Introduction

Weight loss boils down to calories burned vs calories consumed. You cannot violate the laws of thermodynamics as much as you wish you could. Consume way too much of anything and you’ll gain weight. Which is a layman’s way of saying: eat more calories than you burn and you gain weight. Eat less than you burn and you lose weight. You can lose weight eating lard, ice cream, sugar and candy bars. But that wouldn’t be smart and I’ll explain further below.

CICO: Calories In, Calories Out

Eat fewer calories than you burn → You lose weight

Eat more calories than you burn → You gain weight

That’s all there is to understand about weight loss.

Macros matter for body composition

Protein: Builds & retains muscle

Carbs: Fuel workouts & recovery

Fats: Support hormones & brain function

If you ignore macros, then you’ll lose muscle, have no energy, or just generally feel awful. You can eat junk and still lose weight if it fits your macros, but it’s not ideal. Focus on whole foods and hitting your protein goal.

My ideal macros that I recommend for natural bodybuilding especially those wanting to be lean or maintain leanness are as follows:

• 40-45% of total calories for protein.
• 20-25% of total calories for fat.
• 35-40% of total calories for carbs.

You can break this down into meals. One small meal before the gym (mix of complex and quick carbs and proteins), one small or medium meal after the gym, one medium or large meal at dinnertime, and a light or small meal with slow digesting proteins and complex carbs before bed.

Can you eat junk and still lose weight? Yes.

Should you? Not if you care about muscle, strength, and performance.

Recommendations for Cutting

I have only simple, and easy to follow instructions for cutting. They are hard because they require discipline, and good habits.

• Eat high protein to keep muscle. Higher than maintaining, or for bulking.
• Time carbs around workouts. Do not cut carbs. You need them to fuel your workouts.
• Get enough fats for hormones. Do not cut out fat entirely. Your nervous system, and brain is almost entirely fat, or insulated in fat.
• Avoid extreme deficits. Never aim to lose more than 1-2 lbs a week (.5 kg to 1 kg). That is usually only a deficit of 250-500 calories. Sustainable deficit = no crash dieting.

Summary

Losing weight is about being in a calorie deficit primarily. Macros are crucial for muscle maintenance, energy, and hormonal balance. While junk foods can fit into your diet, the priority should be on eating a high protein balanced diet with carbs timed around your workouts. A crash diet isn’t sustainable long term, and therefore always focus on a slow cut.