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All you hear is people preaching about a calorie deficit and that it’s the secret to fat loss. Well… yes. But how can you make sure you are maintaining a calorie deficit and what does a day of eating look like on a fat loss diet?
What is the best fat loss diet?
In this post we are going to share some tips and tricks, including recipes, diet templates and calculations to make sure you are actually on track for a calorie deficit. Firstly a disclaimer and an important mindset to have when searching for a ‘fat loss diet’. There is no such thing. The recipes we will discuss today are all designed to fill you up with minimal calories, hence a calorie deficit. There is no such thing as a fat loss food, a fat loss meal or a fat loss diet. Fat loss isn’t achieved through one choice, it is achieved through consistently making the right choice when it comes to your foods and nutrition. Yes, you will be successful in your fat loss journey if you make the right choice today, but you also need to make the right choice tomorrow, next week and next month.
So to kick off your fat loss diet, you need to understand a little bit more about calories…
How many calories should I be eating for fat loss?
We have previously discussed how to work towards a calorie deficit in "how to start losing weight in 2024". We recommend in this post that you should aim for a 100-500 calorie deficit per day.
How to calculate your deficit…
bodyweight (lbs) x 10 (inactive) or 12 (active) = Maintenance calories
Maintenance calories - 100 = Beginners Calorie deficit
So for an active person who weighs 80kg (176lbs), their maintenance calories would be 176 x 12 = 2,112 (as this is a rough calculation consider your maintenance calories in a range, so we would assume for this example the maintenance calories would be 2,000-2,200 per day).
To calculate their deficit, we would take 100 off their maintenance calories, so 1,900-2,000 calories per day.
What foods should I be eating for fat loss?
Now we have discussed the importance of calories, what foods are the best to include in a fat loss diet? Theoretically, as long as your diet stays within your calculated calorie deficit range, you will lose weight, and whilst this is true, you will find that some foods fill you up for far less calories than others. For example…
This 180g bar of Cadburys chocolate is roughly 960 calories.
For the same amount of calories (and a more nutrient dense meal) you could have…
200g of chicken breast, 150g of rice and loads of veg, and still have calories left over.
So choosing foods for your fat loss diet is about being clever. It may be a tedious task to start with, but finding foods that you enjoy and are ‘calorie smart’ (contain few calories and fill you up!) is the key to success.
Before we look at a full day of eating for a fat loss diet, let’s look at some tips and tricks to look for when choosing your fat loss meals…
Fat loss dieting tips…
High protein meals - Not only is protein essential for proper health and growth, it also takes the longest to digest compared to carbs and fats. This will leave you feeling fuller for longer.
Calorie smart meals - We have already mentioned that some foods contain more calories for less volume. Choose meals that are lower in calories but are more nutrient dense and fill you up.
Pace your meals - Have you ever had a huge meal, and you only feel full about 20 minutes later? That’s because it takes your body a while to let you know it’s full! Before desert, have a pint of water and wait 20 minutes, if you are still hungry, choose a low calorie desert to fill you up.
Listen to your body - Don’t starve yourself. That is NOT the message we are trying to get across. If you are hungry, eat something!! But instead of choosing the 350 calorie bar of cholate that wont fill you up, choose a snack or meal that will actually solve your hunger.
Create a habit - Are you going to meal prep? Are you going to eat at set times in the day? Are you going to track your calories? You don’t HAVE to do any of these things, but if you want to see a difference, you do need to make a change. Choose a habit that you can manage and doesn’t over take your life!
Following a day in a fat loss diet!
Breakfast
Meal Option 1 - Protein Porridge
Ingredients
Oats - 40g
Milk (Or non dairy alternative) - 225ml
Protein powder - 15g
(Optional) Cinnamon - 1tsp
(Optional) Berries - 30g
(Optional) Maple syrup - 1tbsp
Method
Step 1 - Mix your oats and milk option in a saucepan and heat until simmering. Heat until the porridge becomes a nice thick consistency.
Step 2 - Mix the protein powder into the bowl
Step 3 - Add your toppings and enjoy.
Nutritional facts
Calories - 335 Protein - 27.5g
More Breakfast Meal options
Lunch
Meal Option 1 - Chicken and Rice (I know its ‘sounds’ boring)
Ingredients
Chicken breast 150g
Rice (cooked) 200g
Veg (we will use cauliflower and broccoli but choose whatever and how ever much you want)
Method
Step 1 - Wash and rinse your rice before boiling. Add double the amount of water to dry rice into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 12-14 minutes
Step 2 - Whilst the rice is cooking, dice your chicken into small chunks and fry for 5-8 minutes. Add any seasoning of your choice.
Step 3 - Chop your veg and add to the pan. Fry for another 3-5 minutes.
Step 4 - Drain the rice dish up. Add your chicken and veg mix on top and enjoy.
Nutritional facts
Calories - 507 Protein - 27.5g
Dinner
Meal option 1 - salmon and new potatoes
Ingredients
Salmon fillet - 150g
New potatoes - 175g
Tender stem broccoli - 80g
Include other veg options if you want
Method
Step 1 - Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Add your whole new potatoes and a pinch of salt, and boil for 20-25 minutes or until a fork can easily push through the potato .
Step 2 - While your potatoes boil, heat your oven to 180 degrees. Wrap your salmon fillet, skin side up, in foil. Add a pinch of salt, pepper and few ml of lemon juice. Cook for 15-20 minutes.
Step 3 - With half a tbsp of oil, fry your tender stem broccoli for 4-6 minutes on high heat.
Step 4 - When your potatoes are don, rinse and cool. Add to a boil along with your salmon fillet and veg.
Nutrient breakdown
Calories - 450 Protein - 37g
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