Getting Lean - Basic Guidelines for Losing Fat

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Getting Lean - Basic Guidelines for Losing Fat

by Drew Baye

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 a 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 31 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 31 for every pound of fat on their body.* For example, a 180 pound man with 15% body fat would have 27 pounds of fat, so he could reduce his daily calorie intake to 837 below maintenance without losing lean tissue (27 pounds of fat multiplied by 31 = 837). Assuming a maintenance intake of approximately 2700 this would mean a daily caloric intake around 1863 calories.

It is important to note these numbers are based on moderately active people not involved in a regular exercise program and most likely not consuming adequate amounts of 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 837 calories below maintenance, he should lose approximately 1.67 pounds of fat the first week (837 calories per day multiplied by 7 days = 5859 calories, divided by approximately 3,500 calories in a pound of fat = 1.674). He would then have only 25.33 pounds of fat, and would have to decrease his caloric deficit to approximately 785 below maintenance to avoid muscle loss (25.33 pounds of fat multiplied by 31 = 785.23).

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

Severely 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 1,200 for men and 1,000 for women.

For example, if you are a 300 pound man with 45% body fat and a maintenance intake of 4,800 calories per day your body fat could theoretically provide enough energy to make up for a daily caloric deficit of 4,185 however, this would result in an intake of only 615. Assuming an ideal bodyweight of approximately 194 pounds, your minimal daily calorie intake should be nearly double that to provide adequate protein and carbohydrate, and adequate amounts of essential vitamins and minerals.

If you are severely obese you may have other health conditions with their own nutritional considerations and should consult with your doctor before making any significant changes to your diet.

Determining Maintenance Calorie Intake

For most moderately active people, multiplying ideal bodyweight (approximately 15% body fat if male, 20% if female) by 15 will provide a reasonably good estimate of daily maintenance calorie intake. Sedentary or smaller people may need to multiply by as little as 12 to 14, while very active or larger people may need to multiply by as high as 16 to 18. (7) Even better would be to measure and record bodyweight and body fat percentage and daily calorie intake over a period of several weeks and calculate maintenance calorie intake based on any changes in bodyweight (if you're gaining weight your daily caloric intake is over maintenance level, if you're losing weight it's below). Better yet would be to be have your resting metabolic rate tested at a physiology lab or fitness center with the appropriate equipment.

Regardless of your initial estimate it will be necessary to measure and record your daily calorie intake and regularly reassess your body fat levels, and to 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 simpler although slightly less accurate (9) method of measuring body fat is to use circumference measurements. This may be more practical for obese individuals who can be difficult to perform skinfold measurements on.

Calculating Daily Calorie Intake for Fat Loss

Multiply your body fat in pounds by 31 and subtract the result from your daily maintenance calorie intake to determine your minimum daily calorie intake to maintain muscle while losing fat. Men should not go below 1,200 and women should not go below 1,000 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.

Macronutrient Intakes, Meal Timing and Hydration

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 between 1 and 1.5 grams per day per pound of "ideal" bodyweight, and consist of primarily lean meat, fish, eggs, dairy and nuts. Fats should be approximately 20 to 30 percent of your daily calorie intake, and should be mostly unsaturated. Carbohydrates make up the remainder, and should come primarily from fruits and vegetables. Foods with high amounts of simple sugars and saturated fats should be strictly limited or avoided altogether.

Your daily caloric intake should be divided equally between four to six, evenly spaced meals. Smaller meals have a lower glycemic load, meaning steadier blood sugar levels, no huge insulin spikes, and steadier energy levels throughout the day. On workout days, I suggest dividing one of your meals into pre and post-workout snacks.

Drink a gallon of cold water 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, which reduces the liver's capacity to metabolize your fat stores for energy.

Supplements

The majority of weight loss supplements produce little or nothing in the way of worthwhile results, and the rare few that do won't make any noticeable difference unless the above dietary guidelines are being followed. The only supplements I recommend are a basic multivitamin, fish oil, protein powder and meal replacements. Studies have shown 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.

Keeping Track

If you are serious about losing body fat a daily food journal is essential. You must measure and record everything you consume on a daily basis. This is the only way to know you are consuming the appropriate number of calories. Since most people significantly underestimate the amount of calories they consume, guessing simply won't cut it. Although it may seem like a major inconvenience, it only takes a few seconds to weigh, measure or look up the nutritional value of something and record it.

I recommend purchasing 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. You will also need a calorie and nutrient reference book. While a smaller notebook is easier to carry around, it will not have adequate space unless you have very small handwriting. Use the largest notebook you are comfortable carrying. If you regularly carry a PDA or laptop computer, another option is using Excel or a word processing program, or one of the many diet tracking programs available.

Record the date and target calorie and macronutrient intakes at the top of the page for each day in your food journal. Divide the page into separate columns for the type and amount of food, calories per item, total calories and meal time. Do the same for protein, carbohydrate and fat if you are tracking these as well. I recommend at least tracking protein in addition to calories to ensure adequate intake.

Under the column for food record the amount and type of item consumed. Under the columns for calories and macronutrients being tracked, record both the value of the food item consumed and the current daily total. Under the column for time, record the time you finished eating. Keeping running totals makes it easier to keep track of how much you've consumed. Recording meal time is important to keep meals evenly spaced throughout the day.

Weight and body composition measurements should be recorded at the bottom of the page for the day they are performed, along with the time. On workout days you should also make a note of your workout performance. Other relevant information such as energy level, mood, hunger, etc. could be recorded as well.

Increasing Calorie Expenditure - Exercise and Metabolic Rate

As I mentioned earlier, exercise or increased activity alone is highly overrated for fat loss. Few activities burn enough calories to be worth performing for that purpose, and unless you are restricting your calorie intake it will most likely increase with activity level as a result of increased appetite.

The most important benefit exercise can provide to someone trying to lose fat is not the increase in calories burned during workouts, but the maintenance or increase of muscle tissue so that metabolic rate does not decrease. This can only effectively be accomplished with resistance training. Most steady-state activities such as aerobics, running, cycling, swimming, etc. do not burn a significant amount of calories per hour, are ineffective for maintaining muscle mass, and can even cause a loss of muscle if performed too long or too often. Additionally, resistance training can provide all of the cardiovascular benefits traditionally associated with these activities (11), so they are unnecessary for any fitness or health related purpose.

The effects of resistance training on muscular strength and hypertrophy are specific to the muscles worked. Performing an exercise for the muscles of the legs will do little to stimulate growth in or maintain the muscles of the arms, and vice versa. Because of this, exercises should be performed for all muscle groups as frequently as individual recovery ability allows to maintain as much muscle mass as possible. For most people, two or three full-body workouts per week is an effective approach. (12, 13) Those with below average exercise tolerance or recovery ability or advanced trainees working at a much higher than average level of intensity may get better results training less frequently or following a split routine to reduce individual workout volume. As trainees become more advanced and train with higher levels of intensity and greater loads, workout volume and frequency should be reduced.