How to Plan Your Diet to Lose Fat Gain Muscle and Have a Fitness Model Physique

  Let's be clear, to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time is not easy and takes thought, planning and discipline. This is especially true when it comes to your diet; and in this article we will discuss a strategy I have followed that has worked for me when I want to get lean but still be building or at least holding muscle mass.

   To lose and gain muscle is a contradiction when it comes to calories 

  To increase new muscle tissue, your body requires energy that comes in the form of calories. When we want muscle we eat more however when wanting to lose fat we need to eat less and reduce the amount of energy coming into our body to create a calories deficit.


  As a rule of thumb if you building muscle then you require 20-25 calories per pound of bodyweight. If your goal is to lose fat then you should aim for a figure of 10-13 calories per pound of bodyweight.

  If we look at myself for example I weigh 180 pounds so if I want to build muscle I really need to be eating around 3600-4500 calories per day. On the other hand when I want to start losing fat then approximately 2000 calories per day would do the trick (I actually go a bit lower than this)
When you analyse these figures you can see that losing fat and building muscle is a real challenge.

 The trick I found was all about timing

  So instead of looking at my diet on a daily basis I looked at it from a weekly perspective. By doing this I could then determine when my body needed food the most and when I could reduce calories so that my total weekly calories intake was still low enough to lose fat. This is what I finally decided to try.

  I was training 4 times a week so on these days I would eat normally as if I was building muscle but making sure it was only clean foods. Then on 2 other days I would fast and the other remaining day would be low calorie. Now I always thought that fasting would result in muscle loss but after coming across Brad Pilons Eat Stop Eat program his research proved this wasn't the case providing the fast periods were short (no more than 24 hours) and intermittent 2-3 times a week maximum.

  This plan meant on workout days my body was full of energy so I could train hard plus I had plenty of nutrients to ensure my muscles were well fed. On the fast days my body was just using body fat for energy but without eating away at my muscle. I also found that I had plenty of energy and could still do a cardio workout if I felt like it.

  So here is an example week

Monday       - Train - 3000 calories
Tuesday       - Fast day - only water from 8pm Monday till 8pm Tuesday - Dinner 500 calories
Wednesday  - Train - 3000 Calories
Thursday     - Fast day - only water from 8pm Wednesday till 8pm Thursday - Dinner 500 calories
Friday         - Train - 3000 Calories
Saturday     - Train - 3000 Calories
Sunday       - Rest - 1000 Calories

  As you can see I am only having 14000 calories for the week, which is what I need for fat loss, however on training days I am almost able to eat as if just building muscle.

  When trying to lose fat I don't expect to build much muscle but this strategy has worked well allowing me to keep the muscle I had already built plus gain around 2-5 pounds while getting lean which is enough in my book. If you're struggling to lose fat and gain muscle then this plan is well worth a shot.

  I am Howard Standring a Personal Trainer who lives in Southern Spain. I coach and advice men and women of all ages to help them achieve a lean attractive body that lasts for life.

   For more workouts, advanced fat loss tips and muscle building advice to look like a Hollywood star or fashion model visit my blog http://www.energiafitness.com.

  If you are a busy person then intermittent fasting is the best weight loss plan <----click here now to find out why


 

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