Dont worry about calories. There are better things you can measure.
If you want to lose fat, the amount that will make your friends say "What the F@^£ have you been doing" you can follow these rules.. Its what I did to lose 17Lb 3.6% body fat and over 8 inches in 25 days.
# 1 Eliminate Carbohydrates
White Carbohydrates that come from bread, pasta, rice, cereal, potatoes, tortillas, fried food with breading and sugar elevate blood sugar which in turn makes you gain weight easier and lose weight harder. Unfortunately for many people those excess pounds go right to the belly. Many people find that they can be quite effective at losing belly fat just by eliminating white flour and sugar from their diets. Another reason to stay away from white carbohydrates is because alloxan is found in many of these foods, alloxen is formed from chlorine dioxide (which is used to bleach flour) is combined with the residual protein in the food. The reason why alloxan is bad is because its actually used to produce diabetes! Researchers use it to induce diabetes in lab rats; another reason to stay well clear of white carbohydrates. Bottom line is don't eat white carbohydrates unless you want to get fatter.
# 2 Eat Using The 3 Fat Loss Food Groups
Eat as much as you like out of the following food groups but eat all 3 with every meal. (breakfast can be an exception) Mix and match out of:
Protein: Eggs, Chicken (breast or thigh) Beef, Fish, Pork, Lamb
Legumes: Black Beans, Lentils, Red Beans, Soya Beans, Borlotti Beans
Vegetables: Mixed Vegetables, Peas, Broccoli, Green Beans etc. Any vegetables are allowed
It is important to eat legumes with every meal to give you the calories you will be losing from carbs. Personally I don't like legumes so I disguise them with veg; when I make mixed veg with a meal I will add black beans to the veg and mix them together so it doesn't taste or feel like I'm eating any legumes at all. Eating legumes with meals = not feeling tired / no dip in energy. If eating out most restaurants will replace the token carb in a meal (chips, potatoes, rice) with a salad or vegetables. When eating out of the 3 food groups you should aim to eat between 3 – 5 apart, I try to aim in the middle 4 hours apart. My general meal schedule is
8.00am – Breakfast
12.00pm – Lunch
4.00pm – 2nd Lunch
8.00pm – Dinner
If your schedule dictates that you will be out of the house or at work when its meal time (like me) I suggest chicken breast with salad taken in a plastic container or my personal favourite Chilli Con Carny cooked at home and taken to work in a container. It contains all 3 food groups and tastes delicious hot or cold.
# 3 Forbidden Fruit
Fruit is not an essential part of a healthy balanced diet, it won't do any harm eating it once a week on your cheat day and it certainly isn't needed everyday to be healthy let alone to lose fat. There are two exceptions to the no fruit rule which are tomatoes and avocados.
The basic formula is fruit = sugar, fructose = glycerol phosphate = triglycerides (via the liver) = fat storage. Only eat fruit once a week on cheat day.
# 4 Don't Drink Calories
You are allowed as much water, unsweetened tea and coffee (with no more than two tablespoons of cream, try using cinnamon instead) In fact drinking approx 3 litres of water per day has a big impact on the amount of fat you will lose, I drink 3 litres of water everyday. You are also allowed diet soft drinks e.g. Diet Coke but don't exceed 450ml per day as the aspartame will stimulate weight gain. If you enjoy a glass of wine or two in the evening that is OK, but keep it red and no more than one or two glasses per night on diet days. Stay away from white wine, beer, milk, fruit juice or normal fizzy drinks.
# 5 Have A Cheat Day Once Per Week
Stuffing your face like a pig once per week actually helps fat loss! If you spike your caloric intake once per week (stuff your face) it will stop your metabolic rate downshifting from caloric restriction in the week. This is important because it boosts fat loss from increasing cAMP and GMP to improving conversion of the T4 thyroid hormone to the more active T3. I normally swap between Saturday and Sunday's for cheat day, on that day I go out of my way to eat as much cakes, ice cream, junk food and CocoPops (at least one box on cheat day) as I can. If you get nervous about putting too much weight on eat a good high protein meal for breakfast and have lunch as your first cheat meal. If you so choose it is OK to have a cheat meal per week instead of a cheat day for most people.
# 6 Eat At Least 30g Of Protein For Breakfast
Your resting metabolic rate (the amount of fat calories your body burns by doing nothing) increases by 20% if your breakfast calories are at least 30% protein. I have a 30g Low calorie protein every morning because Its quick, easy and gives me my 30g of protein I need for breakfast to optimize weight loss. When I don't have training or work in the morning I will cook myself 2 poached eggs, 2 organic sausages and 2 rashers of turkey bacon because I have more time to do it. You can add a sliced tomato, cottage cheese also if you wish. When we are on the topic of breakfast it is vitally important that you have breakfast whether a meal or a protein shake within one hour of waking. It will dramatically increase the amount you lose if you have it within 30 minutes of waking, this is why I always have a protein shake. Seriously if you miss this one step, if you skip breakfast or forget to eat within one hour of waking you will fail.
# 7 Drink 2 – 3 litres Of Water Per Day
To ensure optimal liver function for fat loss increased water is a must. Drinking cold water speeds up the metabolism and keeping a glass/bottle of cold water with you all throughout the day can help you ensure that you stay hydrated and that you help keep your metabolism moving. It takes more calories for your body to process very cold liquid than liquid that is room temperature. So, be sure that glass of water is full of ice.
I might have gone a bit OTT here but I hope it helps
