How to Set Up a Fat Loss Diet Part 4: Food Choices

Earlier, we’ve gone through our ideal daily calorie and macronutrients intake for fat loss.

If you have not read them yet, here’s the link below:

• How to Set Up a Fat Loss Diet Part 2: Calorie
• How to Set Up a Fat Loss Diet Part 3: Macronutrients

Now, we will dive into the specifics of the fat loss diet plan by making the right food choices for the best results. 

Current Trend

When it comes to fat loss, most of us tend to draw a line between ‘clean food’ and ‘dirty food’. We think we’ll need to say goodbye to our favourite snacks, cravings or desserts in order to get in shape. No more McDonald’s, pizzas, cakes, sweets, ice-cream, donuts, biscuits, pies… and the list goes on. If this was the case, I think most of us including me would rather stay out of shape or overweight than living such a miserable life. We food lovers can definitely relate to that feels.

So, the question here is do you have to eat only ‘clean food’ in order to lose fat?

No! Previously, we’ve just learnt that fat loss is all about calorie deficit. Thus, it does not matter WHAT we eat but it is HOW MUCH we eat that matters. Feel free to include some dirty snacks you’ve been craving into your fat loss diet.

But then, some of us may abuse this freedom and choose only dirty food in their fat loss diet. Yes, if it fits your calorie and macronutrients intake, you’d still be getting fat loss results. However, it is very unhealthy to do so. Also, dirty food are not as filling as clean foods that provide higher volume with lower calories

Therefore, here’s my recommendation for most people:

About 80% of total calories for clean food and 20% for dirty foods

This will ensure that you get most of the calories from healthy and nutritious food while allowing a small portion of the calories to satisfy some of your cravings while dieting.

Bottom Line

The reason I did not include a specific list of food choices is because we all have different types of food that we like or dislike. Remember my post about ‘The Best Diet Plan?’? A good diet plan should always cater to our own specific needs only. So, you’ll have to make your own food choices based on the guidelines above and fit them into your daily calories and macronutrients intake. Then, you will be able to set up a perfect fat loss diet plan for yourself.

On my next post, I will blog about scheduling which includes meal timing (what time of the day you should eat your meals) and meal frequency (how many meals per day)

If you find this post helpful, feel free to help spread the word by sharing it!

For any inquiries, you can always contact me through e-mail:

jswongtraining@gmail.com

How to Set Up a Fat Loss Diet Part 3: Macronutrients

Previously in ‘How to Set Up a Fat Loss Diet Part 2: Calorie’, we’ve gone through the calculations of daily calorie intake for fat loss. In this post, we will move to the next part which is calculating our macronutrients intake.

What are macronutrients?

To make it simple, macronutrients are nutrients that our body require in large amount, such as protein, carbohydrates and fat. They are important as they make up our total calories and greatly influence our body composition (how we look). Not to forget, for health reasons as well. The proper macronutrients intake will also allow you to maximize fat loss while minimizing muscle loss on a fat loss phase. So, let us begin right away.

Step 1 Calculating Daily Protein Intake

The general recommendation for protein intake is 1g per pound of body weight. A little more or less than this number is totally fine but for this guide alone, we’ll stick with that.

E.g. Mr A weighs 70kg

70 x 2.2 = 154lbs (convert the kg to pound by multiplying 2.2)

So, Mr A’s daily protein intake is 154g.

Step 2 Calculating Daily Fat Intake

Fat is always considered the culprit for making us ‘fat’ but that’s not true. What makes us fat (gain weight) is by eating at a calorie surplus over time. So, we do need adequate fat intake and the recommendation is about 20%-30% of total daily calorie intake. We’ll go with 25% of total daily calorie intake as a good middle range. The number is then divided by 9 to convert it into grams.

E.g. Mr A consumes 2000 calories daily

25% of 2000 = 500

500 divided by 9 = 56g

So, Mr A’s daily fat intake is 56g

Step 3 Calculating Daily Carbohydrates Intake

Lastly, for carbohydrates, all we need is to deduct our total daily calorie intake with our protein and fat calories. (need to convert the protein and fat from grams to calories firstly)

Formula:

Total Daily Calorie Intake – (Protein (g) x 4) – (Fat (g) x9) = Carbohydrates Intake.

E.g. Mr A who consumes 2000 calories, 154g protein and 56g fat daily.

2000 – (154 x 4) – (56x9) = 880

880 is the calorie for carbohydrates but we need to convert it into grams, by dividing 4.

E.g.

880 divided by 4 = 220g

So, Mr A’s daily carbohydrates intake is 220g.

To wrap it up, Mr A’s total daily calorie intake is 2000, 154g protein, 56g fat and 220g carbohydrates. And that is all!

Additional Note**

Why the number ‘4’ for protein and carbohydrates but ‘9’ for fat? This is because…

1g of protein = 4 calories

1g of carbohydrate = 4 calories

1g of fat = 9 calories

(just keep this in mind if you’re curious why we need to divide or multiply those numbers previously)

Bottom line

The right macronutrients intake is crucial to achieve proper fat loss. Counting calories alone may cause weight loss, but if you want to lose mainly fats, macronutrients need to be dialled in as well. The calculations may seem complicated, but if you take your time to go through it properly, I’m sure you’ll do fine. On the next part, we will look at food choices for a proper fat loss diet.

If you find this post helpful, feel free to help spread the word by sharing it!

For any inquiries or help in calculating calories or macros, you can always contact me through e-mail:

jswongtraining@gmail.com

How to Set Up a Fat Loss Diet Part 2: Calorie

This is Part 2 of the ‘How to Set Up a Fat Loss Diet’ guide. Part 2 will mainly cover on the calculations of daily calorie intake for fat loss.

When it comes to fat loss, the single most important thing we should remember is calorie in and calorie out. ‘Calorie In’ refers to the calories that we consume through foods, while ‘Calorie Out’ refers to the calories that we burn through bodily functions and physical activity. So, what’s their relationship?

Calorie In MORE than Calorie Out = Calorie Surplus = Weight Gain

Calorie In LESS than Calorie Out = Calorie Deficit = Weight Loss

Now, we can see their connections. In other words, if you want to achieve fat loss/weight loss, you’d need to consume less calories than your body burns. This is also known as ‘calorie deficit’.

Alright, we now understand the fact that we need to create a calorie deficit in order to achieve fat loss. It’s time to put the knowledge into use!

Step 1 Calculating Daily Maintenance Calorie Intake

Firstly, we need to calculate our daily maintenance calorie intake (total calorie intake to maintain current body weight). There are many ways to do it but I’ll share a common way that works well with most people.

1. Multiply your current body weight (kg) x 2.2 to convert them into pounds (lbs)

2. Multiply your number in (1) with ONE of the following numbers, 14-16.

Not Active = 14

Lightly Active = 14.5

Active = 15

Very Active = 15.5

Extremely Active = 16

(Consider both your exercise schedule as well as lifestyle e.g. occupation)

Step 2 Calculating Daily Calorie Intake for Fat Loss

The number you’ve calculated in Step 1 is your estimated daily maintenance calorie intake. Now, we’re going to create a calorie deficit from it to achieve fat loss. The general recommendation for calorie deficit is 300 to 500 calories. Any more or less is not very optimal.

Daily Maintenance Calorie Intake (Step 1) – Calorie Deficit (300 to 500) = Daily Calorie Intake for Fat Loss

And there you have it; you’ve just calculated your daily calorie intake for fat loss!

Just in case, you got a little confused so I’ve included an example as well.

Example:

Mr. A, weighing at 70kg currently. He is active in terms of activity levels.

Step 1: Calculating Daily Maintenance Calorie Intake

1. 70kg x 2.2 = 154lbs (pounds)

2. 154 x 15 = 2310

Thus, the number 2310 is Mr. A’s daily maintenance calorie intake.

Step 2: Calculating Daily Calorie Intake for Fat Loss

2310 – 500(calorie deficit) = 1810

Finally, Mr.A’s daily calorie intake for fat loss is 1810. He will then consume 1810 calories daily in order to achieve fat loss or weight loss.

Bottom Line

We’ve covered the entire guide to calculate how many calories we need to consume in order to achieve fat loss. Next, we will look at macronutrients breakdown (protein, carbohydrates and fats) in Part 3.

If you find this post helpful, feel free to share it and help spread the word!

For any inquiries, you can always contact me through e-mail:

jswongtraining@gmail.com

How to Set Up a Fat Loss Diet Part 1: Introduction

"The best diet plan for fat loss is the one that caters to all your needs and goals while being enjoyable and sustainable at the same time."

If you have not read my previous post on "The Best Diet Plan for Fat Loss", I highly recommend you to read that first so that you get a better understanding on this one.

Introduction

From my previous post, I’ve explained why most popular diet plans out there is NOT optimal for most of us. They are not specifically tailored to each and every one of us. Thus, if you’re looking for the BEST results for YOU, the best way to go about it is definitely take charge and create your own fat loss diet. And, we’re going to do just that!

What to expect next?

This post is only an introduction to the coming ‘How to Set Up a Fat Loss Diet’ guide which will be separated into six different parts.

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: Calorie

Part 3: Macronutrients

Part 4: Food Choices

Part 5: Scheduling

Part 6: Put It All Together

(Links to each part will be updated when they are posted on the blog)

Lastly...

Since I usually post 2-3 times a week on my blog, it will probably take about 2 weeks to complete the entire guide. In return, I hope you guys will appreciate each and every post as I will try my best to make it fairly simple especially for our fitness companions who are just starting out.

So, if you find this post helpful, feel free to help spread the word and share it!

For any inquiries, you can always contact me through email:

jswongtraining@gmail.com

The Best Diet Plan For Fat Loss

When it comes to fat loss, the best way to go about it is definitely through proper dieting. However, if you search for diet plans on the internet, most likely you are going to see various kinds of diet plans. It might be very confusing because every single one of them promises the best results. Let us take a look at some examples of popular diet plans that are flowing around:

Ketogenic Diet a.k.a Low Carbohydrate Diet

Low Fat Diet

Fruits & Vegetables ONLY Diet

Skip The Rice Diet (yes, it exists)

No Eating After 8p.m. Diet (not really a diet plan but we all know it’s very common)

Paleo Diet

The lists go on and on but let’s just have a look at these few popular diet plans. So, which of these is the best diet plan for fat loss? Try to take a guess before we get to the answer…

The Answer

 The answer is…NONE. Yes, you heard me right. None.

Before you get a little upset by the answer, allow me to justify my answer. Most of the diet plans out there are NOT the best diet plan for fat loss simply because:

• They make you skip foods you like.
• They make you feel weak and miserable.
• They are unable to sustain as a lifestyle diet.

You might suffer health issues from some of those. (e.g. fruits & veggies only diet)Thus, just by these few reasons alone, we can see that these diet plans are not suitable for most people. I myself have learned it the hard way through trial and error. 

I would try all the extreme diets to get the fastest results possible and end up giving up all the time, making zero progress in the end. 
Sounds familiar?

But then, what is the ACTUAL best diet plan for fat loss?

The REAL Answer

In fact, the answer is pretty simple. We often complicate things because we think they should be. The best diet plan for fat loss is the one that:

• You can still enjoy foods you like.
• You feel good and energetic all the time.
• You are able to sustain it as a lifestyle diet.
• It takes into account your nutritional needs as well.

Yes! It’s that simple, really. The best diet plan for fat loss is the one that caters to all your needs and goals. It does not have to be an extreme diet plan like the above that makes you torture yourself only to get temporary and minimal results.

Bottom Line

There’s no such thing as the best diet plan for fat loss. Any diet plan that you enjoy and able to sustain for life is the best diet plan. It’s all about making it into a lifestyle, cause we’re doing it for life, right?

If you are interested in taking charge and design your own diet plan specifically for your fitness goals to get the best results, look out for my next post!

If you find this post helpful, feel free to share it and help spread the word, thanks!

For any inquiries, you can always contact me through e-mail:

jswongtraining@gmail.com

How to Lose Stubborn Belly Fat

Ah yes, the dreaded stubborn belly fat that many of us struggle with. Truth be told, who doesn’t want to have a flat stomach or even better, a six pack? And thus, many of us began the journey to get rid of the belly fat.

•  [Insert number] sit ups or crunches per day

•  Purchasing commercialized ab machines or toners

• Simulating complicated ab workouts from fitness magazines

If you’ve tried at least ONE or ALL the above, High Five! We’ve been in the same boat!

A boat to nowhere.

The Truth

The truth is, we can never target a specific part of our body to lose fat (at least, naturally). Spot reducing body fat is just a myth. Thus, all the time, if you’ve been told that doing specific ab workouts will help you burn belly fat or reduce them, you’ve been lied. I myself have learned this fact the hard way through trial and error.

Solution

Alright, enough for the nostalgic memories and myth busting. Let us get to the point right away. The true and proven way to lose stubborn belly fat is by consuming fewer calories than our body burns a.k.a creating a caloric deficit. Previously, we’ve learned that we cannot target fat loss specifically on our stomach. However, when we lose fat as a result of caloric deficit, eventually the fat loss will get to the belly fat one way or another. In terms of how long does it take, it depends on our genetics to some degree. So, how do we create a caloric deficit?

1. Proper Nutrition 

Firstly, you need to calculate your daily maintenance calorie intake and then reduce it by 15-20%

For protein/carbohydrate/fat consumption, these are the general recommendations:

Protein: 1g per pound of bodyweight OR 2.2g per kg of bodyweight

Fat: 25% of total calories

Carbohydrates: Whatever is left after calculating protein and fat intake.

2. Exercise 

In terms of exercising, I’d always recommend weightlifting as a first choice because it has tons of benefits such as better physique and health. In fact, weightlifting not only helps build muscle but also burn calories at the same time. Plus, if you have more muscle mass, you’d be able to consume more calories without gaining more fats. This is the same for women too, don’t be afraid to lift weights!

Next, cardiovascular exercise a.k.a cardio is also a great way to burn extra calories along with a proper nutrition and maintain a healthier heart. There are mainly two types of cardio which is high intensity interval training (HIIT) and low intensity steady state cardio (LISS). Both work well as long as they fit into your training routine. However, too much cardio is not good either because it will cause fatigue, muscle loss and hunger. Well, that’s probably why I’m not a big advocate of doing tons of cardio. So, try to balance them out properly and you’ll get the best results.

Bottom Line

Stubborn belly fat is not that ‘stubborn’ actually, provided we follow the proper steps to get rid of it. Here’s a before & after picture of me to show you that you too, can say goodbye to your belly fat!

Proper approach, hard work and consistency are all it takes!

If you find this post useful, feel free to share it and help spread the word!

For any inquiries, you can always contact me through e-mail at:

jswongtraining@gmail.com