What should you actually be eating if your goal is to burn fat and build muscle?

Below I'll give you two sample days of eating that can improve your body composition.

Last week I covered two examples for how to set up your workouts based on your muscle building goals. Some people want to get bigger and stronger, and others want to build lean muscle without getting bulky. If you missed it you can check it out here.

While workouts are the big driver to building muscle, today we will be focusing on the number one variable to burning fat: your nutrition.

I spent years dialed in on my workouts, but I never saw the changes I desired with my body until I was consistent with my nutrition.

That's the news most people don't want to hear, but that's because they think following a diet has to be hard or complicated.

I learned (through LOTS of trial and error) how complicated most nutrition advice is.

I followed a lot of different advice that sounded great but didn't actually move me closer to my goals.

Through all of that I've stumbled upon a way of eating that is both easy and effective.

If your goal is to look, feel, and perform your best - there are only a few things you need to be regularly doing when it comes to your nutrition.

Here are the key foundations you need to have in place to be successful when it comes to your diet:

1) Consistent Calories

If your goal is to burn fat, you need to be in a calorie deficit. If your goal is to build muscle, you need to be eating at maintenance or in a calorie surplus.

The actual amount of calories you need will vary greatly based on factors such as your lean muscle mass, activity level, and several other variables. 

With a financial budget you want to make sure you're not spending more than your saving.

Calories work in a similar way.

If your goal is fat loss, you want to make sure you're not consuming more than you're burning. If your goal is to build muscle, you can't be under eating and expect to put on significant amounts of muscle.

Here are some general starting points to determine how many calories you should be consuming:

Calories To Maintain Weight: Multiply Body Weight x 15 

Calories To Burn Fat: Multiply Body Weight x 12

Calories To Build Muscle: Multiply Body Weight x 18  

2) Prioritize Protein 

If you've ever heard about 'counting macros', protein is the main macronutrient to pay attention to.

Fats and carbs are important, but they matter a lot less than some people think they do when it comes to burning fat and building muscle. If you prefer higher fat, you can reach your goals eating this way. If you feel better with higher carbs, you can also reach your goals eating more carbs and less fat.

As long as your calories and protein are set where they need to be, you will see results.

Protein helps keep you full for longer, it burns more calories during the digestion process, and it is the key macronutrient for building (and maintaining) your muscle.

If your looking for an ideal range for your protein intake, aim to consume 0.7-0.8 grams per pound of bodyweight.

3) Fiber Focus

The last key foundation to long-term success with your diet is fiber intake.

Fiber helps with digestion/gut health, blood sugar regulation, keeping you full for longer, among many other things.

If you're looking for a simple solution to fiber - make a variety of whole foods the foundation of your diet.

Think more veggies and fruits and less things eaten out of a package.

If you're tracking your food and looking for a specific amount of fiber you should be consuming, aim for 14 grams per 1,000 calories that you consume.

If you nail these three foundations - you will reach your muscle building and fat burning goals.

So what do I actually eat?

I have people say: "Dave, that's great. But what do I actually eat?"

There are countless ways to set up your diet to reach those goals, so let's look at some specific examples of how the same person with the same goals can eat based on different dietary preferences.

For our examples, let's use the following person:

A 190 lb male that is currently 25% body fat. Their goal is to cut down to 175 lbs and drop 8-10% body fat while building some lean muscle (because no one wants to be skinny fat).

Let's set some ballpark numbers based on their current situation and goals:

Target Calories (Bodyweight x 12) = 2,280 Calories

Target Protein (Bodyweight x 0.8) = 152 g Protein

Target Fiber = 32 g

Now let's look at how this person could reach their goals with two very different approaches to their nutrition.

Example 1:

Prefers to eat higher fat/lower carb, uses intermittent fasting, prefers a 'paleo' approach, and likes to only eat 2 large meals per day.

A sample day of eating for this person could look like this:

7am:

• 12 oz black coffee (preferably a single origin Ethiopian brewed as a pour over)

10am:

• 12 oz black coffee with a splash of half and half to help curb hunger until breaking the fast

1pm:

• 12 oz grass fed ground beef
• 1 full avocado
• Roasted carrots
• 1 cup of berries

6pm:

• 12 oz grass fed ribeye
• 1 small sweet potato with butter
• Roasted broccoli

7pm:

• 3 squares of Ghirardelli dark chocolate for 'dessert'

Total Daily Nutrition:

• Calories: 2,205
• Protein: 147 g
• Carbs: 114 g
• Fat: 129 g

Example 2:

Prefers to eat lower fat/higher carb, prefers smaller meals and snacks throughout the day, has a 'sweet tooth' that has gotten in the way of losing weight in the past.

A sample day of eating for this person could look like this:

7am:

• 1/2 cup oatmeal with 1 banana and 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 2 eggs

10am:

• Half serving of greek yogurt with 1 scoop of protein powder and 1/2 cup of strawberries

1pm:

• Salad with 6 oz chicken, 1 oz goat cheese, 1/2 peach, homemade honey balsamic dressing

3pm:

• 1 apple with 1 tbsp of peanut butter

6pm:

• 4 oz lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup rice
• 1/4 avocado
• Steamed veggies

8pm:

• 2/3 cup chocolate chip cookie dough Ben & Jerry's ice cream (for reference that's about 1/3 of a pint - probably less than what most people consume in a sitting 🤫)

Total Daily Nutrition:

• Calories: 2,195
• Protein: 151 g
• Carbs: 204 g
• Fat: 86 g

As you can see, two very different ways of eating that can accomplish the same goals. If this person followed either one of these approaches consistently - they will see fat loss results over time.

Here are some important things to note when choosing what to eat and how to set up your meals:

• Starting calories are always an estimate. If you're not losing weight, you're either eating more than you think or your calories are set too high
• Think about calories over the course of the week or over the month, not just in a single day. Eating consistently for 6 days and having 1-2 'cheat meals' on the weekend can put you in a calorie surplus and keep you from losing weight. If you want to eat for enjoyment for 1-2 meals on the weekend, you have to eat less throughout the week to stay within your budget
• Experiment to find what type of eating style allows you to feel satisfied, full of energy, and properly fuel your activity. For some that's higher fat instead of higher carbs. For others that's fewer big meals, while for others that's more frequent small meals. If you're struggling with hunger, here are 6 simple ways to reduce your calories (while still feeling full).

Following a diet doesn't have to be complicated.

It doesn't have to be challenging or restrictive.

You are allowed to enjoy foods you love within reason and without feeling bad about it.

Questions? Hit reply and send them over.

Dave

P.S. Do you need some more healthy meal inspiration? Here are 5 recipes that my wife put together that are healthy, easy, and delicious. These are staples in the Paczkowski household.