Basic Guidelines for Fat Loss Part 1: Diet

While numerous factors affect fat gain and loss, by far the most important is energy balance: calorie intake versus calorie expenditure. If you consume more calories than your body burns over a period of time, you will gain fat. If you want to lose fat, you must consume fewer calories than your body burns. There are three basic ways to accomplish this:

  1. Reduce the amount of calories you consume.
  2. Increase the amount of calories you expend.
  3. A combination of the above.

Reducing Calorie Intake – How Low Should You Go?

Many people believe they can effectively lose fat simply by exercising or increasing their activity levels, however this approach is highly overrated. Most activities do not burn enough calories to be worth performing solely for that purpose, and a significant increase in activity levels will increase appetite, resulting in proportionally greater calorie consumption if intake isn’t being measured and restricted. Reducing calorie intake is a far more practical and time efficient means of creating an energy deficit.

Ideally, caloric intake should be reduced enough to cause the maximum possible rate of fat loss without the loss of muscle or other lean tissue. Muscle tissue is highly metabolically active, and responsible for a significant portion of the calories you burn each day. A loss of muscle results in reduced metabolic rate, so everything possible should be done to maintain muscle while fat is lost. This is especially important for competitive bodybuilders, who are judged on their muscle size.

Since there is a limit to the rate at which the body can get energy from fat, if the calorie deficit is too large the body will take energy from other tissues. According to a paper in the Journal of Theoretical Biology (1,2), it is estimated the average, moderately active person’s body can get approximately 30 calories of energy per day per pound of fat. This means the maximum one can reduce their calorie intake below maintenance levels without losing muscle is approximately 30 for every pound of fat on their body.* For example, an active 180 pound man with 15% body fat would have 27 pounds of fat, so he could reduce his daily calorie intake to about 800 below maintenance without losing lean tissue. Assuming a maintenance intake of approximately 2,800 this would mean a daily caloric intake around 2,000 calories.

Basic Guidelines for Fat Loss

It is important to note these numbers are based on moderately active people not involved in a regular exercise program and not consuming enough protein. The rate at which the body is able to get energy from fat may increase with training and research shows regular resistance training and adequate protein intake helps maintain lean tissue at low calorie intakes (3,4,5,6). However, to maintain as much muscle as possible a conservative approach is best, so caloric deficit should not significantly exceed 31 per pound of body fat.

As fat is lost the caloric deficit must decrease proportionally to avoid loss of lean tissue. If our 180 pound man from the above example consumes 800 calories below maintenance, he should lose approximately 1.6 pounds of fat the first week (800 calories per day multiplied by 7 days = 5,600 calories, divided by approximately 3,500 calories in a pound of fat = 1.6). He would then have only 25.4 pounds of fat, and would have to decrease his caloric deficit to about 760 below maintenance to avoid muscle loss.

If you’ve been checking the math you’ll notice I’m rounding everything down. In the long run it is better to err a little low on your calorie deficit and lose fat slightly more slowly than to err high and risk losing muscle mass.

Since the maximal caloric deficit must decrease as fat is lost, it is necessary to regularly re-assess body fat and maintenance calorie intake levels and adjust daily calorie intake appropriately. However, since body fat percentage, basal metabolic rate, and calories burned due to daily activity and calories consumed can not be measured with perfect accuracy, and metabolic rate will decrease slightly over time as a result of your body adjusting to the reduced calorie intake, there is little point in re-assessing too frequently. Weekly or bi-weekly assessment and adjustment is adequate under most circumstances.

Calorie Deficit Versus Nutrient Intake For Obese Individuals

Obese individuals may have enough fat to provide close to or even more energy per day than the amount their body requires. However, regardless of the amount of body fat you have, your daily caloric intake should not be reduced below a level necessary for adequate intake of essential macro and micronutrients. The absolute minimum daily calorie intake I would recommend without medical supervision would be approximately half of the estimated daily calorie expenditure.

For example, a 300 pound man with 45% body fat has enough fat to provide over 4,000 calories in a day. Unless he is extremely active this is far more energy than he requires. However, he would still need to eat enough food to provide adequate protein, fat, carbohydrate, and essential vitamins and minerals to function normally.

Some people may have other health conditions with their own nutritional considerations and should consult with a medical doctor before making any significant dietary changes.

Estimating Daily Calorie Expenditure

The average daily calorie expenditure can be roughly estimated for most moderately active people by multiplying their estimated healthy body weight (around 15% body fat if male, 20% if female) by 15. Smaller and/or sedentary people may need to multiply by as little as 12 to 14, while larger and/or very active people may need to multiply by as high as 16 to 18. (7)

A slower but more accurate method of estimating daily calorie expenditure is to measure and record your daily calorie intake and your body weight and body fat percentage every two to four weeks (if you are female you should always weigh and measure at the same time in your menstrual cycle) and calculate your maintenance calorie intake based on any changes in body weight. If you’re gaining weight your daily caloric intake is over maintenance level, if you’re losing weight it’s under. For example, if you are losing half a pound of fat per week on average, your average daily calorie intake is approximately 250 calories below maintenance.

Regardless of your starting estimate it will be necessary to measure and record your daily calorie intake and regularly reassess your weight and body fat levels, and adjust your intake up or down based on how your body responds.

Measuring Body Composition

While there are a variety of methods for determining body fat percentage, the most practical and cost efficient for most people is skinfold measurements. A three-site skinfold test (chest, abdomen and thigh for men, triceps, suprailium and thigh for women) performed by a skilled technician will provide a reasonably accurate measurement of body composition. (8) Most fitness centers and personal training studios offer skinfold testing or another form of body composition testing for a fee.

You can measure your own body fat with the help of a friend and a skinfold caliper, which can be purchased inexpensively online or at most fitness equipment and health food stores.

A slightly more expensive but easier option is to use a scale that uses bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to estimate body fat percentage. Since these measure impedance to an electrical current which seeks the shortest path through the body, a scale like the Omron that uses both hand and foot contacts will provide a more accurate estimate of overall body composition for most people than BIA devices with only hand or foot contacts.

Calculating Daily Calorie Intake for Fat Loss

Multiply your body fat in pounds by 30 and subtract the result from your daily maintenance calorie intake to determine your minimum daily calorie intake to maintain muscle while losing fat. I do not recommend going below half of your estimated daily maintenance calorie intake without medical supervision.

While the above should provide a reasonably good estimate of the daily calorie intake required for near maximal fat loss while maintaining lean tissue, regardless of what your calculations show, remember that practical results are what count. If you do not lose a measurable amount of fat over a period of several weeks gradually reduce your calories until you do, or if your physical or mental performance declines gradually increase your calories until it improves.

For a detailed guide to calculating calorie intake for maximum fat loss with worksheets read Getting Ripped.

Protein, Carbohydrate, and Fat

Although calorie intake is the most important factor for fat loss, the macronutrients you consume also have an effect. Most importantly, adequate protein intake is necessary to maintain lean tissue while eating below maintenance calorie levels, and there are other benefits to higher protein intake such as increased satiety, and a greater metabolic cost compared to fats and carbohydrates. Protein intake should be around one gram per day per pound of lean body mass, and consist of primarily meat, fish, eggs, poultry, and dairy. The remainder of your calories should come equally from fats and carbohydrates, with most of the fats coming from animal sources or coconut, and most of the carbohydrates coming from vegetables.

Meal Timing

What and how much you eat on average over the course of each day is far more important than when you eat it, so you should divide up your meals in whatever way works best for you. Some people find it easier to eat six to eight smaller meals spread throughout the day, some find it easier to consume only one or two meals within a short time frame and fast the rest of the time, and many find something in between works best for them. Some people eat different numbers of meals on different days depending on their schedule or whether they work out. The best meal frequency for you is the one that is easiest to follow consistently.

Hydration

Drink plenty of fluids over the course of each day. Staying adequately hydrated helps to reduce appetite and enables your kidneys to function optimally. If the kidneys are not functioning well, the liver will take on some of their work, reducing its capacity to metabolize fat for energy. It isn’t necessary to consume a specific amount of water per day, but pay attention to your body and drink something whenever you are thirsty.

Supplements

The majority of fat loss supplements do very little or nothing, and the rare few that are effective won’t make any noticeable difference unless the above dietary guidelines are being followed. Fish oil helps reduce fat and improves other health factors in combination with regular exercise (10), and protein powder or high-protein meal replacements can be helpful if you are having difficulty getting adequate protein from food or finding time to prepare nutritious meals. The ECA stack (20-25 mg ephedrine, 200 mg caffeine, and a baby aspirin one to three times daily) also helps with fat loss, but if you use this you should start with half the typical dose only once per and gradually increase from there.

Keeping Track

The only way to know you are eating the right amount of food each day is to measure and record it in a journal or app. Most people significantly underestimate the amount of calories they consume so guessing or estimating doesn’t work. It may seem inconvenient at first but it only takes a few seconds to weigh or measure and look up the nutritional value of something and record it. Smart phone apps like LoseIt! and MyFitnessPal make this process even easier.

Purchase a digital food scale and several sets of measuring cups and spoons. You will be using them often, and the more you have the less frequently you will need to wash dishes. Having a lot of plastic food storage containers also makes it easier to prepare and package multiple pre-measured meals for the rest of the week.

Continue to Basic Guidelines for Fat Loss Part 2: Exercise

Notes:

* “A limit on the maximum energy transfer rate from the human fat store in hypophagia is deduced from experimental data of underfed subjects maintaining moderate activity levels and is found to have a value of (290 ± 25) kJ/kg d. A dietary restriction which exceeds the limited capability of the fat store to compensate for the energy deficiency results in an immediate decrease in the fat free mass (FFM). In cases of a less severe dietary deficiency, the FFM will not be depleted.” (2)

References:

1. Determining the Maximum Dietary Deficit for Fat Loss. Lyle McDonald. 2006. http://www.mindandmuscle.net/mindandmuscle/magpage.php?artID=35&pageNum=1

2. Alpert SS. A limit on the energy transfer rate from the human fat store in hypophagia. J Theor Biol. 2005 Mar 7;233(1):1-13.

3. Goldberg AL, Etlinger JD, Goldpsink DF, Jablecki C. Mechanism of work-induced hypertrophy of skeletal muscle. Med Sci Sports. 1975 Fall;7(3):185-198.

4. Stiegler P. Cunliffe A. The role of diet and exercise for the maintenance of fat-free mass and resting metabolic rate during weight loss. Review Article. Sports Medicine. 2006. 36(3):239-262.

5. Layman DK, Evans E, Baum JI, Seyler J, Erickson DJ, Boileau RA. Dietary protein and exercise have additive effects on body composition during weight loss in adult women. J Nutr. 2005 Aug; 135(8):1903-1910.

6. Alexander JL. The role of resistance exercise in weight loss. Strength and Conditioning Journal. 2002 Feb 24(1):65-69.

7. Clark, Nancy. Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook, 3rd ed. Champaign, IL. Human Kinetics, 2003.

8. Baun WD, Baun MR, Raven PB. A nomogram for the estimate of percent body fat from generalized equations. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport. 1981. 52:380-384

9. Hedge SS, Ahuja SR. Assessment of body fat content in young and middle aged men: skinfold method versus girth method. J Postgrad Med. 1996 Oct-Dec:42(4):97-100.

10. AM Hill, JD Buckley, KJ Murphy, et al. Combined effects of omega-3 supplementation and regular exercise on body composition and cardiovascular risk factors. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr, 2005; 14 Suppl: S57.

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  • Jim Swayze Dec 1, 2008 @ 10:32

    The actual process is more complicated than the “calories in, calories out” model. The body burns fat, protein, and carbs at different rates than that predicted by the bomb-calorimeter-derived amounts. The best method for weight loss is a moderate protein, low to zero carb, unlimited quality fat regimen. Why moderate protein? Because protein above the amount the body needs for repair and growth is simply converted to glucose via gluconeogenesis. Again, protein just becomes sugar. See Ron Rosedale.

  • Drew Baye Dec 1, 2008 @ 10:48

    Jim,

    While I agree it’s more complicated than calories in versus calories out, it is one of the most important factors. I touched on the protein, fat, carb issue in the section on macronutrient intakes.

  • Brit Jan 14, 2009 @ 16:21

    Just found your site, and was scanning over this post. Do you have any links to descriptions of the exercises you recommend? Because I have no idea how to perform “dead lifts” or “barbell rows,” etc.

  • Drew Baye Jan 14, 2009 @ 17:01

    Brit,

    I don’t currently have descriptions of any exercises on this site, but you can find very basic guidelines for most common exercises on exrx.net. I recommend checking out the book Body by Science by Doug McGuff, MD and John Little, which contains instructions with photos of all the exercises mentioned.

  • Anthony Mar 2, 2009 @ 18:29

    Found your blog off of the bodybyscience blog, good stuff, well written article here.

    I’m curious, what are your reasons for mostly unsaturated fats?

    • Drew Baye Mar 5, 2009 @ 0:53

      Anthony,

      At the time, the primary reason was concern over cholesterol, however after reading some of Anthony Colpo’s book The Great Cholesterol Con, I am not so sure about this. As long as someone gets enough of the essential fatty acids it probably doesn’t make too much difference whether the rest of the fat is saturated or not.

  • Billy Jul 30, 2009 @ 23:14

    @Jim Swayze
    Hey Jim

    What you recommend sounds like the “get shredded” diet by john berardi.

    B

  • Neal Sep 9, 2013 @ 14:02

    Hi Drew,
    I would be interested in your views on whether you should increase calorie intake on training days whilst trying to reduce calories overall ie over the space of a week for example.
    After a workout I am ravenously hungry and eat big for the rest of the day and would feel dreadful if if I didn’t. i am also sure this would effect my recovery if I didn’t.
    My calorie intake on training days is always much more than than my BMR+ energy expended during the actual workout.

    • Drew Baye Sep 10, 2013 @ 8:51

      Neal,

      I have some clients eat more on training days following their workouts, but only once they have already reduced their body fat percentage significantly, and not more in a day than a conservative estimate of their average daily expenditure.

  • Lucie Nov 30, 2013 @ 16:32

    Hi Drew,
    Thanks for the article.
    I lost more than 2st of weight over a period of 9months by exercising and changing my diet. However,slowly but surely my weight has been creeping back up since July last year.Yes, some it is definitely muscle as I’ve been doing more strength training and lifting weights (lost weight with bootcamp, started doing Crossfit a few months ago), but it seems that my body fat’s going up as well.
    I lost weight by counting calories, basically weighing everything before I put it into my mouth.But I cannot imagine doing this for the rest of my life to keep my weight off.
    As soon as I stop weighing my food, I automatically start eating a bit more.

    1) Any suggestions how to break this “habit”/circle please ? I don’t want to be counting calories for the rest of my life.

    My body shape’s closest to endomorph and I tend to put on weight quite easily.I also seem to put on muscle quite well… ?

    2) My big problem’s sleep deprivation due to my night shifts. I cannot sleep longer than 2-3 hours after a night shift and my sleep on nights off is getting worse as well. Of course I crave carbs a lot on such days and cannot always fight it, I am afraid.
    I know this does not help fat loss at all.

    >>> Does it mean that no matter what I do, I simply may not be able to improve my body composition because of the lack of sleep ?
    Because that’s how I feel it is at the moment.
    Any recommendations please ?

    Thank you.
    Lucie

    • Drew Baye Dec 2, 2013 @ 10:59

      Lucie,

      Getting adequate protein appears to be important in appetite regulation, and choosing foods which are very high in volume relative to calories like non-starchy vegetables helps as well.

      Unfortunately sleep deprivation negatively effects various hormones involved in regulating appetite and metabolism and tends to cause fat gain. Sleep deprivation also negatively affects will power, which combined with the effect on appetite makes portion control more difficult. Getting more sleep will make it a lot easier for you to improve your body composition.

      • Lucie Dec 3, 2013 @ 8:03

        Hi Drew,
        Thank you for your reply.
        Yes,getting enough sleep would be definitely great,but it doesn’t seem to work and it’s been getting worse progressively.So unless I stop doing night shifts, I am not sure how to improve my sleep. 🙁

        If anyone has got any suggestions / own experience, I will be grateful. I have tried a couple of herbal remedies, but no success.

        Thank you.
        Regards, Lucie

        • Drew Baye Dec 10, 2013 @ 14:43

          Lucie,

          Unfortunately, sleeping during the day can be difficult for some people depending on the brightness, loudness, temperature, and other conditions where you sleep, but if optimizing these does not help you may want to consider seeing a doctor and having a sleep study done if it continues to get worse.

  • Charlie Baker Jul 7, 2015 @ 10:02

    Hey Drew,

    I’m a huge fan of your work. I just calculated my maximum calorie deficit which came out to 818.4 (176 lbs, 15% body fat, 26.4 lbs of fat, 2,640 calories to maintain composition). This gives me a daily calorie intake of 1821.6. Is this really the number of calories I shouldn’t go below if I’m trying to stay lean? I feel like I’d have to eat more than I usually do to reach 1821.6.

    I’ve been staying below 1700 calories for about 2 months now. I follow the high intensity program and haven’t made much progress in terms of strength after the first two weeks. (I improved rapidly at first and then seemed to plateau. I record everything.) My body fat hasn’t changed at all. How likely is this due to under consumption of calories?

    Thank you in advance!

    Charlie

    Charlie

    • Drew Baye Jul 24, 2015 @ 11:39

      Hey Charlie,

      Undereating is probably part of it, and depending on how long you’ve been training overall you may have to evaluate strength gains over a longer period than two weeks to determine whether a change needs to be made. The longer a person has been training the slower they will progress (with the exception of resuming training after a layoff, starting a new program which often requires a few weeks to adjust the weights, etc).

      You may want to read Workout Performance Versus Progress

  • Alex Feb 24, 2016 @ 10:01

    Hello. I’ve read in “the four hour body” that the first picture was taken after more than six months of no direct abdominal exercises. What does that exactly mean?

    Thanks in advance.

    • Drew Baye Feb 25, 2016 @ 15:18

      Hey Alex,

      It means that during the six months prior to the day the photo was taken I did not perform any exercises which directly targeted the abdominal muscles; I didn’t do any crunches or use any kind of abdominal training equipment. I cover the training and diet I used to get in that condition in Getting Ripped.

  • Mitch Collins Jan 2, 2017 @ 19:44

    Drew:

    As always, great stuff. Thank you for sharing.

    What are your thoughts on how often to eat, e.g. fasting and intermittent fasting? There seems to be quite a bit of emergent research indicating F/IF can be beneficial for weight loss, body composition and other metabolic benefits.

    • Drew Baye Jan 7, 2017 @ 18:40

      Hey Mitch,

      I already addressed this in the Meal Timing section of the article. All else being equal meal timing and frequency does not appear to make much of a difference in the long run.

  • Sandor Denesi Jan 3, 2017 @ 7:12

    Hi Drew,
    I have a question related to protein intake, since it seems to be hard to accomplish it.
    You state that the adequate protein intake should be 1-1.5 grams per day per pound of lean body mass.
    I am pretty lean right now, around 155 pounds, with around 15% body fat, sedentary.
    According to Katch-McArdle my BMR with a 1.2 multiplier is around 2000 calories.
    That means my lean body mass is around 132 pounds, so I should eat around 132 * 1,5 = 198 grams of protein each day.
    That doesn’t sound much, but most meats and other high protein foods have around 20g of protein per 100g, with around 150 calories per 100g.
    So, in order to eat 198g of protein from meat, that contains 20% protein, I have to eat almost 2.2 pounds of it which adds up to almost 1500 calories.
    To accomplish the minimum requirements for other macronutrients (fats, carbs, fiber) to remain healthy, one needs to eat other foods too.
    Based on these calculations, it is pretty hard to create a calorie deficit while maintaining a healthy diet, at least for somebody with my body composition.
    Please let me know if my calculation is flawed, or if you have any dietary advice on how to accomplish healthy fat loss in my case. I hope there is another way to lose fat besides eating only skinless chicken breast and protein powder 🙂
    Thank you for your update on this article, I really appreciate your work.

    Best Regards,
    Sandor

    • Drew Baye Jan 7, 2017 @ 18:38

      Hey Sandor,

      Most of the research supports consuming close to one gram per pound of lean body mass normally, and more while restricting calories, although I don’t think it needs to be as high as 1.5 and removed that from the article (this is based on a figure of 1.4 from studies of bodybuilders during pre-contest dieting, but I think they were also overtrained which increased their protein requirements). Even then, getting between 1 and 1.5 is not difficult if you choose leaner sources of protein. For example, an omelette with three whole eggs and three whites and eight ounces each of grilled skinless chicken breast and top sirloin would give you 136 grams of protein (over 1 gram per pound of lean body mass) and 62 grams of fat, while leaving several hundred more for carbohydrate while still eating at a deficit.

  • Trace Jan 3, 2017 @ 16:13

    Thanks again Drew for all of your hard work in your field of interest. I’ve learned from you and others over the past 8 years that the facts about exercise and nutrition that work best to accomplish the results that everyone seems to want are actually very simple yet unacceptable to the majority of people. That’s why the fitness industry thrives on half-truths or outright lies. People want to hear what they want to hear in spite of evidence to the contrary. (As an example, we see scores of people still flocking to the “cardio” machines several times a week regardless of the statement made by ACSM and the AHA that all of the research looking for evidence of fat reduction through aerobic emphasized exercise has proven to be “uninspiring”.) Logically one’s exercise program and food intake choice should be considered from the standpoint of effectiveness, efficiency and safety. Yet little to none of such considerations exist in the marketplace with its continuing emphasis on fun, exercise volume and frequency, along with our government’s outdated nutritional guidelines. Of course the more confusing everything is the more opportunities there are for opportunists to make more money. The worst of it is that medical agencies appear to agree with the fitness industry by remaining silent. However, those who are able to discriminate and take responsibility for their own actions will always be attracted to your material and to many other works that seriously and brilliantly counter much of the nonsense. For me I know only 2 truths: 1. HIT (properly performed with whatever preferred protocol) will give you the most functional and appealing body possible without risk of injury and 2. There is no reasonable way to avoid unwanted body fat unless one gives up consuming simple sugars.These 2 truths are proved by just doing them.

    • Drew Baye Jan 7, 2017 @ 18:25

      Hey Trace,

      You are right that “Logically one’s exercise program and food intake choice should be considered from the standpoint of effectiveness, efficiency and safety.” The problem is that most people are not consistently logical and emotion plays a much bigger role in their decisions than reason. This is evident in the way most exercise and diet programs and fitness products and services are marketed.

      You are wrong about simple sugars, however. You shouldn’t consume too much for health reasons but is not necessary to give them up entirely to lose fat as long as you are eating fewer calories than you burn on average.

  • Bryan Jul 7, 2017 @ 13:06

    Hey Drew,

    Excellent article! I’ve used your book Getting Ripped to bring myself down to 157lbs and about 12% body fat by calipers. I recently started a new job as a Scuba Diver cleaning boats and my calorie needs seem to have gone up substantially. I’m underwater for 2-3 hours per boat, 2-3 times per day depending on my mood and schedule, 5 days a week. I can tell that diving is a calorie intensive activity because the post dive hunger is insane.

    I can literally eat whatever I want and not gain weight, or so it appears. I’ve been doing the job for two weeks and my calorie counting has gone out the window. The numbers I used before, using your book, aren’t working for this. Even eating maintenance, I’m ravenously hungry, so I just started eating whatever I wanted so I didn’t feel like crap anymore, and the funny thing is, I’m still losing lbs on the scale. Down to 155lbs now after two weeks of diving without counting anything.

    At my level of leanness though, this could be a problem. Is the loss from fat? Is it muscle? I don’t know. Based on the knowledge you’re kicking down, I need to eat enough to preserve muscle mass, but not so much I gain fat. I do lift and I rock climb in my spare time, but I can’t get a handle on the caloric requirements of diving.

    Every resource I’ve looked at puts diving at 600-800 kcals PER HOUR depending on a variety of factors and is mostly explained as the thermodynamics of being in water that, even at a pleasant temp, is still colder than 98.6 and the body chewing up calories maintaining the core temp.

    I don’t dive everyday nor do I time for the same lengths of time on every dive. How can I account for such a massive swing in energy expenditure using your model? Do I just bump the activity modifier up to 1.5 or 1.7?

    Thanks for all the work you’ve done. It’s produced tremendous results in myself and every person I’ve ever shared it with.

    • Drew Baye Jul 28, 2017 @ 13:09

      The best way to figure this out is to gradually increase your calorie intake until your weight stabilizes. If you are eating enough protein (about a gram per day per pound of goal bodyweight) and strength training regularly you should not be losing muscle, though.