How to Lose Body Fat and Increase Lean Mass: 7 Easy Steps to Follow
If you're looking to improve your health and performance by losing body fat and increasing lean mass, then you're in the right place. As an expert nutrition coach, I've helped numerous clients achieve their fitness goals using a simple framework that I'm going to share with you in this blog post.
Here are the 7 easy steps you should follow:
Step 1: Track Everything You Eat and Drink for 5-7 Days, Including the Weekend
Using a mobile application, track everything you eat and drink. This will give you a baseline of your current average calorie (kcal) intake and help you identify areas for improvement.
For example, let's say our average calorie intake across the week = 2570 kcal.
Step 2: Work Out Your Protein Requirements
Determine your protein requirements based on your age, goals, intensity, and duration of training. Typically, this is between 1.2 to 2.2 g per kg of body weight.
Use the graphic below to determine how much protein you need daily. A good place to start for the average person is 1.4-1.6g per kg of bodyweight.
For example, 1.6g x 80kg = 128g protein daily.
Step 3: Create a Deficit or Surplus Depending on Your Goals
Using your average baseline daily calorie intake from step one, create a deficit or surplus depending on your goals. For example, create a deficit of 250-500 calories daily for fat loss. For muscle gain, create a surplus of 250-500 calories daily. Alternatively, to stay the same weight look at maintain your current calorie intake, but adjusting your macros could help improve your body composition.
Example Fat Loss = 2570kcal - 500kcal = 2070kcal.
Step 4: Determine Your Macronutrient Ratios
Use simple mathematics to determine your Protein, Carbohydrate, and Fat needs (macronutrient ratios). Protein is our starting point; based on Step 2, we know we need 128 grams of protein.
Protein is 4kcal per gram so 128 x 4 = 512kcal.
We can now determine what we need using our deficit target (2070kcal) in Step 3.
If you play sports or do many physical activities, lean towards having more carbs. For example, a 60/40 split of those remaining calories would be: 60% of 1558kcal = 935kcal divided by 4kcal = 234grams of Carbohydrates 40% of 1558kcal = 623kcal divided by 9kcal = 69grams of Fats. Fats are 9kcal per gram, and Carbs are 4kcal per gram.
Now we can determine our macronutrient split.
Formula: Macro kcals ÷ target kcal x 100 = macro%
Protein: (512 kcal) ÷ (2070kcal) x 100 = 25%
Carbs: (935 kcal) ÷ (2070kcal) x 100 = 45%
Fats: (623 kcal) ÷ (2070kcal) x 100 = 30%
Now we have our macro split: P25/C45/F30
Step 5: Monitor Your Body Composition through Photos
As you eat within these new macro/kcal targets, take photos of yourself alongside bodyweight scale measurements every 1-2 weeks to monitor changes in your body composition.
For women, tracking progress month-to-month, not week-to-week, is essential as hormonal fluctuations can affect weekly progress.
Step 6: Continue with Your Current Macros Until You Hit a Plateau
If you notice positive body composition and performance changes, continue with your current macros until you hit a plateau.
If you look better in photos and perform better in your workouts/life, then you are making progress. It's not all about weight on the scale.
Step 7: Aim to tidy up your diet and eat predominantly quality whole foods.
Finally, focus on mostly quality whole foods, such as lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats. These foods will give your body the necessary nutrients to perform at its best. Avoid processed foods and drinks that are high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats.
IN SUMMARY
The seven steps outlined in this blog post are used by certified nutritionists worldwide.
By following these steps and making adjustments as necessary, you can improve your body composition, enhance your performance, and feel better overall.