Bodybuilding Fat Loss Diet

A Beginner's Guide To Losing Body Fat!
The first thing I'm going to tell you is, don't go on a diet. Why? Because most diets are not
based on sound nutritional principles. Learn more from these principles, nutrition tips, and
workouts!
Jim Brewster
July 30, 2018 • 7 min read
Before we get started, the first thing I'm going to tell you is this: Don't go on a diet. Period.
Why? Because most diets are not based on sound nutritional principles. Instead, read this
article to learn more about the basic principles of weight loss, along with some great nutrition
tips and workouts you can do in the gym!
Losing weight comes down to one very basic idea: Take in fewer calories than your body
uses. So let's start by figuring out how many calories your body burns on a typical day.
How Many Calories Do You Need?
We're all different, so the number of calories we need every day differs, too. How much
energy you burn depends on your age, your size and weight, and your activity level. This total
amount you burn is known as your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). You can get a good
idea of your TDEE by using this calculator.
To use the calculator, provide your statistics, then select "fat loss" as your goal. Pick an
activity level that matches how active you really are. If you say you're more active than you
are, the calculator will give you more calories per day. If you consume all of them, you'll gain
weight. Only by being honest about your activity level can you start to lose weight.
Once you know how many calories you need, you can figure out what kinds of foods you
should eat to get those calories. We can help you quickly figure out those numbers, then get
you started on meal plans that'll help you lose body fat—and exercises to help you stay
strong!
What Are Your "Macros"?
The most successful weight-loss programs are the ones that combine a good meal plan with
the right kind and amount of exercise. But meal planning can be intimidating at first. Some
people grow up eating nothing but junk food and never learn about nutrition.
Foods haven't always had nutrition panels on their labels, so many people didn't have an
opportunity to learn how to compare the macronutrients (macros) in the food they buy. It
wasn't that long ago that people never though in terms of protein, carbs, or fats. It was just
"food." We've come a long way since then.
Food consists of three macronutrients:
 Protein
 Carbohydrates
 Fats
The human body is made mostly of water. After that comes protein. You need protein every
day to perform thousands of functions in the body. Your body works by breaking the protein
down into different combinations of amino acids, the "building blocks" of protein.
Carbohydrates are the preferred form of fuel for your body's energy needs. Simple or sugary
carbs have their place when you need fast energy, but for the most part you should eat
complex or slow-burning carbs (we'll give you examples of these later). The thing about
carbs, though, is that after you consume all the carbs your body needs for immediate energy,
any excess carbs will be stored as body fat.
Body fat has a number of purposes, too. Our bodies store energy in fat tissue, which also
keeps us insulated from high and low temperatures, and protects our vital organs. But there
are good and bad types of body fat. Most of us eat way too much fat—especially saturated fat
and trans fat. We need fats, we just need more of the right ones.
Use this macronutrient calculator to find out how much of each you need. Choose fat loss as
your goal and an appropriate activity level.
Your carb intake can be a little higher on days when you know you're going to be physically
active. On days when you do cardio exercises like running or biking, you'll lose fat faster if
you work out on an empty stomach.
Protein shakes are a good way to get macronutrients after you've been working out. When
possible, though, get your macros from whole foods.
There's Food, Then There's the Right Food!
Protein
Good protein comes in many forms:
 Lean red meat

 Chicken (no skin)
 Turkey
 Fish
 Low-fat dairy
This is just the beginning of the list of good proteins. Don't be afraid to eat whole eggs, since
most of the nutrients are in the yolk. Avoid processed meats, meats high in fat, and full-fat
dairy.
Carbs
The glycemic index (GI) is a measure of a food's ability to elevate blood sugar. In general, the
lower the number, the better the carb choice.
The best carbohydrate choices—the ones that are low on the GI scale—include:
 Sweet potatoes
 Yams
 Beans
 Corn
 Brown rice
 Oatmeal
 Whole-grain products
 Veggies (these are fibrous carbs)
 Strawberries
 Bananas
 Pears
 Grapefruit
 Apples
Carbs to avoid include:
 Cookies
 Cakes
 Pastries
 Candy
 White flour
 High sugar foods
Fats
As with carbs, some people think that the way to lose weight is to cut out every scrap of fat in
their diet. But you need fats to give your body the nutrients it needs—and to make yourself
feel full so you won't feel so hungry between meals.
Some good fats include:
 Cold-water fish
 Low-fat cheeses
 Sunflower seeds
 Walnuts
 Almonds
 Peanut butter
 Olive oil
 Canola oil
 Safflower oil (eat these in moderation)
Fats to avoid include:
 High-fat meats
 High-fat dairy
 High-fat salad dressings
 Deep-fried foods
 Butter
Planning Your Daily Meals
By now, you know how many calories you can consume every day and still lose weight. You
know how those calories should be divided up between protein, carbs, and fats. And you have
some ideas about where to find the best sources for all these macros.
What's next is putting together meals that give your body what it needs to enable you to get
the best of both worlds—losing body fat without losing muscle mass. Here's a sample of a fat-
burning diet that will help you lose weight faster.
Note: This meal plan is just an example. To create a fat-burning diet that fits your situation,
adjust the portion sizes based on your calculator values for daily calories and macros.
Fat Loss Sample Meal Plan
Breakfast Note: Breakfast is a critical meal if you want to burn more body fat, so do
Oatmeal (flavored with cinnamon)
1/2 cup
Apple
1
Eggs
3
Water
1 glass
Mid-Morning Snack
Protein Bar (low-fat/sugar/high-protein)
1
Lunch
Chicken
6 oz.
Brown Rice
1/3 cup
Vegetables (mixed)
1 serving
Water
1 glass
Mid-Afternoon Snack
Yogurt
1/2 cup
Protein Shake
1
Dinner
Steak (lean)
6 oz.
Sweet Potato
1
Carrots (steamed)
1 serving
Water
1 glass
Snack
Pudding (protein)
1/2 cup
Meal Planning Basics
High-fiber carbs are a good choice because they can help you lose body fat while improving
your digestion and cholesterol numbers.
You can look for low-fat, low-sugar "dessert" type foods, including those that use stevia. And
to keep a plan like this from becoming too bland, use seasonings. They add very few calories
to your meal.
The key here is to not go above your daily calorie allotment. Having said that, it is common to
"zigzag" calorie totals. If you have a daily calorie allotment of 2,200, you can consume 1,800
one day, 2,400 the next, 1,950 the day after—as long as you're averaging 2,200 over the
course of the week.
As for cheat days or meals, I personally would rather have a healthy eating plan I can stick
with than to go nuts one day a week and eat like a pig. Not to mention that once you cheat it's
hard to return to a strict diet the next day.
You can find some delicious protein shake recipes at Bodybuilding.com. But don't forget that
these are not magical drinks—they contain calories, too. Make sure you count your shakes as
part of your daily calories and macro goals.
Exercise Guidelines: Weight Training and Cardio
One way you can lose weight fast is by keeping your metabolism high. You can keep it high
by doing cardio, and by doing strength exercises that help you build more muscle mass.
Muscles consume a lot of energy, so you want to take steps to build more of them.
The great news is that the more you increase your metabolism, the more fat your body will
burn, not only when you exercise, but afterward, too! You burn body fat when you work out,
and you keep on burning it at a higher rate than normal for hours afterward.
A mixture of both strength training and cardio can help with weight loss. Here's a list of the
most common strength-building exercises, followed by a short explanation of how to
approach cardio.
Routine 1: 3-Day Split
Day 1: Chest/Back, Abs, Cardio Optional

1
Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip
3 sets, 15, 12, 10 reps (warm-up sets with a light weight)
3 sets, 8-10 reps (working sets)
2
Dumbbell Flyes
3 sets, 10 reps
3
Barbell Deadlift
3 sets, 15, 12 10 reps (warm-up sets with light weight)
4
Bent Over Barbell Row
3 sets, 8-10 reps
5
Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown
3 sets, 8-10 reps
6
Crunches
3 sets, 35 reps
Day 2: Cardio
Day 3: Legs, Abs
1
Barbell Squat
3 sets, 15, 12, 10 reps (warm-up)
2
Leg Extensions
3 sets, 10-12 reps
3
Seated Leg Curl
3 sets, 10-12 reps
4
Crunches
3 sets, 35 reps
Day 4: Delts, Arms, Abs, Cardio Optional

1
Clean and Jerk
3 sets, 10 reps (warm-up)
3 sets, 8 reps (working sets)
2
Side Lateral Raise
3 sets, 10-12 reps (side and rear done as a superset)
3
Standing Overhead Barbell Triceps Extension
3 sets, 8 reps
4
Reverse Grip Triceps Pushdown
3 sets, 10 reps
5
EZ-Bar Curl
4 sets, 10 reps
6
Incline Dumbbell Curl
2 sets, 8 reps
7
Oblique Crunches
4 sets, 25 reps
Days 5 and 6: Cardio

Day 7: Rest
Daily Workout Variation
 Day 1: Chest/Back/Abs, Cardio optional

 Day 2: Cardio
 Day 3: Legs/Abs
 Day 4: Cardio
 Day 5: Delts/Arms/Abs, Cardio optional
 Day 6: Cardio
 Day 7: Rest
Cardio Exercise: A Great Fat Burner
Depending on your metabolism and how much body fat you want to lose, you can add cardio
to your strength-training days, with weights first and cardio after. Cardio session should be
20-30 minute long. Do cardio at least 3 times a week, more if you want to accelerate your
ability to burn body fat.
You can do cardio on non-training days whenever you have time, but it's best to do it in the
morning on an empty stomach. If that's not possible, do it later after dinner. By doing cardio
done in the morning before you eat or after you've lifted but before a big meal, you can more
body fat and less carbs.
Interval training is a high-intensity method of doing cardio that can allow you to do more in
less time. Start by warming up at the cardio exercise of your choice by using a moderate pace
for about 2 minutes. Then speed up to a high level for about 1 minute, back off to a slow pace
for 1 minute, then repeat.
Allow a 2-3 minute cool down by moving at a slow pace at the end of your cardio workout.
Interval training take a lot of stamina. Work your way into it over time. Start with 5-10
minutes and work your way up until you can handle longer sessions of 20-30 minutes.
About the Author
Jim Brewster
Jim Brewster - Jim is an expert trainer with years of valuable knowledge!
View all articles by this author
The 7 Day Fat Loss Meal Plan—Week 1

I get so many questions about how to create a great diet plan that I have put together here
what should be a very functional plan for better health and increased fat loss. Try it out!
Christopher Mohr
November 07, 2018 • 4 min read
I've written articles on the science behind weight loss, supplements, training, etc. But one of
the most frequent questions I get is how to create a diet for them—they don't want to put any
thought into the how's and why of fat loss, they want a diet.
So, here's a sample diet to please the masses. This one provides approximately 2300-2400
calories, 45% carbs, 35% protein, and 20% fat (I know all the math may not be exact, so don't
send me hate mail unless something is way off).
Also note, this sample diet was written for a 6'2", 28 year old, 200 lb male. If those are not
your specs, you need to tweak the calories to meet your specific needs. A previous article
discussed how to determine specific calorie needs for your height, age, and weight.
Day 1
Meal 1
Oat Bran
1/2 cup
Banana
1
Eggs
1 yolk
Egg Whites (hardboiled)
6
Meal 2
Yogurt
1
Cottage Cheese
1 cup
Grapes (red)
1 cup
Flaxseeds
1 tbsp
Meal 3
Spinach
3 cups
Turkey Bacon
2 strips
Mushrooms
1/2 cup
Carrots (chopped)
1/2 cup
Chicken (grilled)
3 oz.
Balsamic Vinegar
1 serving
Meal 4
Apple
1
Walnuts
1/2 oz.
Protein Powder
1 scoop
Meal 5
Salmon (grilled)
3 oz.
Brown Rice
1/4 cup
Chard (steamed)
2 cups
Meal 6
Cottage Cheese
1 cup
Almonds (roasted)
1 oz.
Cherry Tomato
1/3 cup
Spices (basil leaves)

1 serving
Balsamic Vinegar
1 serving
Day 2
Meal 1
Yogurt
1 cup
Cottage Cheese
1 cup
Grapes (red)
1 cup
Flaxseeds
1 tbsp
Meal 2
Chocolate Milk
2 cups
Meal 3
Oat Bran
1/2 cup
Blueberries (frozen)
1 cup
Flaxseeds
1 tbsp
Walnuts
1/2 oz.
Protein Powder
1 scoop
Meal 4
Salmon (canned)
3 oz.
Barley (cooked)
3 oz.
Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp
Cottage Cheese
1 cup
Meal 5
Pork
3 oz.
Sweet Potato
1 medium
Broccoli
1 cup
Orange
1
Meal 6
Meal Replacement Shake
1
Blackberries
1 cup
Flaxseeds
1 tbsp
Day 3
Meal 1
Oats
1 cup
Apple
1
Cottage Cheese
1 cup
Walnuts
1/2 oz.
Meal 2
Whole Wheat Bread

2 slices
Banana
1
Peanut Butter
1 tbsp
Protein Powder
1 scoop
Meal 3
Eggs
1 yolk
Egg Whites
6
Broccoli
1 cup
Bell Pepper (chopped)

1/2 cup
Pear
2
Meal 4
Spinach
3 cups
Turkey Bacon
2 strips
Black Beans
1/2 cup
Mushrooms
1/2 cup
Carrots (chopped)
1/2 cup
Chicken (grilled)
4 oz.
Balsamic Vinegar
1 serving
Meal 5
Burger Patty (turkey)

4 oz.
Carrots
1 cup
Quinoa (cooked)
1/2 cup
Milk (nonfat)
1 cup
Meal 6
Milk (nonfat)
1 cup
Cottage Cheese
1 cup
Pineapple
1 cup
Flaxseeds
1 tbsp
Day 4
Meal 1
Oats (rolled)
1/2 cup
Cottage Cheese
1 cup
Blueberries
1 cup
Flaxseeds
1 tbsp
Cinnamon
to taste
Meal 2
Eggs
2 yolks
Egg Whites
6
Spinach
3 cups
Garlic
1 cup
Squash (chopped)
1 cup
Grapefruit
1
Meal 3
Orange
1
Apple
1
Almonds
1 oz.
Yogurt (with vanilla extract)
1 cup
Meal 4
Tuna
1 can
Black Beans
1/2 cup
Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbsp
Banana
1
Meal 5
Bell Pepper
1 whole
Steak (lean red meat)
5 oz.
Barley (cooked)
1 cup
Mushrooms
1/2 cup
Marinara Sauce
1/2 cup
Meal 6

1
1 cup
Flaxseeds
1 tbsp
Note: Cook red meat, add mushrooms and sauce. Remove stem from bell pepper, stuff
mixture into cavity and bake at 425 for 40 minutes.
Day 5
Meal 1
Egg Whites
9
Turkey Bacon
2 strips
Spinach
1 cup
Garlic
1 cup
Grapefruit
1
Apple
1
Meal 2
Yogurt
1 cup
Cottage Cheese
1 cup
Grapes (red)
1 cup
Flaxseeds
1 tbsp
Tea
1 cup
Meal 3
Walnuts
1 oz.
Banana
1
Milk (nonfat)
1 cup
Protein Powder
1 scoop
Meal 4
Whole-Wheat Tortilla
1
Hummus
1/2 cup
Spinach
1 handful
Chicken (grilled)
3 oz.
Carrots (shredded)
1/2 cup
Meal 5
Pork
3 oz.
Sweet Potato
1
Asparagus
1 cup
Milk (nonfat)
1 cup
Meal 6
Milk (nonfat)
1 cup
Pineapple
1 cup
Wheat Germ
2 tbsp
Almonds
1 oz.
Day 6
Meal 1
English Muffins
1
Eggs
1 yolk
Egg Whites
6
Turkey Bacon
2 strips
Grapefruit
1
Meal 2

1
1 cup
Flaxseeds
1 tbsp
Meal 3
Spinach
3 cups
Turkey Bacon
2 strips
Black Beans
1/2 cup
Mushrooms
1/2 cup
Carrots (shredded)
1 cup
Chicken (grilled)
4 oz.
Balsamic Vinegar
1 serving
Meal 4
Apple
1
Peanut Butter
1 1/2 tbsp
Milk (nonfat)
1 cup
Protein Powder
1 scoop
Meal 5
1
Chicken (grilled)
4 oz.
Bell Pepper (chopped)
1 cup
Guacamole
2 tbsp
Meal 6
Yogurt
1 cup
Cottage Cheese
1 cup
Grapes (red)
1 cup
Flaxseeds
1 tbsp
Day 7
Meal 1
Oat Bran
1/2 cup
1 cup
Flaxseeds
1 tbsp
Walnuts
1/2 oz.
Protein Powder
1 scoop
Meal 2
Yogurt
1 cup
Egg Whites (hardboiled)
6
Dried Cranberries
1 tbsp
Flaxseeds
1 tbsp
Meal 3
Whole Wheat Bread
2 slices
Chicken (grilled)
4 oz.
Orange
1
Lettuce (sliced)
1 serving
Tomato (sliced)
1 serving
Almonds
1 oz.
Mustard
to taste
Meal 4
Tuna
1 can
Garlic
1 cup
Eggs (beaten)
1
Mustard
2 tbsp
Quinoa (cooked)
1/2 cup
Orange
1
Meal 5
Spinach
3 cups
Turkey Bacon
2 strips
Black Beans
1/2 cup
Mushrooms
1/2 cup
Carrots (chopped)
1 cup
Chicken (grilled)
3 oz.
Balsamic Vinegar
1 serving
Tea
1 cup
Meal 6
Egg Whites
6
Canadian Bacon
1 slice
Cheese
1 oz.
Apple
1
Pear
1
Print The Full Week 1 Meal Plan!
About the Author
Christopher Mohr
Christopher R. Mohr recently finished his PhD while majoring in Exercise Physiology, at the
University of Pittsburgh. He is a Registered Dietitian.
What Is The Best 12-Week Diet Plan For

Fat Loss?
Topic Of The Week
January 15, 2019 • 22 min read
What is the best 12-week diet plan for fat loss? As the weather gets warmer we become more
self-conscious about our weight. Here are some free fat-loss plans and tips to destroy the flab
and keep hard earned muscle! Try them now.
TOPIC: What Is The Best 12-Week Diet Plan For Fat Loss?
The Question:
As the weather gets warmer we become more self-conscious about our weight. Since summer
is right around the corner it is time to get our fat loss diet in check.
What is the best 12-week diet plan for fat loss?
What is a reasonable amount of weight to lose in 12 weeks?
What are some important tips for someone who wants to lose the fat, but maintain their
muscle gains?
Show off your knowledge to the world!
The Winners:
 1. soundcheck129 View Profile

 2. RooRooTJ View Profile
 3. mrkdrt View Profile
 3. History in Effect View Profile
What Is The Best 12-Week Diet Plan For Fat Loss?
Call me old-school, call me lazy, but I like to keep things simple. Dieting down can be
mentally challenging in itself, so I don't see any need to over-complicate things.
When I'm cutting, I like to keep my training as similar as possible to my bulking. That means
four days of intense lifting. The only real difference is the amount of added cardio. Fat loss
isn't rocket science - you just have to create a caloric deficit, which can be surprisingly simple
if you're doing a lot of activity.
The reason I like a four-day split for cutting is because it gets you into the gym frequently
enough to burn a lot of calories, but no so much so that you'll be limited to a lot of isolation
exercises on individual body parts to allow for adequate recovery and may be worn out.
Also, a four-day split gives you a lot of options to prevent boredom from setting in. I feel the
12-week period should be split into two six-week segments.
During the first six weeks, you could run a split like this:
 Monday - Lower
 Tuesday - Upper
 Wednesday - Cardio and Abs
 Thursday - Upper
 Friday - Lower
 Saturday - Cardio and Abs
 Sunday - Off
This way, the second six weeks could have this split:
 Monday - Full Body

 Tuesday - Cardio and Abs
 Wednesday - Biceps, Back
 Thursday - Triceps, Chest
 Friday - Cardio and Abs
 Saturday - Full Body
 Sunday - Off
Obviously, this isn't set in stone, but you get the idea.
On lifting days, you should warm up with 10 minutes of cardio and cool down with 20
minutes of HIIT. For cardio days, aim for a 10 minute low-intensity warm-up, followed by 30
minutes HIIT and a 10 minute low-intensity warm-down, in addition to ab work, which can be
performed before or after cardio. Try to vary your exercises, whether it be jogging, elliptical
or exercise bike, just to keep things fresh.
Because creating a caloric deficit is essential to losing fat, you'll want to find out what your
maintenance level of intake is. If you already have an idea, that's excellent. If not, you may
want to refer to an online calculator, such as this one. However, every one is different, so you
may not get the exact number.
In order to cut weight, you'll probably want to eat at about 500 calories below maintenance. If
at any time you feel as though you're losing too much or too little, simply adjust the amount
you're eating. But what to eat?
For the first six weeks, aim for a 40/40/20 (Protein/Carbs/Fat) macronutrient split. This will
give you plenty of protein for building and preserving muscle, which will help keep your
metabolism firing. In addition, you will have plenty of carbohydrates for energy as well as
essential fats.
During the second six weeks, aim for a 40/25/35 or 40/20/40 split. While I'm not a big
proponent of carbohydrates, I do realize that they can leave some individuals looking bloated,
which is NOT what you want when you're planning on showing off.
But with 25% of your intake coming from carbohydrates, you won't feel like you're on a
hardcore diet and wonder if you're going to make it, so it's not a huge sacrifice. Plus, you'll be
getting a lot of your calories from fats, which means some delicious food (think bunless
cheeseburgers and steak), so you may not feel like you're dieting at all! But you also won't
have to worry about staying in ketosis, which can be a hassle.
Similarly, I don't recommend carbohydrate cycling, because you may be prone to make
mistakes and keeping track of different splits for different days can be more trouble than it is
worth. While it is effective, I think the "best" program would be one that allows you to live
your life and not become obsessed with diet or training.
As for what exactly you should be eating...try to eat things you like, it will be easier to stick
with the diet. However, it's important to try to eat filling, low-GI foods that will keep you
satisfied.
So this means you may want to get your protein from lean meats, fish, cottage cheese and
protein powders; carbohydrates from oats, whole wheat bread, sweet potatoes, fruits and
fibrous veggies; and fats from peanut butter, olive oil and almonds.
Additionally, meals with all three macronutrients are best for keeping blood glucose levels in
check. Eating every two or three hours should keep you from feeling as though you're starving
when it comes time to eat, so smallish meals won't be so hard to take.
If you find that being disciplined causes you to crave "dirty" foods, allow yourself a cheat
meal once every week or every two weeks. But make sure this is a cheat meal and not a cheat
day - it's easy to go overboard, so just give yourself a treat and move on when you are
satisfied.
Switching diet and training in the middle of your cut will prevent your body from adapting
and you from getting bored or frustrated.
Cutting Tips:
1. Stay Positive
Cutting can be tough, but stick with it. Even if progress seems slow, don't get frustrated, keep
your eyes on the prize.
2. If You Make A Mistake, Get Over It
Don't dwell on any bumps in the road. No problem can't be reversed with a little extra effort.
Get back to your plan as soon as possible, and alter it if need be.
3. Work Hard, The Results Will Be Greater

You will only get out what you put into this process. Take it seriously and think of how
awesome it will be when you are turning heads everywhere you go. A little pain pays off in
the long run and makes you a stronger person.
4. Do What Works For You
Don't compare yourself to others and don't judge your progress on anyone else's. Also, don't
adopt some method of training or nutrition just because Joe Bro says it's the right way.
Insulin spike? No food before bed? The laws of thermodynamics can't be defeated - at the end
of the day, it's calories in vs. calories out.
5. Drink Plenty Of Water...And Not Much Else
Drinking water will keep you satisfied and purify your body. In addition, the more you drink,
the more efficient your body becomes at getting rid of water, so you will look more vascular
down the road. Drinking alcohol is not your friend during cutting, and other beverages will
cost you precious calories without filling you up.
6. Count Everything
You'll be surprised how quickly an extra scoop of oats, an extra slice of cheese or an extra
splash of milk can add up. But look for unlikely sources of calories too, such as supplements.
If your pre- or intra-workout supplement is loaded with calories, usually from simple carbs,
consider an alternative or cut it out altogether. Cycling off may make it more effective in the
future.
7. Don't Overdo It
Looking great is super, but if you're not feeling great, then it's irrelevant. Don't make yourself
sick with too much activity or too little food. Maintain a reasonable deficit and ensure that
you take in enough calories to fuel your exercise.
8. Emergency Munchies
If you get very hungry between meals (which is unlikely if you're eating every 2-3 hours, but
still), chew on some sugar-free gum or grab a diet soda. While not exactly nutritious options,
they are nearly calorie-free and can keep you on track.
What Is A Reasonable Amount Of Weight To Lose In 12 Weeks?
If you're creating a deficit of about 500 calories daily, as I recommended above, you'll lose
roughly one pound per week. This would mean that you can expect to lose 12 lbs during the
12 week period. However, cutting carbohydrates during the last six weeks may prompt you to
lose additional weight.
If you factor in the potential inaccuracy of metabolic calculations, you could reasonably
expect to lose 15lbs. Don't try to drastically cut calories in an attempt to drop more weight -
this is not healthy and can slow down your metabolism in the long run. In addition, you'll be
dropping lean mass, not fat. Twelve to fifteen pounds is still considerable, though, so don't
sweat it.
How Can Someone Lose The Fat, But Maintain Their Muscle Gains?
If you want to keep as much muscle as possible while shedding fat, you have to be realistic.
Don't think that the less you eat, the more fat you'll lose. If you don't provide adequate energy
for your body, you will store fat and drop muscle.
You'll also want to keep your protein intake high. This will ensure that you have sufficient
amino acids for the maintenance and building of muscle, even as you are in a caloric deficit.
In addition, you'll probably want to use a BCAA or EAA product to boost recovery and
provide your body with amino acids without having the significant caloric weight of whole
food.
Other supplements you may want to use are multivitamins, fat burners and pre-workout
products. Multivitamins will help you make sure your diet does not have glaring deficiencies,
which is possible when you are on a reduced-calorie plan.
Fat burners are not necessary, but they will probably flush water out of your system and boost
your metabolism slightly. Lastly, pre-workout products can help you get through tiring
workouts when your stomach is growling. Watch out for the caloric content though!
Also, try to eat smaller, more spread out meals. This will prevent you from becoming
ravenous from waiting too long and will keep your energy levels stable. Whatever you do,
don't skip meals! This will be more harmful than helpful.
Remember to work out hard and believe in yourself. You can definitely maintain your gains if
you continue to challenge your muscles and keep your protein intake at adequate levels. On
the flip side, though, don't overdo the cardio - this can lead to muscle loss if done excessively
and proper nutrition is not followed.
Other than that, give it your best and make sure you get plenty of water. Anyone can be
shredded if they want to be.
2nd Place - RooRooTJ

View This Author's BodySpace Here.
There are many fad diets out there and commercials, "Lose 30 lbs in one month", "I dropped 2
dress sizes in a week". These are outrageous claims and if they some how end up working, it
is only temporary.
Fat loss takes time and effort. Yes someone could drop 5-10 lbs in a week or two, but how
much of that is going to be fat and how much is going to be muscle? The key to fat loss is
minimizing muscle loss. The more muscle your have the more calories your body will burn.
So if you lose muscle, your body will need fewer calories to run. It is simple.
First and foremost, you need to have your nutrition in order. Start out by finding your BMR.
This will give you a baseline for your daily calories to maintain your current weight.
Women:
655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)
Men:
66 + (6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)

 If you are sedentary : BMR x 20 percent
 If you are lightly active: BMR x 30 percent
 If you are moderately active (You exercise most days a week.): BMR x 40 percent
 If you are very active (You exercise intensely on a daily basis or for prolonged
periods.): BMR x 50 percent
 If you are extra active (You do hard labor or are in athletic training.): BMR x 60
percent
Once you have this figured out, you will have a good idea of how many calories you burn a
day just living.
Nutrition
Ok your have your BMR, now what? Well you need to figure out how much fat you want to
lose. It is a good idea to lose 1.5 - 2 lbs of week. While you may not think that is a lot, over a
12 week period it adds up to almost 25 lbs. Who wouldn't want to lose 24 lbs and maintain as
much muscle as they could?
So let's say you are going to shoot for 2 lbs a week. It takes roughly 3500 calories to lose a lb,
so two lbs would need 7000 calories, or 1000 calories per day. Now you don't want to create
that 1000 calorie deficit in diet alone, so let's create a 500 calorie deficit from diet. So now
take your BMR you calculated earlier and subtract 500 from it and you will have your new
calorie total for the day.
The key to a successful diet is also nutrition timing. If your adjusted daily calorie total is 2400
calories, for a 200 lb man that is 25 and is 6 foot tall and moderately active, you are going to
see a lot better results splitting those 2400 calories into 5 - 6 meals a day instead of 1 giant
meal.
You will also need a good balance of protein, carbs, and fats. Carb cycling is a great way to
lose weight while maintaining muscle. You use a mixture of high, medium, and low carb days
that a based on your workouts. Lets see an example:
Say your workout schedule is broken down into a 5-day split such as the following:
 Monday - Chest
 Tuesday - Back
 Wednesday - Off
 Thursday - Shoulders
 Friday - Arms
 Saturday - Legs
 Sunday - Off
Your body is going to most likely exert more energy on your leg and back workout days, than
your arm or shoulder days. They are also bigger muscle groups and need more nutrients. So
make these your high carb days. These days, you have a higher amount of your calories from
good carbohydrates and less of them from fats. Protein will stay the same typically no matter
what day it is.
So let's go back to the example with a daily calorie requirement of 2400 calories. Protein is be
around 200 - 300 grams a day. You typically will keep protein to 1 to 1.5 grams per lb you
weight. So let's go with 250 to stay right in the middle. So 250 grams of protein is going to be
1000 calories, since 1 gram of protein is equal to 4 calories.
The same goes for carbohydrates; 1 gram of carbs is equal to 4 calories. So for a high carb
day you will want to get around 250 grams as well. So that gives you another 1000 calories,
and a total of 2000 calories from carbs and protein alone, leaving you 400 for healthy fats. 1
gram of fat is equal to 9 calories, so that would leave you with about 45 grams of fats for the
day. You would want to split these number up into your 6 meals relatively equally giving you:
For a 5 meal plan, per meal:
 Protein - 50 Grams
 Carbs - 50 Grams
 Fats - 9 Grams
For a 6 meal plan, per meal:
 Protein - 42 Grams
 Carbs - 42 Grams
 Fats - 7 Grams
Now on your other workout days, you will drop the carbohydrate intake to about half and up
the fat content. So you will be left with, 250 grams of protein, 125 grams of carbs, and 100
grams of fats.
You will also try to keep the carbs around your workout and first thing in the morning. So if
you workout in between your 4 and 5 meal of the day, you typically would put the carbs into
your breakfast, pre- and post-workout meals and keep the rest of your meals with just protein
and fats.
Finally the off days you would see another drop in carbs to about 50 grams a day and would
keep them in your first meal of the day. You would again add more healthy fats to your daily
total and a little more protein to make up for the calorie drop. So based on the workout
schedule above your days would follow this plan:
 Monday - Mid
 Tuesday - High
 Wednesday - Low
 Thursday - Mid
 Friday - Mid
 Saturday - High
 Sunday - Low
What Are Good Food Choices?
Protein
 Fish
 Chicken
 Eggs
 Lean Beef
 Lean Steak
 Protein Powder
 Low Fat Yogurt
Good Carbohydrates
 Oatmeal
 100% Whole Wheat Bread
 Whole Wheat Pasta
 Brown Rice
 Yams
 Sweet potatoes
 Beans
 Fruits And Vegetables
Healthy Fats
 Fish Oil Supplements

 Natural Peanut Butter
 Almonds
 Walnuts
 Olive Oil
 Avocados
 Flax Seed Oil
Cardio/Weight Training
So now we have figured out where the first part of the calorie deficit is coming from, now we
figure out the second half. Most of us will get a lot of this taken care of with weight training,
but cardio still has to be used as well.
Cardio is a necessary evil for weight loss. Nobody likes to do it, but it is essential to a healthy
plan. When I start out a diet, I like to start with different types of cardio to make it interesting
and less stagnant. So you need to come up with a 500 calorie deficit from weight training and
cardio.
On days you are training, you will have to do less cardio than on off days. I typically start
with 20 minutes of low intensity cardio every morning when I wake up. It gets my day going
and gets it out of the way. On days I train, that is all the cardio I do.
On off days I will do another round of cardio later in the day. Now as your weight goes down,
so will your BMR. While you could adjust the daily totals every couple of weeks, I find it
easier to add 5 minutes of cardio to each session as my weight loss starts to stall. This is an
easy way to adjust for the slight difference your body will need in calories without all the
math, ha-ha.
As I stated earlier, don't expect to drop 40 lbs in a month. You are going to lose a lot more
muscle than fat by taking things to extreme and will most likely put it right back on once you
go off the diet. It is safe to go by the standard 1.5 to 2 lbs a week. It is a healthy, maintainable
way to lose weight and keep it off for good!
You have to eat to lose weight; don't think skipping meals is going to make you lose weight
faster. Your body needs it nutrients to be healthy and keep your body burning like a well oiled
machine.
Multivitamins
Take a good multi, such as Animal Pak or Orange Triad. This will help you get in any
vitamins and minerals your body will be missing from your food sources.
BCAAs
Go out and get some BCAAs - either bulk or from a product like Xtend. These will help your
body keep muscle while you are in a calorie deficit. Sip them during your workout or cardio
and you will save a lot more muscle.
Drink Plenty of Water!
Water is key to weight loss, try to shoot for at least a gallon a day.
Stay Positive
If you lay out a good plan and stick to it, you will see results.
Allow For Slip Ups
No one is perfect. You are not going to be able to make every meal of hit every macro exactly,
things are going to come up. Just stay positive and work around things. If you feel you need it,
add an extra 10 minutes of cardio to make up for it. Life is full of little things that will make it
hard to stick to the plan 100 percent.
3rd Place - mrkdrt

Summer is coming. With summer comes less clothing - and that shouldn't scare you! It is
more than possible to get beach-worthy in 12 weeks.
Just know, your diet can make or break your goal. Sure lifting and cardio are just as important
- but without a solid meal plan, you're selling yourself short and keeping your goal at a further
distance.
So you want to lose some excess body fat in 12 weeks. Remember, while I will share some
golden tips for your diet - you MUST have a good training (lifting and cardio or HIIT)
regimen to team up with it.
Diet alone cannot always get you in peak physique - just as training alone cannot. And though
I hope my dietary suggestions for a 12-week goal will help you, the results will depend on the
effort you put forward and how committed you are to your goal. You may also consider
supplementation - but I'm going to share my advice on nutrition alone, to enforce just how
important it is.
First valuable tip - do not buy into fad diets or "diet systems" that guarantee a weight loss in a
ridiculously short amount of time. Most of the time, they don't work to promote body-fat loss,
just weight loss overall, which can include water weight and some hard-earned muscle!
As much as I respect the ketogenic dieting techniques for cutting, I personally prefer to eat the
same foods I consume on a bulk, but just tweak my regimen in a way that promotes fat loss.
Three 'macros' of my diet are protein, fats and carbohydrates.
Protein
A must. Protein building blocks, amino acids, help build up your muscle mass, among other
physiological purposes. So maintaining a positive intake of protein can help you keep your
muscle mass while trying to lose excess body fat!
Keep your protein sources lean, especially for fat loss goals! Lean meats and fish, egg whites,
low fat tofu, natural peanut butter, cottage cheese and your protein shakes are great choices.
Carbohydrates
If you are going to keep eating carbs, be sure to choose carb sources lower on the glycemic
index. Simple carb sources (higher on GI scale) are more likely to cause a higher spike in
insulin levels, leading to a "sugar crash," and causes greater fat storage.
Some good lower GI carbs include; oats, rice, whole grain breads and pastas, and sweet
potatoes.
Fiber is also very important. Good for healthy BMs and prolonging the feeling of hunger. Get
enough fibrous vegetables. Pound them green vegetables! (Like you need an excuse to eat
broccoli).
Fats
Don't avoid fats. You need fats. Just make sure they are "good" fats. Good fats include
unsaturated forms - includes the EFAs. Omega 3s and omega 6s are great choices for cooking
or eating. You can find these fats in olive oil, canola, your natural peanut butter, almonds,
avocados, to name a few.
Avoid dietary cholesterol as best you can, and shy from saturated fats as much as you can.
Using low fat dairy, not frying your foods and following the same guidelines for lean meats
are just a few ways you can reduce your intake of unhealthy fats quite well.
Eating "good" fats along with your carbs can support healthy insulin levels the carbs would
potentiate.
Often someone who feels hungry can be simply satisfied drinking enough water. So having at
least 2L a day can help you reduce food consumption. Sufficient water helps on meal plans
that have higher protein too.
When Your Progress Slows
Now, I'm sure you're not jumping into your 12-week goal with no knowledge of fitness or
nutrition, but for the sake of reminding, eat frequent meals of similar caloric value throughout
your day, rather that HUGE meals only say, 3 times a day. For the same reason, to keep that
metabolism burning with fuel, NEVER skip a meal. Ever.
Find out your metabolic rate, and then decide what your caloric intake should be. A pound of
bodyweight is roughly 3500 calories, so for a loss of a pound per week, 500 calories a day
should be burned over how much you take in. But as your goal is body fat loss, use the BF
calipers (I use the Accu-Measure brand) to accurately measure your progress.
If you aren't seeing progress, you may slowly drop you daily caloric intake a couple hundred
calories in a week.
Your meal schedule can change based on your daily schedule, but try to eat within half an
hour of waking up, and aim for a meal every three hours thereon, until you sleep. Or base it
on your workouts. I eat about 45 minutes to an hour pre workout, then within a half hour of
the end of the workout.
I keep my protein:carbs:fats ratio for each meal about 40:30:30 - but precision is not critical.
You can tweak the percentages a bit, but keep protein around 40% and get at least 25% carbs.
As I do cardio on days I don't lift, I tend to keep my caloric intake the same for "training" and
"non-training" days.
An example of my lifting day meal plan:
 0700 - Wake up, Triple S

 0730 - Meal 1
 1000 - Meal 2
 1100 - Workout (Lifting)
 1230 - Meal 3
 1600 - Meal 4
 1900 - Meal 5
 2200 - Meal 6
 2230 - Pre-sleep shake, sleep
On cardio days:
 0630 - Wake, Cardio

 0730 - Meal 1
 1000 - Meal 2
 1300 - Meal 3
 1600 - Meal 4
 1900 - Meal 5
 2200 - Meal 6
 2230 - Pre-sleep shake, sleep
Weight loss can include fat loss, water weight loss and fat loss. The most important thing for
your 12-week goal is to lose excess body fat, reducing your BF%. So if you happen not to
lose a couple dial notches on the bathroom scale, don't worry. You may have gained muscle -
even better! So unless your 12-week goal is to make weight for a boxing match, weight loss
shouldn't be your main concern.
Also, don't freak out if your Myotape says you gained size. This too can be added LBM. You
should be thrilled!
The easiest way to accurately measure your fat loss achievements is to break out the BF
calipers. Even try out one of those bathroom scales that also measure body fat percentage (but
do not take it so accurately). Seeing what your BF% has changed to will let you know how
well you've done!
That said, I wouldn't recommend aiming for more than a pound a week in weight loss. While I
still feel that amount is pushing hard - trying to lose faster than that can really burn you out,
and isn't so healthy IMO. And of course, the most important thing is to stay in good health!
Eat.
Just as you need to eat to see fat loss, to maintain your lean muscle, keep eating. Eating
enough calories to maintain your LBM will help you greatly. Maintaining a positive nitrogen
balance (amino acids) will prevent catabolism - so keep that protein intake going!
Do Not Stop Lifting.
Do not focus so great on cardio or HIIT that you fall off on your lifting. Not only can you lose
some muscle, but also you won't be burning as many calories either.
Stick To It.
Even if you don't see progress after a few weeks, keep at it. Follow a solid meal plan and
training program and progress will be seen. It may not happen as fast as you'd like, but it will
happen - just be consistent.
Commit.
It takes a lot to get in shape. No one said it would be easy. You may have to say no to a few
beer-nights or refuse one of your mom's meals (the odd cheat meal won't kill you though) -
but the results are worth the effort.
Cheers
3rd Place - History in Effect

Intro
The process of getting yourself to embark on a 12-week plan is one of excitement and
anticipation. Hopefully, you have met with your doctor before you start, so that there will be
not one serious problem you will have to face.
The key to this 12-week diet is having motivation and keeping it throughout the whole 12
weeks. When things get hard, think in terms of days and not in terms of week or months. Each
day is a building step to a glorious day of happiness for you inside and out.
Don't rush it because you will get your just rewards at the end. The right combination of
mental toughness as well as physical toughness combined with proper nutrition will have you
losing weight in record time.
Nutrition: Stage 1
The first thing that anybody should be talking about is nutrition. Nutrition is not the icing on
the cake. It's the cake. Nutrition is the backbone of any fat loss, muscle gain, or bulk diet. A
good fat loss diet puts emphasis on eating a protein, carb, and fat source in every meal as well
as taking in adequate leafy vegetables and fruits.
I feel a person should eat 4 to 6 balanced meals a day which speed your metabolism up and
keeps you satisfied throughout the day. This site has numerous calculators that will help you
determine how many calories should be eating at every meal as well as the amount of protein,
carb, and fat source you should take in.
This is a list of protein, carb, and fat sources that I find are very beneficial for losing weight
and maximizing muscle:
My Great List of Protein Sources
 Turkey
 Salmon
 Steak
 Tilapia
 Chicken
 Tuna
 Egg Whites
My Great List of Carb Sources
 Rolled Oats
 Whole Wheat Pasta
 Yams
 Grits (Southern Delight)
 Brown Rice
 Banana
My Great List of Fat Sources
 Olive Oil
 Udo's Oil
 Natural Peanut Butter
 Almonds
Vegetables
 Spinach
 Broccoli
 Romaine Lettuce
 Asparagus
Right now, I am currently in a cutting cycle and in this last 4 weeks I started a new nutrition
plan. Basically, I am taking in equal ratios of carbs to protein for 4 meals and then the last two
meals I cut out carbs. Why? After 6pm or 7pm, my body does not like carbs and has a
tendency to store it in my stomach area which I am working on sculpting right now. I suggest
you don't take in carbs after 7pm for your benefit.
A typical meal for me looks like this:
 6 oz Chicken
 1/2 cup of brown rice
 Spinach leaves with olive oil
Everything is covered right there in that meal.
Cheat Meal
You should have one cheat meal a week to reward yourself for doing such a good job. This
meal should be yours to delight in. Eat doughnuts, hamburgers, or anything you crave.
Training: Stage 2 Part One

As for training, I suggest if you are a beginner to start off with doing 3 sets of 10 on exercises.
You will rest for 2 minutes between each set. It is good way to get your body adjusted to
lifting weights. I would suggest you do bench press, deadlifts, and squats for 3x10 during
each exercise. The chest, back, and legs are the biggest body parts on your body and working
them will create a chain reaction of growth for your body.
After a month (4 weeks), you should change up your program and do 5 sets of 5. This is great
for gaining strength and muscle mass. You will go hard, but the mind-muscle connection has
to be there for maximum benefit. The workout will be hard and you will be sore, but that is
where the nutrition will fill in the gaps.
The last 4 weeks is what I like to call the finishing stage. In this stage, I recommend doing 3
sets of 15. The weights you use won't be as heavy, but your mind will make it seem like it is.
You will be focusing in on every rep and squeezing at the top of each movement. You will do
the same basic big 3 exercises during this stage. This stage will get you conditioned and in top
shape.
During those 12 weeks, hit those big 3...three times a week
Training: Part 2
Cardio should also be included in this stage. You don't just need a one type of cardio like
HIIT, but a combination plan. On non-workout days, I like to run between 15 and 20 minutes
first thing in the morning at high intensity pace.
Running before eating is great and you will be amped. Workout days you should run 35 to 40
minutes preferably after your workout at a low-intensity pace. For me, anything under
130bpm is low intensity and anything higher is high intensity. If you don't want to run on a
treadmill or elliptical go shoot hoops or jump rope. Variety is the spice of life, so make cardio
fun and exciting.
Supplements
Supplements are the icing on the cake. If everything is perfect, you should add these in. I am
not going to recommend you take fat burners during this first 12 weeks because your probably
will lose enough weight before you need that in the beginning. Only when everything is
working, should you take a fat burner.
Since these workouts are hard, I suggest you take:
Protein
Protein fuels recovery after workouts and can be used to fill in the hunger gaps between
meals.
Multivitamin
Keeps your bases covered
Fish Oil
Omega-3s are needed, so take them (Optimum is a good brand)
A reasonable weight to lose in 12 weeks is 12 pounds which averages to a pound a week. I

really don't care about the weight loss. The true scale is what is your body fat percentage. You
may have become a lot more muscular in those 12 weeks and looking at the scale or using a
BMI calculator could be the wrong way to go. Getting a skin caliper test or another test to see
how much body fat I have taken off is so rewarding and I love it.
 Don't kill yourself with cardio. Do not become a cardio bunny and do cardio every day
for like 50 minutes at rapid pace. This will have you losing some muscle.
 Protein. Keep the protein flowing in your system while working out hard.
 Keep up great meal planning. Eat what you are supposed to eat. Be motivated to
succeed.
If you are dedicated to lose weight, you will do it. Do not let anybody tell you different.
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The Best Diet For Fat-Loss!
John Stamatopoulos
December 12, 2018 • 15 min read
Use this diet to lose fat as quick as humanly possible!

Hello again friends. ln my previous article, you learned what you have to do in order to get
bigger. You have learned probably the best diet for mass available today. As l promised, what
we will discuss today is what you have to do after your diet for mass is completed. Should
you continue eating the same calories as you did at your 15th week or not? Also, if someone
that does not have a hard time gaining weight but exactly the opposite, wants to lose some fat
pounds what should they do? That's what I am going to discuss today.
As l said, this program is a continuation of my previous article, but for people that want to
lose fat, they can start from here. The program remains simple for you. So either you have
gained 10-20 pounds during the previous 15 weeks, (and you want to get rid of the
unnecessary fat that you inevitably got and keep your hard earned muscles), or you have extra
fat pounds already but you are interested in keeping the muscle that you have already but lose
the fat. It's the same program. The only difference is the people that will start with this
program, should again do some things, which are:
a) Estimate again how many calories you eat everyday. Forget all the guess work and guess
estimations. You are doing absolutely nothing if you are not careful. lt's very important to
know what you eat now!
b) Take 20 minutes from your life and find out how many calories you eat everyday. (This site
has great info about food nutrients here).
c) And finally, don't forget to buy a cheap scale for food, in order to be precise. So here we
go!
1) As l said in my previous article, in order to get bigger, you need to eat an additionally 300
calories per day every two weeks. But what happens when you want to lose weight? Of course
you should not go from 4,500 cal to 1,500 cal per day. Since our bodies are extremely adapted
machines, in a very short time you won't see any results. You will get stuck in the middle of
nowhere, because you will know that you can not reduce your calories any further. On the
contrary, you should increase them since you feel tired and frustrated all day. End result?
Ninety-nine percent of you will skip your dieting phase.
So here is the most important part of the story! You should reduce your food consumption by
300 calories again, but not every 2 weeks, but every 10 days! Put great emphasis here. Our
bodies have the unique ability to store food for the future. For thousands of years, people were
eating no more than 1-2 times per day. Their bodies acquired the ability to easily store the
food for energy later. They did not use it as a fuel to burn immediately. What does that means?
Simply, since our bodies are used to storing fat, if you use the 14 days schedule that you did
when you wanted to add pounds you will have worse results. The right time to reduce your
calories is every 10 days. When they have to diet, our bodies are "understanding" the changes
and they can adapt much faster than when you were feeding them with extra calories. But,
again, the total process should be slow. Because we don't want to "alert" our bodies to say that
"something is wrong", making them start their body defense mechanisms in order to keep the
fat and lose your hard earned muscle.
It's not enough to only reduce your calories. Since you should spend more calories than you
eat in order to lose weight you should also include some cardio training. Not only because you
can lose extra pounds when you are spending time on the treadmill or on the stationary
bicycle, but also cardio training makes your metabolism run hotter and more efficiently.
Cardio training burns more calories and allows you to eat more food while you are losing
body fat.
So how do you start? The best way to understand everything is to give you a good example:
Let's say you found that you have just finished your mass diet after 15 weeks, and you know
the total calories that you eat every day is 4,000. (For people that they have finished the mass
diet that l gave last week, they know exactly now how many calories they eat, they don't have
to estimate anything). So from these 4,000 calories you don't have to make any complex
estimation since l gave an equation the previous week (multiply your pounds by 23, 24 or 25),
everyone more or less will belong to the "number 25" ratio since you are including some
cardio on your training. So you will have to be active no matter what. (Simple is it not?)
But most of you will wonder: "Ok John, but how can we know the limited amount of calories
that we should eat?" To answer that, l will say what l have learned after 10 years of
bodybuilding experience, the LIMITED amount of calories that our bodies need in order to
function properly, can go as low as 1000 cal, but for not for more than 10 days. (For women
maybe up to 1 month).
Of course l am not saying that there are not people that eat lower, but the point is at what
amount our bodies can function properly and for how long. If some friend says, "John that is
too general, it can not be the same for a 300 pound guy and for a 150 pound guy." l will
simply reply that most bodybuilders, big or not, are finishing their pre-contest diets around
that number. (Just to give you a great example, Lou Ferrigno a 320 "monster" (the Incredible
Hulk also), was eating as low as 1000 calories the last week before his contest, and so did
Flavio Baccianini, whose weight was no more than 150 pounds). Remember, of course, that
this is the LOWEST you can go, and for a period of no more than a couple of weeks.
Anything less will put your body in danger. Having as a "minimum" number the 1000cal per
day, it's much easier to know to what point you can go.
So here is what we have, based on my example, you found that you eat 4,000 cal per day.
Days 1-10 = 3,700 cal

Days 11-20= 3,400 cal
Days 21-30= 3,100 cal
Days 31-40= 2,800 cal
Days 41-50= 2,500 cal
Days 51-60= 2,200 cal
Days 61-70= 1,900 cal
Days 71-80= 1,600 cal
Days 81-90= 1,300 cal
Days 91-100=1,000 cal
Now remember something very important. lf you found out that you eat more calories every
day, your dieting phase will take you more than 100 days. So generally, you will find out that
you will spend almost the same time in your fat loss process as with your time spent when
you wanted to add some serious mass.
Now for friends that find out they ate less calories, (let's say around 3,000), their diet process
will take around 60 days. Just remember the whole process must take place slowly. lf you
wonder what you can eat in order to eat so few calories every day, for your last 10 days of
your dieting, l will give you a good sample as l did in my previous article. (lf you remember l
gave you an example of a 200 pound guy who was "moderately" active, and found out that he
was eating 2,400 cal per day and l was explaining on this last week, what he had to do in
order to eat as high as 4,800 cal per day.)
Now l will give you exactly the opposite example. lf you know what you can eat if you go as
low as 1,000 cal per day (remember for no more than 10 days), it will be much easier for you
to estimate what you have to do in order to eat 2,000 or 1,500 cal per day. lf you want to see a
nutritional profile for the foods that l will write here, go and read my previous article where l
was explaining in detail the best 20 bodybuilding foods. (Cal/protein/carbs/fat).
Breakfast: One small bowl of "Protein Plus Cereal" (25gr or almost 1 oz), with 125 ml (4oz)
of orange juice, and 3 egg whites.
Calories:200 Protein:22, Carbs:30, Fat:1 (At this time of the day, your body needs desperately
some carbs, for proper functions since you have not eaten any carbs the last 10 hours. Your
brain and your internal organs need to work properly so you have to eat simple carbs this time
but don't worry you will burn them very soon).
Lunch: 100gr of turkey breasts (3 1/2 oz) with a small bowl of salad and 1 tsb of flaxseed oil
added.
Calories:230 Protein:32, Carbs:5, Fat:8 (Flaxseed oil has 55 cal, 6gr of fat, but it is the
Essential Fat that you must eat if you want to get thinner).
Pre workout meal: 65gr of chicken breasts (2 oz) with 50gr (1 oz) of rice.
Calories:180 Protein: 21, Carbs:15, Fat:2 (You need a high amount of protein and a sufficient
amount of carbs. You can not go and train, having not eaten any carbs or fat. And as l said in
my previous article, the best pre-workout meal should be based in a ratio of 1:1 between carbs
and protein).
Post workout meal: 50gr of a high protein-low carb/fat powder mixed with 125ml (4oz)
orange juice, and 125ml (4oz water).
Calories: (Approximately) 220, Protein:35, Carbs:20, Fat:0 lt would be wrong if you didn't eat
a small amount of carbs after your cardio or weight training. The period following a workout
is very crucial because your muscles are most receptive to storing glycogen (carbohydrates),
and absorbing amino acids (protein). lnsulin sensitivity is therefore high and it's your
metabolism's finest hour. More recent research discovered that a protein/carbohydrate
supplement blend increased the rate of muscle-glycogen synthesis following exercise by 40%
vs. carbohydrates or protein alone. So eat your carbs!)
Dinne: 65gr of tuna in water (2 oz), with a small bowl of salad, and half a tbs of safflower or
soybean oil added.
Calories: 170, Protein:20, Carbs:5, Fat:6 {Safflower and soybean oil contain 120 per tbs, all
of them based on EFA. 12gr} (You ate flaxseed oil at lunch, and flaxseed oil is rich in omega-
3 fatty acids. But you have to take also an adequate amount of omega-6 fatty acids. Safflower
and soybean oil have the highest concentration of omega-6).
Before sleep: 25-30gr of very low carb protein drink with water.
Calories: (Approximately) 90, Protein:20, Carbs:1, Fat:0
TOTAL: CALORIES:1,090 PROTEIN:150 GRAMS, CARBS:76 GRAMS, FAT:17

GRAMS
And let's see the ratio also which is: PROTEIN:56.8 % CARBS:28.8% FAT:14.4% (TOTAL
100%)
As you can see, it is possible to eat as low as 1000-1100 cal per day, and to keep your six
meals per day, eating every 2-3 hours. The more experienced people have seen already that
this is the perfect ratio when you reach the last few weeks before you finish your diet, because
protein is double the amount of the carbs, and carbs are double the amount of fat.
(Approximately 56-28-14). Also the amount of fat is not big at all, since 90% is based in
Essential Fatty Acids.
Remember something very important. You won't start your diet based on such a high amount
of protein and such a low amount of carbs. Everything should be in moderation. l mean if
your current ratio between carbs-protein-fat is something like 50% carbs, 30% protein and
20% fat, you should try to keep your protein consumption high, when at the same time you
will reduce your carb and fat consumption. So since you will try to keep your protein high the
ratio will start changing slowly and it will become 45% protein, 35% carbs and 20% fat, and
later 40% protein and 40% carbs. So keep your protein high and reduce your carbs, no matter
what, the total ratio will start becoming higher for protein and lower for carbs. Of course you
have to reduce your protein also, but not as fast as you will reduce your carbs. If you eat as
low as 1,000 cal, you can not eat 1 or 1 1/2 gr of protein per pound of bodyweight at that time,
since your general consumption can not be based only on protein. That is more than
dangerous for your health.
So what it means is that you should never eat a smaller amount of carbs than 60-80gr per day
for the last few weeks. (Of course the more weeks you are away from your final week, the
more carbs you should consume.) Thus, depending of how much you weigh, you will eat from
0.7 to 1 gr of protein per body weight on the last 10 days of you diet. One final but very
important note about your dieting: If you recall l said in my previous article that when you
add 300 cal every second week, the extra 300 calories that you will eat should be consisted of
27.6 % of protein, 52.2 % of carbs and 20.2% of fat. Now since you want to REDUCE your
calories, the total ratio WILL NOT be based on the ratio l wrote before. You don't want to
increase dramatically your protein consumption, but to follow a slow process this time. So
what do you have to do? Simply for every 300 cal that you would deduct, 50%-60% should be
based on carbs, 10-20% on protein, and 10% on fat.
Just to give you an example. lf you eat daily 500gr of carbs (2000cal), 250gr of protein
(1000cal), and 80gr of fat (720cal), in a total of 3720cal per day, after 10 days you will shoot
for 460gr of carbs, (1840cal), 240gr of protein (960cal) and 70gr of fat (630gr), for a total of
3430cal per day. (So you reduce gradually 50%-60% of your carbs, 10%-20% of your protein,
and 10% of your fat.) So you will start reducing your complex carbs (rice/potatoes/pasta), but
you will never reduce your 2-3 servings of salads every day. (1gr of protein:4 cal, 1gr of
carbs:4 cal, 1gr of fat:9 cal).
What about your cardio exercises? Well, your necessary cardio exercise consists of three
factors. (l was one of the first ones on the Internet that wrote about these very important 3
factors that you should always be very careful of.) These are: a) Frequency b) Duration c)
Intensity. What do l mean by that? Frequency has to do with how many times you want to
spend every week doing cardio exercise. Duration has to do with how long time you want to
stay "aerobically" active. lntensity has to do with how fast or how slow you will perform your
favorite aerobic exercise. Of course the faster you do or the higher difficulty you have put into
a cardio machine, the faster your heart beats. Your heart rate should be 220 minus your age.
For example, if you are 20 years old, your maximum heart rate should be 220-20=200 heart
beats per minute. (Your heart rate should not go faster than that number, and it's better to not
even to be close to that). 60% Vo2Max (maximum oxygen consumption) means that your
heartbeats are 200/60% intensity=120 heart beats per minute. The higher the intensity, the
lower the duration of course.
So how can you add the precise cardio workouts to your program? Again remember you
should not go too fast too soon. The best method is always to go slow. Your body can not get
adapted very easily to any major change, so it's good to do the same for your cardio workouts.
Increase them progressively. Again you will increase your cardio workouts, and your duration
every second week. (Not every 10 days).
Based again on the "100 days" dieting, the numbers l give are based on the best cardio
machine you can have in a gym and it is the treadmill. Since 90% or more of the gyms in the
USA contain this machine l prefer, in order to be better understood, to base my numbers on
that.
Week 1 = 2 workouts per week, for 30 min each, with 45% intensity.
Weeks 2& 3= 3 workouts per week, for 35 min each, with 50% intensity.
Weeks 10&11=5 workouts per week, for 45 min each, with 60% intensity.
Now remember something: The intensity l gave is barely a "jogging" style. l personally prefer
fast walking. What you can do in order to increase the intensity without having to run? Just
increase the angle of the machine. So you can walk at the same pace but make the exercise
much more difficult for you. (You can start from 0% angle and on the third week go for 5%).
However, don't increase the angle even on your final weeks more than 10%-12%. Just
remember that you should be extremely careful with your cardio exercise.
Some important factors that you should always remember:As you saw l did not want to
increase your intensity very much as the weeks are passing. lt is much better to increase your
frequency and duration, and to keep your intensity no more than 65%. (Only for your last 2
weeks.) Anything more than this is counterproductive. Also for one hour on the treadmill with
moderate/high intensity you burn somewhere between 500-600 calories. The point for these 3-
4 months that will follow after your mass diet is to keep as many muscle pounds and to reduce
as many fat pounds as possible. Remember, after this long term phase, (that maybe will take
you up to next May), you gained around 10 MUSCLE pounds, while at the same time your
body fat level would have stayed the same!
a) lt would be too easy to start claiming that it is possible to gain muscle and lose fat at the
same time. Unfortunately these are two totally different things that you can not do at the same
time. (Have you ever seen any bodybuilder that was the same pounds 1-2 months before his
contest, and he managed to maintain the same or more pounds at the day of his contest when
he has reduced dramatically his body fat? No way friends).
So the process is slow but very worthwhile for you. You might need 3-4 months in order to
get the right mass, and another 3-4 months in order to lose the fat that you had inevitably
gained, but what will remain at the end will be only your muscle pounds. So better and slow
but with 100% success than fast and counterproductive for you. Your body will thank you
later.
b) When you finish your diet, you have to increase again your caloric consumption as l said.
1,000 cal for more than 10 days is hazardous for your health. Of course, don't go to the other
side and start eating junk food 7 days per week. Just follow a slow approach and increase your
protein and carb consumption. But be extremely careful with your carbs, because after the
long time that you were decreasing them more and more, your body will now want to store it
twice as much as fat, (if you start eating big amounts), as it used to do before you started your
diet. Also reduce slowly your cardiovascular training. (No more 6 times per week).
c) You don't have to lift light even when you have reduced your calories and you have
increased your cardio. Of course you will lose some power, and you will lift for less reps, or
less pounds, and that's totally normal. Just try to lift as heavy as possible. (But always with a
very good form. The last thing you want is to get injured.) Stay as close as possible to your
maximum lift, train smart.
d) Remember to drink plenty of water. Since our bodies are 70% water and our muscles
consist of 70% of water also, it's wise to drink as much water as possible. Also water is one of
the best appetite suppressants, on your hard dieting days.
e) Don't forget to eat adequate fiber. Fiber is an essential nutrient present in only some
carbohydrate foods. Fiber's unsuspected role in dieting involves slowing down the emptying
of food from the stomach and promoting steady blood sugar levels, avoiding the sugar
cravings. For dramatic body shaping results, a basic ground rule is to eat mostly unrefined,
fibrous carbohydrates in regular intervals with small low fat, high protein meals. Fibrous
carbohydrates are basically all plant foods such as leafy veggies, legumes and sprouts. These
foods are nutritious, very low in calories, high in fiber and biochemeically very difficult to
store as fat. During their metabolism these foods also utilize a lot of energy.
f) You can have one day per week as your junk day. Of course l realize that very few people
could follow a strict program like that for 15 weeks in a row. (Except for friends that are ready
for a contest.) So it's ok if for one day per week you eat whatever you want in order to praise
yourself that you did everything right the previous 6 days. Now if it happens that the previous
day or the day that you will want to add the junk food, is the 10th day that you have to make
the appropriate adjustments, it's totally fine. lt's better to have one day per week off, than to go
nuts for 3-4 months in a row and then stop your diet after a few weeks extremely frustrated
because you can not stand it anymore.
g) When you start your cardio, it's better to do it on different days than your weight training.
(Most preferably first thing in the morning and before you eat your breakfast because your
body will have nothing but body fat to use as a fuel at that time). Now when you will have
cardio and training at the same day, the ideal would be to do your cardio again first thing in
the morning and your weight training late at the afternoon. But since 80% of readers either
work, or go to college, that sounds almost impossible.
In that case, when you can not do anything else but weight training and cardio at the same
time, do your cardio always AFTER your weight training. The reason is at that time your
natural body temperature is much more than 98.6 F (36.6 C), so you will start burning fat
much sooner than if you were starting with cardio. (And by the way if you lose your energy in
cardio first, you won't be able to lift heavy later).
h) Except of your protein powders, you should take some additional help from other
supplements, such as L-Glutamine, Creatine, and Multivitamin/mineral formulas. For more
info on what each one of them is doing, read my previous article where l was talking
specifically about them.
i) And last but not least, you may also need fat-loss supplements in order to have an even
better performance and better results of course. For what fat burners are the best and what
they do, feel free to read about them in my previous article with the name "The Best Fat-loss
Supplements".
This was my 6th article dear readers. l hope you understood what you need in order to have a
successful mass diet, and what you have to do in order to have a successful fat-loss diet. But
most of you, would wonder that since the right training, supplementation and recuperation has
to do with only 50% of the total program, what about the other 50% that has to do with the
right bodybuilding training itself?
That's what I'm going to discuss in detail next week. You will learn the best exercises for
serious mass, and many different split programs in order to fit you and your limited free time.
(Hint. You can have perfect workouts even if you train only 2-3 times per week)! Stay tuned!
Till next week, take care all.
About The Author
John Stamatopoulos
John is a trainer for two former Mr. Greece (one of them was 5th in IFBB Mr. Europe in
1992). He also has a degree in business administration and is s
The Smart Way To Build A Fat-Loss Diet
Layne Norton And Sohee Lee

July 28, 2017
Smart fat loss isn't about seeing what you can survive. Crash dieting is a recipe for burnout,
metabolic adaptation, and even fat gain. Layne Norton and Sohee Lee have a better way to
earn results that last!
Vital Stats
Name: Layne Norton, PhD
Vital Stats
Name: Sohee Lee

Education: B.S. in Human Biology from Stanford University
Occupation: NSCA Certified Trainer, Peak Performance NYC
Website: www.soheefit.com
Location: New York, NY
The wait is over! In our last article, "How Your Fat-Loss Diet Could Be Making You Fat," we
laid out the problems with the age-old "eat less and exercise more" mantra of fat loss. The
more strictly you diet, and the more times you try to diet, the more efficient your metabolism
becomes. This sounds encouraging at first, but it's actually pretty grim. It means our bodies
burn fewer calories for any given activity. This is great for survival purposes, but not for those
of us who are intentionally attempting to shed body fat.
Further complicating things, your hunger level often increases during weight loss, satiety
decreases, and the body desperately tries to shove you back up to your body-fat set point. This
point, you may recall, is your body's customary level of body fat. While you may think that
hard training and strict dieting would inevitably push that point down, the popular yo-yo-diet
model can actually push it up—meaning your body is trying to get fatter, not leaner.
When this happens—when, despite low calories, consistent workouts, and an overall diligent
fitness program, forward progress of any kind is nowhere to be seen—the body is said to be
"metabolically adapted."
But not all hope is lost! As promised, here is how you can lower your body-fat set point,
conquer metabolic adaptation, and find a fat-loss approach that lasts.
Solution 1 Start your diet on the right foot
Preventing metabolic adaptation starts with setting up an appropriate diet in the first place.
This starts with a single idea that you need to take to heart: Diet on as many calories as you
can get away with while still making progress.
Less is not better; sustainable progress is better. For everybody, that is going to be a different
number, and if you're accustomed to the "diet on as few calories as possible" approach, it will
probably take you some time and struggles to find yours.
Spend the next three days tracking your daily macronutrients—that is, number of grams of
protein, carbs, and fats—and establish a caloric baseline.
If you've been restricting food but not counting calories—this is more common than you
might think—then our first recommendation is to perform an honest audit of your current
intake. Spend the next three days tracking your daily macronutrients—that is, number of
grams of protein, carbs, and fats—and establish a caloric baseline. You can use the old pen-
and-paper method, or utilize any of the popular nutrition-tracking apps like MyMacros+ or
MyFitnessPal. More importantly, don't change yet. Do your best to be as honest as possible
about what and how much you truly eat.
Once you've got that number, it's time to tweak it. Most people will find that dieting on a
bodyweight multiplier of 12 for total calories is a good starting point. In other words, take
your body weight in pounds and multiply that by 12 to determine your total intake for the day.
So if you weigh 150 pounds, then 1,800 calories per day will be your goal for fat loss. If you
started far lower than bodyweight-times-12 in the past, that could be precisely what led you
down the road to adaptation.
Calorie Calculator
Weight
Calories
Bear in mind that this is just your starting point, because everyone is unique. You may find
after a few weeks that bodyweight-times-12 is too low, you feel lethargic, and your workout
quality is suffering. On the other hand, you may discover after a few weeks that you need to
drop your calories even lower than that. But the important part is that now you have a
reasonable point from which to proceed systematically.
The larger takeaway is this: Don't be afraid to take things slow. While it may be more
tempting to slash calories left and right and go from 0-60 in the gym, utilizing the extreme
approach is unsustainable and will eventually lead to burnout, both physiologically and
psychologically. Burnout leads to binge-style rebounds, and that, as we discussed in the
previous article, can actually succeed in raising your body-fat set point.
Solution 2 Add calories back in, but slowly

So you're systematically working your calories downward and seeing results. What next?
Should you stay down there forever? Definitely not. Should you unhinge your jaw and
Garfield your way through the nearest buffet? Not this time.
Consider approaching your diet like powerlifters approach peaking for a meet. If they know
they can deadlift 700 for one rep, they don't just hit that one rep over and over for every future
workout. They touch it briefly and occasionally, then systematically work their way back
down to a level where they can rack up plenty of quality reps. Truly strong people know that
those easier reps are the ones that make the hard ones possible.
The dieting equivalent of this approach is the reverse diet. Reverse dieting is a method by
which an individual methodically raises his or her calorie intake in order to bring a suppressed
metabolism back up to speed, but without piling on excess body fat. This is ideal for those
who would prefer not to have to hide in offseason sweatpants. Sohee discusses this further in
her article, "4 Reasons Your Best Diet Might Be a Reverse Diet."
Admittedly, there is currently no definitive research on reverse dieting. However, we're

confident that will change. Based on our observations from working with hundreds of clients
—and ourselves—we're convinced that raising calories slowly reduces fat accumulation in the
long term.
How Slow Should I Go?

The rate at which you choose to increase your calories in a reverse diet is highly dependent on
you—your history, your comfort level, your goals, and your recent experiences. This point
can't be emphasized enough.
You may be wondering, "Can't I just go back up to maintenance calories when I'm done
dieting?" Here's the problem: If maintenance calories were truly maintenance, you would by
definition not gain weight. But in reality, metabolism is highly variable. What may have been
your maintenance calories one month ago might have since changed. For this reason, we don't
recommend being so quick to spike your intake.
When considering how slowly or quickly to increase your caloric intake, ask yourself the
following questions:
 How low did my caloric intake drop?

 What was my bodyweight multiplier by the end of the diet?
 How do I feel at this current intake?
 How much potential body-fat gain am I comfortable with?
The lower your calories, the crummier you feel, and the more lenient you are with a little
extra cushion, the more aggressive you may want to be with your calorie bumps. Otherwise, if
you'd prefer to take it slow and be a little more cautious, take the more conservative route.
What does this mean in action? Some people are just fine bumping up their carbohydrate and
fat intake by 2-10 percent per week, while others benefit from a more aggressive rate. If you
were in a steep caloric deficit at the conclusion of the diet, tossing in 200-500 calories right
off the bat may be necessary.
Keep in mind that a reverse diet isn't supposed to feel "slightly less awful." Do it right, and
you should actually feel good, both physically and mentally. Wouldn't that be a nice change?
What does this mean in action? Some people are just fine bumping up their carbohydrate and
fat intake by 2-10 percent per week, while others benefit from a more aggressive rate.
Solution 3 Find small changes to boost adherence
Hopefully we've convinced you by now that the "on my diet/off my diet" dance is dooming
your results. Adherence is how lasting results get achieved. And if you find that your dietary
adherence has not been on point, consider shaking up your target macronutrient numbers.
For example, if you are consistently overshooting your carbohydrate intake because you find
yourself feeling particularly depleted, why not simply bump up your target carbohydrate
number? Rather than fight an uphill battle and try to force yourself to stick to a lower intake
that leaves you feeling like dirt, look for ways to build confidence and momentum by
increasing your adherence.
Remember, this isn't supposed to be punishment! The more adherent you are, the more
encouraged you will feel. And the more encouraged you feel, the more you'll enjoy the
journey. And at the end of the day, it's crucial to fall in love with the process.
No matter how hard any of us might try, we can't separate physiology from psychology. The
two go hand in hand, and it would be irresponsible to ignore one side of the equation. Treat
yourself right along the way, and you'll earn better results and appreciate them more!
About The Author
Layne Norton, PhD
Competitive Bodybuilder Layne Norton teaches bodybuilding tips and tricks for success
The 20 Best Fat-Loss Transformation Foods

There's no one single food that will magically make you shed the pounds, but these 20 foods
all deserve a spot in your transformation diet. Save room for them in your fridge or pantry!
Matthew Kadey, MS, RD
August 29, 2017 • 13 min read
While calorie-crushing workouts play a key part in obtaining a better reflection in the mirror,
what you eat likely plays an equal part—some would argue a larger one—in honing your
physique. So...what should you eat? We thought you'd never ask.
The latest science suggests that there's a grocery cart full of foods that have what it takes to
alter your body for the better. So if your goal for the year ahead is to turn belly flab into tight
abs, here's the ultimate shopping list to transform your physique into a showstopper.
1. Beans
In a child's perfect world, those bland lima beans would be illegal. But for physique-minded
adults, all types of beans should be on the menu regularly. They provide a range of nutritional
highlights including plant-based protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
In fact, a recent study published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics found that a
bean-heavy, fiber-rich diet is as effective as a lower-carbohydrate approach for weight loss,
but far superior when it comes to improving cholesterol levels.[1]
What's more, a University of Minnesota investigation found that subjects were just as satisfied
after eating a higher-fiber bean-based meal as they were following a beef meal.[2] Of course,
a serving of beans contains far fewer calories than a serving of beef: 109 in 1/2 cup of black
beans versus 246 in 3 ounces of cooked beef.
2. Salmon
Count antipudge powers as another reason to reel in salmon. Why? Omega-3 fatty acids, of
course!
A study out of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who swallowed
an omega-3 supplement daily and performed cardio for little more than two hours a week
(surely, you can handle that!) reduced their body-fat percentage while simultaneously
lowering their heart-hampering blood triglycerides and raising HDL ("good") cholesterol
numbers.[3] When another group with the same exercise regimen was provided omega-3-poor
sunflower oil instead, they shed hardly any fat.
Salmon is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids and is full of satiating, high-quality
protein. Together, this makes salmon an ideal food to boost your weight-loss efforts!
3. Green Tea
Green tea is an ancient beverage with modern tummy-melting powers. In a recent study out of
the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, participants who were provided
with a caffeine-free green tea extract experienced a 25 percent higher rate of fat oxidation
during exercise than those who received a placebo.[4] The supplement group also witnessed a
higher drop in body-fat levels following the month-long study.
Like salmon, this is one case where the food is every bit as good as the supp. Green tea is high
in catechin-polyphenols (ECGC), which are partially responsible for the antipudge capacity.
So sip green tea throughout the day as a calorie-free way to stay hydrated and rev up the fat-
burning machine.
A caveat: The casein protein in milk may interact with antioxidants and polyphenols in tea
and render them less potent.[5] So sip your green tea au naturale.
4. Cauliflower, broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts
Sure, these are four different plants, but we're grouping them together because they're all
great, and you can use them all pretty much interchangeably.
When Harvard University researchers tracked the eating habits and body-composition
changes of more than 130,000 men and women for more than two decades, they found that
higher intakes of nonstarchy, lower-glycemic-index vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli,
Brussels sprouts, and kale were strongly associated with lower rates of weight gain.[6]
These types of vegetables are nutrient dense and often high in fiber, meaning they can fill you
up on fewer calories and won't negatively impact blood sugar levels. Higher-glycemic
vegetables like potatoes, corn, and peas don't appear to have the same satiating powers.
Take full advantage of these fiber-packed vegetables by including them in at least two meals
each day. In the case of cauliflower, just drizzle pieces with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and
paprika, and roast them at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
5. Blueberries
Blueberries possess numerous health benefits, but one you may not know about is their ability
to help you uncover those abs. An investigation in the Journal of Agricultural and Food
Chemistry suggests that pterostilbene, an antioxidant compound found in these blue health
bombs, may help keep pudge at bay by reducing the activity of enzymes involved in fat
storage, while also enhancing fat oxidation.[7]
What's more, the aforementioned Harvard study found that, along with cruciferous veggies
like cauliflower, higher intakes of berries are associated with less weight gain over the years.
[6]
Pro tip: Because they contain a higher skin-to-flesh ratio, wild blueberries are especially rich
in antioxidants.
6. Greek Yogurt
All too often, people starting a fat-loss phase rid their fridge of dairy. No more! A Journal of
Nutrition study determined that overweight people who exercised daily and followed a high-
dairy, high-protein diet (while also keeping their calorie intake in check) lost more body fat
and gained more lean body mass than people who took in the same number of calories but
adhered to less protein and less dairy.[8]
Deliciously thick Greek yogurt has the added perk of being especially rich in physique-
friendly protein compared to traditional yogurt. In fact, research shows that scooping up
protein-packed Greek yogurt for a snack can bolster satiety and keep you feeling full longer
than a nondairy, calorie-matched alternative.[9] For maximum effect, avoid the sugary
flavors, and let plain reign!
7. Apples
An apple a day may not only keep the doctor away—it may also keep the flab monster at
arm's length. Research out of Japan suggests that polyphenol compounds found in apples
(mostly in the peel, FYI) may improve body-fat measures by altering compounds involved in
fat metabolism.[10]
These polyphenols were shown to increase levels of adiponectin, a protein that plays a major
role in energy regulation, carbohydrate and fat metabolism, and insulin sensitivity.11 Low
levels of adiponectin, which are observed in obese populations, are linked to insulin
resistance, a pro-inflammatory environment, atherosclerosis, and high blood pressure.[12,13]
It remains to be determined how many apples a person would need to eat to witness an effect,
but in the meantime, it can't hurt to work one or two into your daily fruit quota. In fact, a
Harvard study found that an increased intake of apples and pears led to more weight loss in
subjects, second only to berries out of all fruits examined.[6]
8. Chocolate
If you are hunting for an ideal cheat food, look no further than chocolate. Scientists in the
prestigious Archives of Internal Medicine examined chocolate and exercise habits among over
1,000 subjects. They found that those who consumed chocolate more frequently, despite the
extra calories and saturated fat content, tended to have a lower BMI versus those who didn't
embrace their inner Willy Wonka.[14]
How could this be? The study authors surmised that flavonoid antioxidants in chocolate may
alter metabolism in a way that reduces fat storage. Cocoa-derived epicatechin has been
demonstrated to enhance fat burning and promote weight loss in rat models, suggesting it may
play a similar role in humans.[15]
As with anything, moderation is key. Rather than a candy bar (or five) per day, stick to an
ounce or two of chocolate containing at least 60 percent cocoa.
9. Sprouted Bread
Sprouted breads like Ezekiel have a leg up on the competition when it comes to helping you
stay pumped up rather than plumped up. A study out of The Journal of Nutrition and
Metabolism discovered that sprouted bread has a lower glycemic index than regular whole-
grain loaves, thus providing a slower release of its carbohydrate energy.[16] More good news:
Many sprouted brands include healthy items like seeds and nuts in their blends.
10. Pistachios
If you are trying to win the battle of the bulge, be sure to go nuts for nuts. A recent study out
of Loma Linda University in California found that including tree nuts—a group that includes
pistachios, almonds, pecans and hazelnuts—as part of your healthy eating plan is strongly
associated with a reduced risk for obesity.[17]
How can this be, when nuts are packed with calories? It turns out that nuts like pistachios
contain a powerful mixture of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals that can keep you from
turning to other higher-calorie foods with less of an impressive nutritional resume. Plus,
pistachios contain the fewest calories of all nuts!
Pro tip: If you have trouble eating only a reasonable portion of nuts, turn to pistachios still in
their shell. The task of shelling the nuts will help keep portions in check by forcing you to
slow down your eating.
11. Mushrooms
How can you enjoy your favorite burgers, tacos and meatloaf with less calorie guilt? Pack
them full of low-calorie mushrooms!
An intriguing study in the Journal of Food Science found that substituting up to 80 percent of
the ground beef in a meal with cooked mushrooms not only boosted the flavor intensity
beyond that of the all-beef meal, but also resulted in a dish with not only significantly fewer
calories, but also enhanced levels of nutrients like vitamin D, potassium, and B vitamins.[18]
This is huge news if you're looking for places to trim your calorie intake in the hopes of
trimming your waistline. So the next time you are rustling up a burger, pasta meat sauce, taco
filling, or a sloppy Joe, consider swapping out some of the beef with finely chopped and
sautéed mushrooms.
12. Split Peas
A mere 1/4-cup serving of split peas delivers a whopping 13 grams of fiber! Why does this
matter? Fiber wages a war on fat by reducing hunger, improving blood-sugar control, and
positively altering the population of beneficial bacteria in your digestive system. As a bonus,
split peas also contain a laundry list of must-have vitamins and minerals an active body needs.
You may have also noticed that pea protein powder is garnering shelf space alongside whey.
That's because this plant protein powder, which is often sourced from yellow split peas,
contains healthy amounts of anabolic aminos, while offering an animal-friendly source of
protein.
13. Hot Sauce
Turn up the heat of your meals, and you can also expect to melt away more fat. Capsaicin, the
pungent compound that gives the chili peppers in hot sauces their fiery kick, is believed to be
among body fat's worst enemies by cranking up metabolism and enhancing fat burning.[19]
Capsaicin can also bolster satiety, resulting in improved calorie control. Pair your favorite
with any cut of protein, eggs, veggies, and even rice!
14. Frozen Bananas
When frozen bananas are blended into protein shakes, they instantly make the drink
deliciously thick and creamy, which also adds more volume to your meal and more carbs to
replenish you after a tough workout.
Researchers at Purdue University compared blended drinks that were identical in calories and
volume, but with different viscosities.[20] They found that the thicker drink did a much better
job at suppressing hunger than the thinner, less viscous beverage. A thicker drink likely
stretches the stomach in a similar manner as solid food, and also won't leave your stomach as
quickly as a thinner beverage would.
Bananas freeze very well. Just slice the peeled fruit into thirds and put them in the freezer
spread out on a baking sheet. Once the chunks are frozen solid, transfer them to a zip-top bag
and keep them frozen until it's time to whip up a post-gym drink in the blender.
15. Steel-Cut Oatmeal
A stomach that won't stop growling is a dieter's worse nightmare. So instead of subsisting on a
bowl of unsatisfying boxed cereal for breakfast, fill your stomach with hearty oatmeal.
A 2015 study by researchers at New York's Columbia University Medical Center discovered
that people who consumed oatmeal for breakfast experienced greater satiety and consumed 31
percent fewer calories at a follow-up meal compared with people who spooned up the same
number of calories from corn flakes.[21]
Oats contain a bounty of hunger-fighting soluble fiber that can help you avoid vending-
machine temptation and its waistline repercussions. Processed boxed cereal? Not so much.
The only downside: Taking the time to cook steel-cut oats in the morning isn't always
feasible. To speed up the process, soak the oats in water overnight, which can slash cooking
time by half.
16. Spaghetti Squash
Spaghetti squash is Mother Nature's low-carb answer to pasta. Once cooked, the flesh of the
squash pulls apart into slightly nutty tasting, noodle-like strands, minus the excessive starchy
carbohydrates and calories.
Turn to your microwave for an easy way to prepare spaghetti squash. Simply slice the squash
in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Place the squash halves on a microwave-safe dish,
flesh-side down, and cover it loosely with a paper towel. Microwave the squash on high for 8-
12 minutes, or until the flesh is very tender. Let it stand for five minutes, then scrape out the
squash flesh with a fork.
17. Potatos
During the low-carb craze, potatoes were deemed public enemy number one. But it turns out
that the spud may hold a secret weapon in the battle against flab: resistant starch.
Resistant starch is a uniquely bulky form of fiber that takes up space in your digestive system,
leading to greater feelings of fullness. And because it resists digestion, the starch passes
through your system and doesn't enter your bloodstream, so it's less likely to get socked away
as body fat compared to other carbohydrates.[22]
But there's a catch. In cooked starchy foods like potatoes, resistant starch is created during the
cooling process. That's because cooking triggers starch to absorb water when it cools.[23] To
take advantage of the potato's ability (as well as that of beans, corn, lentils, whole-grain pasta,
and brown rice) to infuse your diet with fat-resistant starch, eat it cold or pureed into chilled
soups.
18. Ground Beef And Other Meats
Like yogurt and salmon, meat can assure your diet includes plenty of protein, which has been
shown to be quite effective at promoting fat loss.[24]
Beyond increasing lean body mass, protein can also help prevent belt-stretching weight gain
due to the fact that it has a higher thermic effect than carbs and fat. Think of the thermic effect
of food as the energy cost of chewing, digesting, absorbing, transporting, and storing the food
you eat.
Protein's thermic effect can range from 20-35 percent, meaning that up to 35 percent of the
calories it provides end up being burned up during digestion and processing. In contrast, only
about 5-15 percent of the energy consumed from carbohydrates or fats are burned up to
process them. So even though protein and carbohydrates have the same calories per gram, the
human body stores fewer of them from the former.
19. Olive Oil
If you want to say sayonara to belly fat in 2016, it's important to make the fats you eat work
harder for you. And if you have trouble keeping your hand out of the cookie jar, be sure to
make olive oil a dietary fat staple.
A recent investigation by a group of white coats in Italy found that oleic acid, a main
monounsaturated fat present in olive oil, can increase post-meal circulating levels of a hunger-
fighting compound called oleoylethanolamide (OEA). That simple ingredient results in a
lower caloric intake over the following 24-hour period.[25] It appears that lean individuals are
more sensitive to the impacts of oleic acid than overweight people are.
You can use cheaper, more refined "light" or "pure" olive oil for cooking purposes, since it
has a neutral flavor and higher smoke point, but for the purposes of salad dressings, sauces,
and dips, go with the extra-virgin good stuff. It has the added benefit of being richer in body-
friendly antioxidants.
20. Chia Seeds
No longer just for hairy desk pets, chia seeds may help you crush hunger and cravings. That's
because they are plush in soluble fiber, which can swell in your stomach when mixed with
liquids to create a sense of fullness to help silence a raging case of the munchies, so you
become less tempted by nutritional landmines that can derail your diet.
This is why chia seeds have become a popular way to create healthier puddings and drinks;
they create a thickened product when mixed with the liquids in the recipes. Some people even
create a chia gel to be used in items like pancakes and baked goods to act as a binder in lieu of
eggs. In stores, you may come across both white and black chia seeds; both contain the same
fiber bounty.
References
1. Tonstad, S., Malik, N., & Haddad, E. (2014). A high fibre bean rich diet versus a low-
carbohydrate diet for obesity. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 27(s2), 109-
116.
2. Bonnema, A. L., Altschwager, D., Thomas, W., & Slavin, J. L. (2015). The Effects of a
Beef-Based Meal Compared to a Calorie Matched Bean-Based Meal on Appetite and
Food Intake. Journal of Food Science, 80(9), H2088-H2093.
3. Hill, A. M., Buckley, J. D., Murphy, K. J., & Howe, P. R. (2007). Combining fish-oil
supplements with regular aerobic exercise improves body composition and
cardiovascular disease risk factors. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 85(5),
1267-1274.
4. Roberts, J. D., Roberts, M. G., Tarpey, M. D., Weekes, J. C., & Thomas, C. H. (2015).
The effect of a decaffeinated green tea extract formula on fat oxidation, body
composition and exercise performance. Journal of the International Society of Sports
Nutrition, 12(1), 1.
5. Bourassa, P., Côté, R., Hutchandani, S., Samson, G., & Tajmir-Riahi, H. A. (2013).
The effect of milk alpha-casein on the antioxidant activity of tea polyphenols. Journal
of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology, 128, 43-49.
6. Bertoia, M. L., Mukamal, K. J., Cahill, L. E., Hou, T., Ludwig, D. S., Mozaffarian, D.,
... & Rimm, E. B. (2015). Changes in Intake of Fruits and Vegetables and Weight
Change in United States Men and Women Followed for Up to 24 Years: Analysis from
Three Prospective Cohort Studies. PLoS Med, 12(9), e1001878.
7. Gomez-Zorita, S., Fernandez-Quintela, A., Lasa, A., Aguirre, L., Rimando, A. M., &
Portillo, M. P. (2014). Pterostilbene, a Dimethyl Ether Derivative of Resveratrol,
Reduces Fat Accumulation in Rats Fed an Obesogenic Diet. Journal of Agricultural
and Food Chemistry, 62(33), 8371-8378.
8. Josse, A. R., Atkinson, S. A., Tarnopolsky, M. A., & Phillips, S. M. (2011). Increased
consumption of dairy foods and protein during diet-and exercise-induced weight loss
promotes fat mass loss and lean mass gain in overweight and obese premenopausal
women. The Journal of Nutrition, 141(9), 1626-1634.
9. Nagasako-Akazome, Y., Kanda, T., Ohtake, Y., Shimasaki, H., & Kobayashi, T.
(2007). Apple polyphenols influence cholesterol metabolism in healthy subjects with
relatively high body mass index. Journal of Oleo Science, 56(8), 417-428.
10. Rabinovitz, H.R., Boaz, M., Ganz, t., Jakubowicz, D., Matas, Z., Madar, Z. &
Wainstein, J. (2014). Big Breakfast Rich in Protein and Fat Improves Glycemic
Control in Type 2 Diabetics. Journal of Obesity, 22(5), 46-54.
11. Sofer, S., Madar, Z., Eliraz, A., Kaplan, S., Voet, H., Fink, G. & Kima, T. (2001).
Greater Weight Loss and Hormonal Changes After 6 Months Diet With Carbohydrates
Eaten Mostly at Dinner. Obesity Journal, 19(10), 2006-2014.
12. Chandran, M., Phillips, S.A., Ciaraldi, T. & Henry, R.R. (2003). Adiponectin: more
than just another fat cell hormone. Diabetes Care, 26(8), 2442-2450.
13. Golomb, B. A., Koperski, S., & White, H. L. (2012). Association between more
frequent chocolate consumption and lower body mass index. Archives of Internal
Medicine, 172(6), 519-521.
14. Ramirez-Sanchez, I., Nogueira, L., Moreno, A., Murphy, A., Taub, P. R., Perkins,
G., ... & Villarreal, F. (2012). Stimulatory effects of the flavanol (-)-epicatechin on
cardiac angiogenesis: Additive effects with exercise. Journal of Cardiovascular
Pharmacology, 60(5), 429.
15. Mofidi, A., Ferraro, Z. M., Stewart, K. A., Tulk, H. M., Robinson, L. E., Duncan, A.
M., & Graham, T. E. (2012). The acute impact of ingestion of sourdough and whole-
grain breads on blood glucose, insulin, and incretins in overweight and obese men.
Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, 2012.
16. Jaceldo-Siegl, K., Haddad, E., Oda, K., Fraser, G. E., & Sabaté, J. (2014). Tree nuts
are inversely associated with metabolic syndrome and obesity: the adventist health
study-2. PloS One, 9(1), e85133.
17. Myrdal Miller, A., Mills, K., Wong, T., Drescher, G., Lee, S. M., Sirimuangmoon,
C., ... & Guinard, J. X. (2014). Flavor-Enhancing Properties of Mushrooms in Meat-
Based Dishes in Which Sodium Has Been Reduced and Meat Has Been Partially
Substituted with Mushrooms. Journal of Food Science, 79(9), S1795-S1804.
18. Whiting, S., Derbyshire, E., & Tiwari, B. K. (2012). Capsaicinoids and capsinoids. A
potential role for weight management? A systematic review of the evidence. Appetite,
59(2), 341-348.
19. Mattes, R. D., & Rothacker, D. (2001). Beverage viscosity is inversely related to
postprandial hunger in humans. Physiology & Behavior, 74(4), 551-557.
20. Geliebter, A., Grillot, C. L., Aviram-Friedman, R., Haq, S., Yahav, E., & Hashim, S. A.
(2015). Effects of Oatmeal and Corn Flakes Cereal Breakfasts on Satiety, Gastric
Emptying, Glucose, and Appetite-Related Hormones. Annals of Nutrition and
Metabolism, 66(2-3), 93-103.
21. Raigond, P., Ezekiel, R., & Raigond, B. (2014). Resistant starch in food: a review.
Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 95(10), 1968-1978..
22. Noakes, M., Keogh, J. B., Foster, P. R., & Clifton, P. M. (2005). Effect of an energy-
restricted, high-protein, low-fat diet relative to a conventional high-carbohydrate, low-
fat diet on weight loss, body composition, nutritional status, and markers of
cardiovascular health in obese women. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,
81(6), 1298-1306.
23. Mennella, I., Savarese, M., Ferracane, R., Sacchi, R., & Vitaglione, P. (2015). Oleic
acid content of a meal promotes oleoylethanolamide response and reduces subsequent
energy intake in humans. Food & Function, 6(1), 203-209.
24. Vander Wal, J. S., Gupta, A., Khosla, P., & Dhurandhar, N. V. (2008). Egg breakfast
enhances weight loss. International Journal of Obesity, 32(10), 1545-1551.
25. Kris-Etherton, P.M. & Innis, S. (2007). Dietary Fatty Acids—Position of the American
Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada. American Dietetic Association Position
Report. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 107(9), 1599-1611.
About the Author
Matthew Kadey, MS, RD
Matthew Kadey, MSc., is a registered dietitian based in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. He works
full-time as a freelance nutrition writer...
How To Lose Weight
Krissy Kendall, Ph.D., And Cassie Smith

Are you stuck in a cycle of yo-yo dieting or can't seem to lose weight no matter what you do?
Here's the right way to eat and work out to get lasting results!
The question "How do I lose weight?" gets typed into Google 110,000 or so times per month.
The so-called answers that pop up are usually ridiculous "tips" that don't actually explain what
a person needs to do in order to lose weight and keep it off.
The truth is that sustainable weight loss occurs by making healthy alterations to your diet,
eating fewer overall calories, and exercising regularly.
How To Lose Weight:
 Know how many calories your body needs.

 Follow a balanced nutrition plan with consistent eating habits, and track your calorie
intake.
 Exercise at least 60 minutes, 3-4 days per week, with some strength training in the
mix.
 Perform fat-burning high-intensity interval training workouts 2-3 days per week.
 Aim for 1-2 pounds of weight loss each week.
The trouble, however, is that most of us don't like to make fast changes to a lifestyle we're
comfortable living, so eating less and moving more becomes a fierce battle. The couch and a
bag of chips win far, far more often than they should.
You can argue and struggle as much as you like, but the only scientifically proven way to lose
weight and keep it off is through diet and exercise. This is true whether you're a beginner
trying to slim down for the first time, or a seasoned pro.
Some of you may be saying, "Well, duh, but diets and exercise take way more time and effort
than I'm willing to give. I don't want to eat salad and do P90X for the rest of my life."
We completely understand and absolutely agree. Now, don't get us wrong, changing your
body does take effort, but it often doesn't take so much effort that you need to completely
ditch your favorite activities or foods.
What Your Weight Really Means
One reason the answer to "How to lose weight?" is so messy is because it's actually the wrong
question. You can break down your body weight into two main categories: fat mass and fat-
free mass.
Your fat-free mass includes your muscles, organs, bones, and connective tissue. It also
includes water weight. In other words, this is what would be left if you removed every single
fat cell from your body.
Muscle mass is a major component of your fat-free mass, and it should weigh more than your
fat mass. Furthermore, muscle mass has a huge positive impact on your metabolism, or
metabolic rate. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn at rest.
Muscle also helps to support your joints, helping to improve balance and reduce the risk of
injury.
Body fat gets a bad rap, but your body needs it. There is an essential amount of fat that each
body needs in order to maintain its natural functions. That amount will vary between body
type, age, sex, physical activity level, and fitness goal. For the general population, the levels
accepted as healthy are between 21-32 percent for women and 8-19 percent for men.1 Higher
levels can lead to weight-related health risks such as Type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer,
and cardiovascular disease.
All of this information boils down to one point: Losing weight in a healthy way means losing
fat.
Dieting 101
Dieting is incredibly difficult for most people. It's estimated that 45 million Americans go on
a diet each year.2 Given the current rates of obesity in this country, we can clearly see the
success rate is low.
So, we want you to let go of the word "diet." Not only does that word have a negative
connotation, but it also usually means you're only doing it for a short period of time.
Instead, think of the food you put in your body as your nutrition, which is an essential part of
a healthy lifestyle.
Every person has a different palate, a unique attitude toward food, and various likes and
dislikes. That means you need to find a nutrition plan that works best for you. The phrase
"healthy eating" gets thrown around a lot, but for many people, the changes needed to get
there aren't as big as they think. It might just be replacing your usual snack for a healthier one,
and fixing the one meal each day where you are most likely to overeat.
Still, your nutrition plan should be based upon how many calories you need each day to fuel
your body. Because we know that fat loss occurs when you use more calories than you take in,
it's smart to know how many calories you're eating and using each day.
Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is how many calories you'd need to maintain your weight if
you did nothing all day. Your BMR can be altered by your lifestyle. This handy total daily
energy expenditure (TDEE) calculator, which is based on the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation, will
take your BMR and factor in additional calories based on your activity level, age, and sex.
Calculate Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure!
Mifflin St. Jeor equation
Men: 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) - 5 x age (y) + 5

Women: 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) - 5 x age (y) - 161
* Moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week): BMR x 1.55
TDEE Calculator
Age
Sex
Male Female
Height
Feet Meters
Weight
Pounds Kilograms
Activity Level
Lightly active (moderate exercise but sedentary job)
Moderately active (intense exercise but sedentary job)
Very active (moderate exercise and active job)
Extra active (intense exercise and active job)
Although this calculator is a great tool, it's not perfect. Keep in mind this is just an estimate,
and although the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation is commonly used to assess caloric needs, it has
been shown to underestimate resting metabolic rate.3
Furthermore, many of us overestimate, underestimate, or flat-out lie about how much we

weigh or exercise. Even if you're honest with the calculator, it still doesn't mean the number
will be 100 percent accurate. Whatever number the TDEE calculator gave to you is a starting
point‚ not a law for you to follow strictly the rest of your life.
Your TDEE is how many calories you expend every day. If weight loss is the goal, try to eat
about 15-20 percent less than you burn.
Once you've established your daily caloric intake, we suggest initially tracking your weight on
a weekly basis. This will help determine if you need to adjust your calorie intake to optimize
your fat-loss goals.
The Yo-Yo Diet Problem
Eating fewer calories than you burn seems simple enough, right? But things can get a little
tricky. Television shows that reward rapid and drastic weight loss alter our perception of what
is realistic and sustainable.
To add to that, our "more is better" mentality often tells us that if removing 300 calories from
our daily nutrition leads to a small amount of weight loss, then imagine what taking out 600
calories can do!
In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Cutting your daily calorie intake too low
(under 1200 calories) can lead to a host of issues like binging and yo-yo dieting. It can also
damage your metabolism. If you're hungry all the time, are ruled by cravings, and have no
energy, the chances of you maintaining your diet are minuscule.
You may lose the weight you want, and lose it fast, but as soon as you go back to eating your
normal foods in the normal amounts, you'll regain all the weight you've lost, and in some
cases add on an extra few pounds.
Cutting your daily calorie intake too low (under 1200 calories) can lead to a host of issues like
binging and yo-yo dieting.
Complicating things even more, research has found that repeated cycles of weight loss and
weight gain can make subsequent weight loss efforts nearly impossible. This "yo-yo" style of
dieting may damage your metabolism, which can promote weight gain and inhibit subsequent
loss. This style of dieting can also lead to a slower resting metabolic rate.4
It's far more likely you'll have successful, manageable, and sustainable weight loss if it comes
off slowly. And your metabolism will end up working with you, not against you.
For the first couple of weeks, you're going to have to read labels and measure portion sizes.
Yes, that takes a little more effort than you usually make, but it's really important that you
start to get to know your body and how much food it needs.
"Counting calories" may seem archaic, and you've undoubtedly heard the commercials on
television that promise you can lose weight without doing it, but there really is no other way
to lose fat mass unless you eat fewer calories. And the only way to know you're eating fewer
calories is to count them!
Macronutrients and Weight Loss
Technically, you could experience some weight loss by eating one less fast-food hamburger
than you usually do each day. However, if you would like to experience lasting changes to
your body, stay healthy, and increase your fitness, you can also look into how much of each
macronutrient you're consuming.
There are three primary macronutrients (macros): carbohydrates, fat, and protein.
These days it's pretty easy to do a quick internet search and find hundreds of different diet
plans, some low-fat, others low-carb, but unless you're training for a physique contest, we
think it's best to keep a good ratio of all three macros in your nutrition plan.
Each macronutrient plays a special role in your body. You need all three for your body to
function optimally. Most American diets are too heavy in fat and carbs and don't have enough
protein. So, a good ratio to start with is 20 percent of your calories from fat, 40 percent from
carbs, and 40 percent from protein.
You can make alterations to this ratio depending on what foods you like, how your body
responds, and your daily activity level. If you'd rather, you can change this ratio to make 30
percent of your calories from fat, 30 percent from carbs, and 40 percent from protein. Or, you
can do a 20/30/50 split. The idea here is that macronutrient distribution does not follow a "one
size fits all" template.
We encourage you to play around with the numbers and find what works best for you and
your lifestyle. There are endless ways to eat what you want, while still staying within your
macro parameters.
Measuring Your Macros: A Visual Guide!
Protein, carbs, and fat—oh my! Read on to learn more about macronutrients, how they fit into
your nutrition plan, and the easiest ways to measure them.
The more of your carbohydrates you get from whole-food sources, like vegetables and whole
grains, the better. This helps you maintain more stable blood sugar, which can help you avoid
the powerful cravings or low energy that are normal with traditional diets.
Whole grains are more nutrient-rich and higher in fiber than the refined carbs found in junk
food. Fiber is a must-have because it can help keep you feeling full. If fiber isn't a priority in
your weight-loss plan, it should be!
Meeting your protein requirements in your diet is especially important when you increase
your activity level. Not only does this macro help your body build and maintain muscle mass,
it may help to facilitate weight loss, and can increase your feelings of fullness.5 So while you
may associate a protein shake primarily with getting bigger, it can be just as important an ally
when weight loss is the goal!
Having a balanced nutrition plan will not only help you lose weight, but will help you be able
to maintain this plan in the long term. It may not sound sexy, but maintenance is an essential
part of losing fat and keeping it off.
Exercise 101
Once you have the diet figured out, start thinking about exercise. Your body will need to use
more energy in order to make it through a workout. That energy comes from the food you eat.
So, by exercising, you're burning more calories.
If you're new to the exercise world, start off with a regimen you enjoy. It could be running,
playing racquetball, or Sunday soccer with your friends. Whatever keeps you active for 60
minutes, 3-4 times per week, will help you experience healthy weight loss.
When you start a new program that your body is not accustomed to, expect to be a little sore,
tired, or both. Start at a comfortable pace. Going all out the first few times you exercise could
leave you feeling so sore that you have to take the next week off. Spending four weeks on the
couch instead of in the gym will put you right back at square one, which just plain sucks.
Strength Training
Moving your muscles against resistance helps them grow and get stronger. Having more
muscle mass also means that you burn more overall calories. Resistance training has profound
effects on your bones and joints, and helps to prevent osteoporosis (loss in bone mineral
density), sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass), and lower-back pain, assuming you use proper
exercise form.6
You can also try one of our full fitness plans. Choose your goal and get started! In each
trainer, you'll get exercise and nutrition plans. You'll get to know our exercise and recipe
databases so you can feel comfortable training in the gym and cooking healthier food.
High-Intensity Interval Training
Interval training can also be a very effective weight-loss tool. It's pretty easy to incorporate
into any fitness plan because it can be applied to a variety of settings, and different types of
equipment can be used. Choose an activity that you can do at a high intensity (greater than 80
percent of your maximum heart rate) for 30-60 seconds, then follow it with 30-60 seconds of
rest.
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) works best if you do it for about 20 minutes, and the
best HIIT workout is often the simplest. For example, bike hard for 30 seconds, then rest for
30 seconds. Continue in this fashion for 20 minutes, and don't forget to add in a warm-up and
cool-down.
Interval training is easy to incorporate into any fitness plan because it can be applied to a
variety of settings, and different types of equipment can be used.
You can use the bike, elliptical, or treadmill. Or you can do bodyweight exercises like air
squats and jumping rope. Choose whichever equipment and exercises you like best, but try to
keep a 1:1 work/rest ratio and go for at least 20 minutes.7
At first, this work/rest ratio may seem really difficult, but after you get stronger and fitter,
you'll be able to go harder during those work periods, or even lengthen them.
If you're doing well with your nutrition, then try doing HIIT three days per week.
Measuring Progress
The scale can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Although your goal is to see that
number go down, sometimes the scale doesn't accurately reflect what's going on in your body.
No matter your fitness level, the number on the scale can fluctuate by five or more pounds in
a single day, depending on things like how much water you drink and food you eat. These
changes don't mean that you've suddenly put on five permanent pounds of fat. For this reason,
it's important to weigh yourself at the same time every day.
When you do weigh yourself, remember that sustainable progress is usually fairly slow.
Depending on how many calories you cut out of your diet and how much exercise you're
getting, it's normal to see about 1-2 pounds of loss per week. Anything more than that is
probably too fast. Slow, maintainable loss is always the best choice.
It's also important to limit how often you step on the scale. We suggest using it only once per
week so you don't get discouraged. It may also benefit you to take weekly progress photos.
That way, you'll notice those small changes and feel motivated to keep going. It may also be
helpful to get your body fat percentage checked as you go, but it's not essential.
If you get really interested in strength training, you may find that the number on the scale
goes up instead of down because your muscle mass is increasing. Remember, the scale doesn't
always tell the whole story, so pay attention to the mirror, how you feel, and how you are
performing in your workouts.
If you know you stress out about the number on the scale, stop using it! Plenty of people have
success without it.
Your Attitude
Not every day is going to be a great day, and sure, you'll encounter the occasional hiccup
when it comes to your nutrition and training plan. Know that now and accept it. But if you
stay dedicated to eating fewer calories and being a little more active, you'll slowly but surely
see those pounds come off.
By far, the most important part of implementing healthier habits into your lifestyle is bettering
your self-image and happiness. How you look is not nearly as important as how you feel.
Maintain positivity and you'll see the changes you want to see!
References
1. American College of Sports Medicine. (2013). ACSM's guidelines for exercise testing
and prescription. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
2. Nutrition & Weight Management. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.bmc.org/nutritionweight/services/weightmanagement.htm
3. Hasson, R. E., Howe, C. A., Jones, B. L., & Freedson, P. S. (2011). Accuracy of four
resting metabolic rate prediction equations: effects of sex, body mass index, age, and
race/ethnicity. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 14(4), 344-351.
4. Blackburn, G. L., Wilson, G. T., Kanders, B. S., Stein, L. J., Lavin, P. T., Adler, J., &
Brownell, K. D. (1989). Weight cycling: the experience of human dieters. The
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 49(5), 1105-1109.
5. Halton, T. L., & Hu, F. B. (2004). The effects of high protein diets on thermogenesis,
satiety and weight loss: a critical review. Journal of the American College of
Nutrition, 23(5), 373-385.
6. Winett, R. A., & Carpinelli, R. N. (2001). Potential health-related benefits of
resistance training. Preventive Medicine, 33(5), 503-513.
7. Boutcher, S. H. (2010). High-intensity intermittent exercise and fat loss. Journal of
Obesity, 2011
About The Author
Krissy Kendall, PhD
Krissy Kendall, Ph.D., joins Bodybuilding.com after 2-1/2 years as an assistant professor in
the School of Health and Kinesiology at Georgia Southern.

A Diet Plan That Works For Your Fat Loss
And Muscle-Building Goals
I will introduce you to the nutritional strategy that will revolutionize your bodybuilding life
and make muscle gains without the fat!
Mark McManus
As strange as it may sound, there is a way of mimicking the effects of anabolic steroids by
implementing a few secrets of anabolic nutrition. I call this the "MuscleHack Anabolic
Nutritional Strategy" (MANS).
I'm not saying that you'll see the same gains as a roidhead, you won't. No natural diet will
replicate the effects of anabolic steroids. However, your results will far surpass anything you
are currently experiencing, and that's a promise! In the next 15-20 minutes I will introduce
you to the nutritional strategy that will revolutionize your bodybuilding life.
You can make these gains in muscle without the correlating gains in fat! Yep, you really can
build new slabs of muscle with very little or no fat. Those with great genetics can actually
find the holy-grail of bodybuilding as they build muscle and lose fat at the same time.
Friends, I have no interest in hyperbole or bullsh!t; this nutritional strategy works. It took me
years to find it, implement it correctly and reap the rewards. I had to find out for myself how
to build lean muscle mass like never before while keeping fat accumulation at bay. It was well
worth the effort though.
So if it's the best bodybuilding diet in existence, why isn't it more widely known? The big
supplement companies and rag-magazines would go out of business quickly if they couldn't
peddle their snake-oil to you. If the general public were more nutrition-savvy, they'd cr@p
themselves! I doubt very much they'd go out of their way to make the public aware of it.
This article lays these secrets bare for you to learn. Implement this process wisely and I
promise you will make muscle gains like never before.
Please note that this method takes planning and commitment but it is well worth it! Also
please make sure your workouts are up to par by implementing a well thought out training
plan.
Why This Bodybuilding Diet Is The Best
So how can this nutritional strategy produce massive muscle gains? There is a way to increase
anabolic (muscle-building) hormones in the body in the same way that steroids do. The only
difference is, it's safe and natural.
This diet will naturally maximize your body's production of the following anabolic hormones:
 Testosterone
 Growth Hormone
 Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1)
Sounds good doesn't it? You will also have controlled insulin spikes which allows the body to
have high levels of growth hormone and insulin at the same time! This does not usually
happen and you'll see extremely impressive muscle gains as a result.
What Causes Muscle Growth?
Ok, apart from the actual exercise itself, what is the driver of muscle hypertrophy? We've
been told over and over again that it's excess calories; you must eat more calories than you
expend to encourage muscle growth. I'm going to hypothesize something a little controversial.
Calories are also an effect, not just a cause.
Think of a growing child. Are we to assume that vertical growth is caused by excess calories?
I think the release of growth hormone is what makes a child grow. Increased growth hormone
then causes the child to eat more. I think we have causality round the wrong way here.
The traditional advice from bodybuilding gurus is to eat everything in sight to increase muscle
size. They usually recommend high-carb diets laden with oats, protein shakes with fruit,
wholemeal bread, potato, rice (I don't care if it's white or brown) etc. Worse still, they often
recommend a low-fat diet!
Hey, I thought you were trying to grow some serious muscle? If so, you're gonna want to keep
the fat intake up. If I'm right, then what we want to devise is a nutritional strategy that ignites
the release of anabolic hormones. In turn then, these hormones will let us know when and
how much to eat.
How? By getting hungry—just like a growing child does. See how causality has been
reversed? It's no longer...
Excess Calories = Muscle Growth
It's now...
Anabolic Hormones = Muscle Growth (which will drive your appetite & provide
sufficient calories).
Don't get me wrong, sufficient calories are required to build muscle, but it's important to
understand the chain of causality. Calorie consumption isn't something you need to labor over
which will cripple your life. Let your body dictate your food intake. The best calorie-counter
is your stomach: when you're hungry—eat; when you're not—don't eat.
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Breakdown Of This Bodybuilding Diet
This plan requires that you eat a high protein, high fat, low carbohydrate diet for 5 and a half
days. Then for 36 hours you carb-up. The high protein, high fat part of the diet is what sparks
the increase in blood serum levels.
Fat Adaptation
As you will be keeping your carbohydrate level low for most of the week, your body will
become a fat-burning machine. At the beginning of the diet your body will undergo a
'metabolic shift' and start to burn fat as its primary source of energy.
This can take as little as 2 days and up to 14 days for some people. However, the vast majority
of you will have become fat-adapted by the end of your first 5 and a half days. The
advantages of this are:
 Increased lipolysis (breakdown of fat)

 Decreased lipogenesis (production of fat)
 Decreased catabolism (muscle protein is spared from breakdown)
Insulin Isn't Your Enemy
Regular low-carb dieters want to avoid spikes in insulin levels but for the bodybuilder, a
controlled spike will do you a world of good. You'll use a 32-36 hour window (I use the
weekends for this) to deliberately cause an insulin spike.
Insulin can make you fat, no doubt about it. Insulin has a dramatic effect on decreasing
lipolysis i.e. as insulin regulates fat metabolism, large amounts means that your body will not
give up its fat stores for energy; it literally shuts the gates to your stored body fat ensuring that
it can't be released and used for energy.
Having said that, insulin is not the enemy of the bodybuilder. Increasing insulin through a
carb-loading period is beneficial because:
 It helps shuttle amino acids into the muscle cells.

 Increases protein synthesis in skeletal muscle.
 Glycogen supercompensation (Replenish Muscle Glycogen To Fuel Workouts).
Growth Hormone And Insulin
As stated previously you will also reap the anabolic effects of increasing insulin, growth
hormone and testosterone at the same time. Usually when insulin levels increase, the others
decrease and vise versa.
It seems that the body (once fat adapted) sees the intake of high carbs at the weekend as
a stressful situation and releases growth hormone as a survival mechanism.
Increased growth hormone is your body's way of mobilizing energy stores to deal with this
stressful situation and so at this time you can get elevated insulin and growth hormone levels
simultaneously—welcome to muscle-building heaven!
Traditional High-Carb Muscle-Building Diets
On a high carb diet, (usually recommended for the bulking phase of a bodybuilding lifestyle)
insulin levels are chronically elevated. You therefore don't get the edge of maximum release
of testosterone, growth hormone and IGF-1. Also on the high carb approach, you prevent your
body from using body fat for fuel and actually encourage the laying down of new body fat.
That's...
 Decreased lipolysis
 Increased lipogenesis
Your Unique Carbohydrate Threshold Level
The best thing about this bodybuilding diet is that it's tailor-fitted to your unique metabolic
type; it's not a one-size-fits-all diet. You will find your unique carb threshold level and this
will allow you to:
 Gain muscle without fat

 Lose fat without sacrificing lean mass (when cutting)
Your carb threshold level can be defined as "The lowest possible daily carbohydrate intake
that allows you to function at top level."
Since we're concerned with building muscle, we need to find the lowest amount of carbs you
need in a day to not only feel good but hammer out muscle-building workouts that continually
improve, week-on-week.
I recommend you start out at 30 grams per day and adjust from there. Don't make any changes
to this for at least a week because you need to make the metabolic switch to burning fat for
fuel first. Once this is completed you will be able to tell from your workout performances
whether or not you need some more carbs (if so increase in 5 gram per day increments).
I personally average at around 27 grams of carbohydrates per day for 5 and a half days. Some
days I take in 35 grams but on others just 20 grams. Going higher or lower is fine, just check
your weekly averages. This low amount of carbohydrate is enough to power me through some
amazing workouts; I've got bags of energy and feel great.
Post-Workout Nutrition
Some of you may be wondering about post-workout carbs. There is simply no need for the
astronomical amount of post-workout carbs a lot of people ingest. So, do I advise post-
workout carbs? Yes, a little.
Post-workout carbs aren't magical either, you must count them towards your daily totals. So, I
usually take around 10 grams of glucose post-workout and 15 grams for a particularly
gruelling 2-body part workout. If, for example, I work just my abs alone, then no post-
workout carbs are required; some protein (40 grams or so), creatine (5 grams) and L-
Glutamine (3-5 grams) does the trick.
I remember being advised years ago that I needed around 60-100 grams of post-workout carbs
to encourage muscle hypertrophy. It's no surprise now, with a little education, that I got fat.
Also, remember creating daily insulin spikes will have an adverse effect on growth
hormone levels so follow this to the letter.
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Your Carb-Up Period
This is perfect as you can enjoy your life too after being so strict during the week. Have some
pizza, Chinese, whatever you feel like. Take your woman out for a meal, have some beers
with the guys and rest assured that your actually benefiting from this. I limit the junk meals to
2 and the rest of the time I eat a mostly high-carb, moderate fat, moderately-low protein diet.
It isn't an excuse to go completely nuts but let your hair down a little. Again, there's no reason
to eat past satiation, let your gut decide how much to eat.
There is no real limit on the amount of carbs you can have. The key is just to watch the time it
takes for you to begin to smooth-out (lose definition); it may take a little bit of
experimentation at first and it will be different for everyone; 32 hours works great for me.
You'll notice that every week you go through a mini-cycle of being bigger and smaller; this is
just due to fluctuating water levels. When you begin to low-carb you'll flush out some water,
it's perfectly natural.
Continually monitor your weight in conjunction with your body fat levels. If you notice that
by Saturday afternoon, you're smoothing out a little bit too much, you know that you'll have to
limit your carb-up period to 24 hours; keep monitoring and adjusting as necessary.
In a word—No. It's a little different for when you're cutting (and I'll get into that in later
articles) but for gaining muscle and simply maintaining your current body fat levels it's
d@mn-near impossible to gain fat with this anabolic nutritional strategy.
Remember that insulin is key here; you'll be keeping insulin levels very low for the majority
of the time.
From Healing Daily
"These triglycerides in the blood are the direct result of carbohydrates from the diet being
converted by insulin. These triglycerides do not come directly from dietary fats. They are
made in the liver from any excess sugars which have not been used for energy."
From Dr. Michael Eades' Blog
"These type 1 diabetics have no insulin so they can't really stuff fat into their fat cells. And
they are breaking protein down, converting it to glucose and urinating it away. They are
voraciously hungry and eat, eat, eat but they can't store any fat... Their fragile situation
demonstrates that in the absence of insulin it's virtually impossible to gain weight.
After following a low-carb diet for a while, our overweight patients lower their insulin levels,
so, as with type I diabetics, it is difficult for them to store fat as well. They crank up all the
futile cycling, elevate levels of uncoupling protein synthesis and increase proton leakage to
dissipate the excess energy they're consuming, but they don't store it as fat... If you start
throwing back the carbs, however, you will lose this advantage."
I hope you can now see the huge benefit there is to eating this way. The bodybuilding world is
still largely clueless of this. I urge you to take advantage of this knowledge!
Typical Menu For Your Low-Carb Days
This is how I eat on a typical Sunday to 6:00 PM on a Friday:
6:30 AM
Scrambled Eggs
3-5
Coffee (decaf)
1 cup
Sweetener (Splenda)
1 packet
10 AM
1
Chicken
1 serving
Cheese
1 serving
Mayonnaise
1/2 tbsp
Protein Bar
1
1 PM
1
Tuna
1 serving
Cheese
1 serving
Protein Bar
1
4:30 PM
Steak (or pork)

1 serving
Vegetables
1 serving
Butter
1/2 tbsp
Ranch Dressing
1/2 tbsp
7 PM
Protein Shake (40g with 5g creatine monohydrate

and 5g glutamine)
1
9 PM
Almonds
1 serving
Yogurt
1 serving
Sweetener (Splenda)
1 packet
Protein Bar
1
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Conclusion
That's my bodybuilding diet plan laid bare for you. Question is, what are you going to do with
it? I encourage you to stop, once and for all, the endless bulking/fattening cycle followed by
cutting (losing as much muscle as fat) year on year.
It does not need to be this way. I urge you to join me in this way of eating. I'm happy to
answer any questions you may have or just be here to encourage and guide you if this is
totally new to you. Pretty soon you'll be wondering how you ever attempted to build muscle
without it!
About the Author
Mark McManus
Hailing from Ireland, Mark is a muscle & nutrition enthusiast who has spent years in
independent research... Better nutrition for fat loss!
Cutting tips from bodybuilders
Tips From Bodybuilders To Help You Cut
The cutting phase is generally the least popular part of a bodybuilder’s

training. Cutting means eating less and trying to shed body fat to end up
lean and ready to hit the beach. Unfortunately, cutting down on food and
upping cardio can be a stressful experience at the best of times.
With all of this in mind, most people try to get ahead during their cut by
experimenting with different training patterns, different diets and any tips
and tricks they can find.
Fortunately, the internet has become a place for active bodybuilders to
share their advice and as such, knowledge passed down by people who
have been through many cutting cycles is freely available online.
These cutting tips mean less trial and error for amateurs and ultimately, a
better cutting phase that gives better results. Here are 10 of our favourite
cutting tips to help you shred body fat and successfully become a leaner
you.
1. Up Your Water Intake
While water does make your body look a bit more ‘bloated’, it has so many
benefits that you need to seriously up your intake in order to succeed
during a cut.
For starters, water helps stave off hunger. Having a few glasses with a
smaller meal will fill you up and allow you to get by without feeling pangs
despite less calories.
The additional hydration will also help give you energy during workouts,
so you’ll be able to push a little harder and ultimately burn more calories.
Thirdly, drinking water as opposed to soft drinks means you won’t be

adding empty calories to your already restricted calorie limit. Essentially,
water is a ‘free’ drink whereas soda or sugary drinks will cost you precious
calories that you could have used on meals.
2. Cook Your Own Meals
Most bodybuilders become familiar with their kitchens as a matter of

necessity. Whether you can quickly master taste or not, cooking your own
food means you know everything going into it. During a cut, where excess
salt or sugar in ready meals and takeaways can hinder weight loss, bringing
your own food to work will eliminate any risky meal choices.
3. Avoid Catastrophizing Cheat Meals

Due to the hard nature of eating at a caloric deficit, there will be a point
where even the most seasoned bodybuilder will ‘fall off the wagon’ and
have an over-the-top cheat meal or cheat during the week.
If this happens, the key is to not delve into what psychologists call
catastrophizing, or thinking the worst. Just because you cheated on your
cut, don’t tell yourself, “Okay I’ll get back to my diet tomorrow/3 days
from now/next week.” This kind of thinking will mean repeated cheat
meals until you get back on track. Forgive yourself for the mistake and
then get back on your cutting diet.
4. Increase Your Calorie Deficit With Cardio
When cutting, you’ll have already worked out what your calorie level is
and be eating at a deficit in order to lose weight. By performing hard
cardio, you’ll heighten your metabolic rate and burn even more calories.
This means that you’ll lose weight faster and can also make up for days
where you’ve over-eaten and need to burn extra.
5. Increase Lean Muscle Tissue To Help Your Cut
Building muscle also helps burn fat. Performing high rep exercises
designed to build mass results in more lean muscle tissue. This tissue raises
your metabolism, which heightens the rate you burn calories. To put it
simply, the more lean muscle you build, the better your cut will go. Ditch
the idea of shrinking your body and instead think of reshaping it.
6. Avoid Sugar
Naturally occurring sugars are fine, but anything refined or processed is

not. Sugar is quickly consumed by the body to be used as energy and any
excess is stored as fat. During a cut, sugar should be virtually eliminated
from your diet. Eat foods high in protein and fibre.
Eating clean means you get to eat more, as sugary foods are far more
calorific than vegetables and lean protein.
7. Drink Caffeine – In Moderation
Caffeine helps to increase alertness and improves concentration. This helps

you to focus on your cut. However, it is recommended not to exceed a
daily intake of 400mg of caffeine from all sources.
8. Cut Down On Cooking Oil
When you’re cooking your meals, you might be adding calories without
realizing it. Cooking oil is very high in trans fats, and there are many who
lather it into their pan and on their food without ever counting the calories
they add. Cut down on the amount you use each time you hit the kitchen.
9. Maintain Protein And Fibre Intake
Of all the macronutrients, protein is most important for cutting. While it

will be carbs you miss the most, when cutting down calories, protein is
important to build muscle which boosts your metabolism. Therefore, you’ll
need to keep up your protein intake.
Fibre is another important food group. Eating raw vegetables helps you to
mix up your diet and provides a great way to snack without adding many
calories.
10. Be Ready To Deal With Hunger
In order to get properly shredded, you’re going to feel hungry. Your cut
will test your patience and your endurance as you’ll begin feeling hungry
when you’re bored and at random parts of the day.
Don’t be tempted to cheat on your diet with mindless snacking or eat more
than you should.
At the end of the day, you’re cutting by your own free will in order to look
exceptional, so keep that goal in mind at all times and build the mental
fortitude a bodybuilder needs to succeed.

Bodybuilding Fat Loss Diet

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Bodybuilding Fat Loss Diet

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A Beginner's Guide To Losing Body Fat!

How Many Calories Do You Need?

What Are Your "Macros"?

Food consists of three macronutrients:

There's Food, Then There's the Right Food!

Good protein comes in many forms:

 Lean red meat

Carbs to avoid include:

Some good fats include:

Fats to avoid include:

Planning Your Daily Meals

Fat Loss Sample Meal Plan

Meal Planning Basics

Exercise Guidelines: Weight Training and Cardio

Routine 1: 3-Day Split

Day 1: Chest/Back, Abs, Cardio Optional

Day 4: Delts, Arms, Abs, Cardio Optional

Days 5 and 6: Cardio

Daily Workout Variation

 Day 1: Chest/Back/Abs, Cardio optional

Cardio Exercise: A Great Fat Burner

About the Author

Jim Brewster - Jim is an expert trainer with years of valuable knowledge!

View all articles by this author

The 7 Day Fat Loss Meal Plan—Week 1

Spices (basil leaves)

Whole Wheat Bread

Bell Pepper (chopped)

Burger Patty (turkey)

Meal Replacement Shake

Meal Replacement Shake

Print The Full Week 1 Meal Plan!

About the Author

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What Is The Best 12-Week Diet Plan For

What is the best 12-week diet plan for fat loss?

What is a reasonable amount of weight to lose in 12 weeks?

Show off your knowledge to the world!

 1. soundcheck129 View Profile

What Is The Best 12-Week Diet Plan For Fat Loss?

 Monday - Full Body

2. If You Make A Mistake, Get Over It

3. Work Hard, The Results Will Be Greater

4. Do What Works For You

5. Drink Plenty Of Water...And Not Much Else

What Is A Reasonable Amount Of Weight To Lose In 12 Weeks?

2nd Place - RooRooTJ

What Is The Best 12-Week Diet Plan For Fat Loss?

66 + (6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)

For a 5 meal plan, per meal:

For a 6 meal plan, per meal:

What Are Good Food Choices?

 Fish Oil Supplements

What Is A Reasonable Amount Of Weight To Lose In 12 Weeks?

Drink Plenty of Water!

Allow For Slip Ups

3rd Place - mrkdrt

What Is The Best 12-Week Diet Plan For Fat Loss?

When Your Progress Slows

An example of my lifting day meal plan:

 0700 - Wake up, Triple S

 0630 - Wake, Cardio

What Is A Reasonable Amount Of Weight To Lose In 12 Weeks?

Do Not Stop Lifting.