Beginner lifters will likely be able to grow muscle while losing fat in this process, though the progress is often rather slow in practice. This may be an easier (albeit less effective) option for skinny fat people to take, to avoid all fat gain entirely.

Good Dieting Practices

The most effective diet practice for fat loss is going to depend based on the individual & likely consists of a combination of several methods. In any diet phase, it is important to continue lifting & exercising to maximize both the visual and health-related changes you make in your body. It's generally a good practice to get at least 85% of your calories from clean foods.

You should be weighing yourself daily under the same conditions (in the morning, fasted, after going to the bathroom) & taking the average of the data to accurately assess your progress. You should not be basing exercise selection off of which diet phase you're in.

I recommend that most beginner lifters at or below ~16% body fat start with a basic bulk by adding 300-500 calories to their TDEE. Beginners at greater than 18% body fat should probably cut until around 15-17% and then bulk from there. Beginners around 17-22% can consider body recomposition. Generally, people are terrible at estimating their own body fat percentage. I'm working on a solution for this, but don't expect anything too soon. Eat This Much is a free randomized meal creator with recipes & macronutrient information included.

Teen Dieting (or not)

Any teen seeking weight loss should talk to a doctor in order to achieve an ideal health outcome. It is often not logically advisable for a teen to attempt a weight loss phase by restriction of diet calories because doing so leads to eventual reduction of important growth & mental health hormones. Risking your height growth, mental health, & brain growth is not worth it. A better option would be to increase TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) by basic implementation of cardio to achieve bodily recomposition via a small deficit. Also, start eating with a healthy conscience by consuming more protein and limiting high calorie foods/drinks. This should absolutely be paired with weight training (which has no adverse effects on adolescents, provided they don’t damage their growth plates). While I do not recommend adolescents to attempt tracked deficits, here is some advice for anyone persistent despite the risks so that they can stay and as healthy as possible:

1. Take frequent diet breaks (implement a week of maintenance calories every 3 weeks, for example).

2. Achieve as much of the deficit through cardio as you can.

3. Avoid intentionally exceeding ~300 cal diet restriction.

Macronutrients

Macronutrients, or macros, are what the calories in your diet consist of. None of them are inherently bad, apart from alcohol.

Protein & Carbs - 4 Calories per gram
Fats - 9 Cal/g
Alcohol - 7 Cal/g

Proper Macronutrient ratios depend on the
the individual & their current diet phase.
Here's an example on the right; it's a range.

Protein

Sufficient protein intake is necessary for anyone seeking improved health, strength, or muscle size. On average, natural lifters do not grow more muscle from ingesting more than 0.8 grams of protein daily per pound bodyweight (1.65g/kg). This would be 132g of protein daily for an 80kg person, regardless of gender. However, genetic outliers exist, so it’s a number that’s worth experimenting with.

Protein has a higher relative thermic effect than carbs or fats, meaning that 100 calories of protein ends up as 70-80 calories on average. It's also more satiating and even protects against muscle loss; all of these qualities can be especially useful in a Caloric deficits. Higher protein levels increase IGF-1, a fundamental growth mechanism. A common misconception about protein is that a higher protein diet will be taxing on the kidneys, but this is only certainly true in people with pre-established renal (kidney) disease or those who eat obscene amounts of protein (ie. >1.5g/lb or >3.5/kg bw daily). More info here.

Theoretically, protein timing (frequency) is very important. However, it isn't necessarily as important as it's often made out to be. When more protein is consumed, protein synthesis is simply elevated for a longer period of time. That being said, 40g protein spikes muscle protein synthesis (MPS) only slightly more than 20g when a short period is considered. Almost all protein ingested is eventually digested.

Carbohydrates

Sufficient carbs are vital to maintaining proper blood glucose levels. When insufficient glucose is present in a diet (keto), protein is broken down into glucose to maintain sufficient blood glucose levels. It's ideal to have a meal with a generous amount of carbs shortly before strength training, so as to maximize the energy you have while training. Therefore, keto diets are particularly a terrible idea when maximizing muscle growth.

Fats

Fats are essential for bodily function, quite literally down to the cellular level. They aid in nervous system function, absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (ie. A, D, E, & K), & sexual hormone regulation (ie. Testosterone).

Here's an extensive guide by MyFitnessPal on fats.

Counting Calories - Getting More Complicated

Finding Your True Maintenance Calories

After using a TDEE Calculator, you have to follow that caloric goal & activity level for a period, weigh yourself accurately, & do some math to find your true maintenance calories. Recall that a 500 deficit or surplus will change your bodily mass by 1 lb weekly.

(Old Calculated TDEE) +/- 500 x (lb gained) / Weeks Measured

Here's an example below, where someone's old maintenance was 2500 & they gained 2lb over 4 weeks:

2500 - 500 x 2 / 4 = 2250

If someone lost 3lb, the equation would look like this. When you lose weight, you add to your maintenance to obtain your true maintenance.

2500 + 500 x 3 / 4 = 2250

You could also just skip the math & add/subtract 250, for example, calories over time.

Number Technicalities

Technically, there are 3466 Cals per pound of fat mass (7625/kg) & only 3060 Cals/lb muscle tissue (6732/kg). The latter number accounts for various complications, such as the nutrients required for protein synthesis. When simplified to 3500, these inaccuracies simply translate to a marginally altered Caloric target. I do not recommend taking these numbers into account at all.

Thyroid Hormone Challenges

Caloric counting can be challenged by faulty thyroid hormone production. This must be solved with a registered doctor.

Illness and Injury

There isn't much you should be doing when you're injured or ill for a short period (<1-2 weeks). This includes fevers and sprains, for example. Don't reduce your body's capacity to recover by placing more stress on it; it's always going to be better to simply wait it out until you're back to near full health. Don't bring everyone down with you by spreading illness around your gym.

Sleep and hydration are definitely key in bringing you back to proper health. If you're actively cutting, it is likely a good idea to return to maintenance calories if you feel an illness or injury incoming. More protein and energy in your diet means more potential to fight back against the illness. I have a section titled "Illness & Injury Supplement Information" discussing some potentially effective supplemental aid.

As for training, if you feel an injury coming on, consider reducing your volume or frequency. If it's been more than a few days since you've trained, you're itching to get some stimulus, and you only feel minor or no physical fatigue/injury pain, you should start quite low intensity and weight on exercises for the injured muscle group. Training like this after the injury has healed signfiicantly tends to aid the injuries recovery speed. If you happen to take a break after being ill or for any other reason, you should ease back into it. This can be accomplished by taking it easy in the gym with a deload/acclimation phase.

Resources

• Eat This Much - free randomized meal creator w/ recipes & macro info.

• Renaissance Periodization - Youtube videos on dieting topics

• Stronger by Science Diet Guide - A great alternative diet guide.

• Extensive guide by MyFitnessPal on fats.

• Various examples of macronutrient-containing foods