How to set up a generic fat loss diet
1. Create an appropriate caloric deficit/set caloric intake appropriately. This is only a start point. Some people will need less with modern day activity levels, some (athletes / body-builders) will need more. But in general 10-12 cals per pound is a good start point for a moderate deficit fat loss diet.
2. Set Protein Intake.
Protein should be prioritised on any diet, why? It's the most lean mass sparing macronutrient, it's highly satiating (keeps you feeling full), it's the least likely macro to be stored as fat, it keeps blood glucose levels stable, the list goes on...
Now protein should be set on total LBM, so the oft heard recommendation of 1g per pound of total bodyweight (2.2g/KG) isn't a bad starting point. But for lean individuals or those carrying a lot of mass anywhere from 1-1.5 g/lb (2.2-3.3 g/kg) is appropriate, for severely overweight individuals I still wouldn't go lower than 1g per lb for the reasons stated above.
3. Set dietary fat intake.
For most generic fat loss diets somewhere between 20-30% fat is adequate. This provides enough fat to keep hormones happyish whilst dieting, keeps you feeling full, helps with blood glucose levels again, and leaves some room for the essential fatty acids (EFA's). On the EFA front I'd recommend 6-10grams of standard strength fish oil caps to make sure you're getting plenty of omega 3, it has a host of health benefits and supposedly helps with fat loss, and "every little helps" as we know. So on 10-12 cals per lb that works out at 0.22-0.33g of fat per lb.
To recap for a 200lb man @ 15% BF (so 170lb LBM):
Calories: 200 lb * 12 cal/lb = 2400 calories/day
Protein: 170 lbs * 1.5 g/lb = 255 grams/day (1020 calories/day)
Fat: 200 lbs * 0.33 g/lb = 66 grams/day (594 calories/day)
You may have noticed I've not talked about carbs, that because: IT DEPENDS.
If you do you math on the above you see the 200lb man has 786cals left to meet his calorie target for the day. You could apportion these cals for carbs (about 200g's worth) if you find you operate well on carbs and it keeps you training intensely, or you could just whack in the extra cals as fat and go ketogenic.
In truth, both will work just as well (it's the same calories!!!!) but people's compliance with a diet can vary dramatically, some prefer carbs, other prefer keto, others prefer lower carbs and more fat. IT DEPENDS.
Essentially there is no right or wrong way, as long as you're within the ballpark of the recommendations above. ____________________________________________________________________________
