19 Apr Your Fat Loss Plan

There are hundreds of weight loss plans you can access and that’s why it can be such a confusing topic. You might have tried one or many before with little success. It’s a very personal undertaking but as I like to measure progress in numbers I have found this approach below more successful for people that appreciate the detail of what exactly you eat and drink on a daily basis.  For long term fat loss and then the maintenance of your ideal weight you need to be very clear on three things –

1.   What exactly are you eating – check the ingredients label on everything you buy. “How much SUGAR?”
2.   How much food/drink you need per day based on your fat loss goals
3.   What food/drink will give you the nutrition you need to meet your goals

This approach is as relevant for active gym goers as it is to non-active people. The former is more ideal as fat loss occurs with the benefits of cardio and muscle development too.

The Calorie Counter

Breaking down your food/drink input into calories is a great place to start. Use the most successful FREE calorie counting app My Fitness Pal to help you here. As you log what you eat it stores the data and makes it easy for you to add those foods again to your log again.  You need to be 100% honest and log everything you eat/drink on a daily basis. Never guess what the calorific value of food is , let technology assist you.

The Calorie Burner

Use the calorie calculator to get an estimate of how many calories you burn every day and then work out the calorie intake you need based on the weight you want to be, your activity levels and other key factors.  www.bodybuilding.com/fun/macronutcal.htm

Here is an example of how this works. My client is overweight by 10kg and consumes roughly 2350 calories every day according to the My Fitness Pal. The calorie burner calculator indicates they need to eat 2000 calories a day to drop to meet their fat loss goals. Now they can keep consuming the same food/drink as before, just 350 calories less of it but there’s probably some of that regular nutritional intake that needs to dropped altogether. Well now is the time to do it. Drop the cake, biscuits, fried breakfasts, sugary drinks, etc and make some healthier nutrition choices for short term fat loss and long term ideal healthy weight maintenance.

This healthier nutrition choice starts by understanding the best Protein, Carbohydrate and Fat you can consume and it what percentages to meet your exercise and fat loss goals

Protein  

The protein requirements of a normal adult are 0.75g per kilogram of body weight per day. For strength and endurance athletes, protein requirements are increased to around 1.2-1.7g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day and up to 2.2 grams of protein per kg of body weight per day if you’re building muscle.   You can also use this site www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calpro.htm to estimate how much protein to consume per day based on your activity levels

Protein triggers the release of several appetite-suppressing hormones, primarily cholecystokinin. The more protein you eat, the more cholecystokinin your body produces, and the less hungry you feel.

Protein also has a higher thermic effect than carbohydrates and fat combined. This means that your body must burn more calories to digest, absorb, and distribute nutrients from protein than it must to do the same with carbs and fats. Just by eating protein, you’re helping your body lose weight!

Good protein sources include: chicken and turkey breast (without skin), pork tenderloin, lean beef (filet mignon, steak sirloin, flank steak), lean ground meats (90/10 or leaner), eggs (yolks and whites), fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, tilapia, cod), low-fat dairy (Greek yogurt, milk, cheese), whey and casein protein, soy (tofu, edamame, seitan) and vegetable and whey protein powders.

Carbohydrates

Your goal should be to consume 1.1 to 4.4 grams of carbohydrate per kg of body weight per day depending on your activity level – see below.      You can also use this carb calculator at www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calcarbs.htm  to estimate your daily carbohydrate allowance.                     

The number of carbs your body needs depends on how much energy you expend every day. If you work out on Monday and rest on Tuesday, you’ll need more carbs on Monday.

• On a non-exercise day, you need about 1.1 gram of carbs per kg of body weight.
• If you exercise for 30-40 minutes a day, you need about 1.65 grams per kg of body weight.
• If you exercise for 40-60 minutes a day, you need 1.65 – 2.2 grams per kg  of body weight.
• If you exercise for 60-90 minutes a day, you need 2.2 – 2.75 grams per kg  of body weight.
• If you exercise for 90-120 minutes a day, you need 2.75 – 3.85 grams per kg of body weight. That would be 206 – 288 grams of carbs for the day if I did a 120 min cycle

Good carbohydrate sources include brown and wild rice, quinoa, whole-grain pasta, bread and tortillas, oats, beans, legumes, lentils, peas, corn, popcorn, whole-grain cereals, fruits, and vegetables.

Fat

There are a couple of ways to determine your daily fat allowance. You can use www.bodybuilding.com/fun/fats_calculator.htm to estimate, or you can calculate it yourself. It’s more complicated that just using the calculator, but it’ll be more accurate.

1. Multiply the number of grams of protein you consume every day by 4 to get the number of calories you’ll get from that protein.
2. Multiply the number of carbs you’ll consume every day by 4 to get the number of calories you’ll get from carbohydrates each day.
3. Add these two numbers together and subtract the total from your total daily calorie allowance, which you figured out earlier. The result is how many calories a day you have left. These are the calories you’ll get from fats.
4. Divide this number of leftover calories by 9 to determine how many grams of fat you can have every day.

For example, using the scenario from my client’s daily 2000 calorie target:

• Protein – They will have 200 grams of protein every day. Multiply it by 4 to get 800 calories.
• Carbohydrates – They will have 150 grams of carbs every day. Multiply it by 4 for another 600 calories.
• Add 800 to 600 to get 1,400 calories a day from protein and carbs.
• The calculator said you can have a total of 2000 calories a day to aid fat loss. Subtract 1,400 calories from 2,000 calories which leaves you 600 calories left to get from fats.
• Divide 600 calories by 9 to get a little over 66 grams of fat per day.

In this example, your daily macros would be:

• Protein: 800 calories – 40%
• Carbohydrates: 600 calories – 30%
• Fat: 600 calories – 30%

Healthy Fat sources include – Avocados, Cheese, Dark Chocolate, Eggs, Salmon, Sardines, Butter, Walnuts, Almonds, Flax and Chia Seeds, Coconut oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Full Fat Dairy, Dark Chocolate

For body fat reduction start your daily intake on 40% Protein, 30% Carb, 30% Fat . These figures may fluctuate slightly based on your exercise levels per day when more carbs will be required. At the same time, be sure to weigh yourself every other day or so. Ideally weigh yourself at the same time of day 

If you’ve calculated your macros as instructed above, and have stuck to your daily calorie allowance, you should begin losing weight. If you continue following these macronutrient goals, however, your weight will probably start to level off.

In general, a good weight-loss goal is to lose 0.5-1.0 percent of your body weight each week. If your weight-loss stalls, it’s because your body has learned how to function on fewer daily calories. To reignite fat loss, reduce your current calorie intake by 15-20%.  If your target is 2,000 calories a day you would have to reduce that by 300-400 calories a day.

If you need to reduce calories, start by reducing your fat intake. Keep your carbohydrate and protein consumption as high as possible for as long as possible to maintain your energy. Just don’t let your total fat intake dip below 10 % of your total daily calories. Having fewer fats than that in your diet can harm your performance, recovery, muscle maintenance, and testosterone production.

Tips to keep the hunger at bay

• Each day you should be drinking at least 3 litres of water . Filling your stomach with fluid sends satiety signals to your brain, which can help you feel less hungry.
• Choose high-fiber carbohydrates. Fiber slows down digestion, which helps keep your energy levels steady and your appetite in check.
• Include vegetables with each meal. Vegetables are high in both fiber and water, each of which helps you better manage your appetite and energy.
• Consume your carbohydrates before, during, and after your workouts. To avoid low-energy workouts and poor recovery, get 70-80 percent of your daily carbohydrates from your pre-, intra-, and post-workout meals.

Any questions please contact me at Fraser@fjfit.co.uk or 07538267027.