Let’s skip the unnecessary intro and get right to what you came here for. To be successful in reaching your diet and fitness goals, follow these 18 steps.
Step 1: Choose The Right Goal
First, know what you’re trying to accomplish. Your options are to lose fat, build muscle, or recomp your body composition. The simplest way to choose is by looking in the mirror and seeing what improvement is most obvious.
Step 2: Estimate Your Calorie Maintenance Level
You need an estimate of your calorie maintenance level to know how many calories you need to eat daily. Use a calorie calculator or multiply your current body weight by 14 and 16.
Step 3: Set Your Calories For Your Goal
Adjust your calorie estimate based on the primary goal you chose. If you want to lose fat, subtract about 20% from your maintenance level. If you want to build muscle, add about 200 calories. If you want to recomp, no changes are needed.
Step 4: Set Your Protein Intake
Aim for a minimum of 0.7g of protein per pound of your current body weight. If you have a lot of weight to lose, aim for 0.6g of protein per pound instead.
Step 5: (Mostly) Forget About Carbs And Fat
As long as you hit your calorie and protein targets, your carb and fat intake matter less. You can focus on your calorie and protein targets and let the exact ratio of carbs/fat fill the remaining calories.
Step 6: Set Your Target Rate Of Progress
For fat loss, aim to lose between 0.3 – 1% of your total body weight per week. For muscle gain, aim to gain between 1 – 3lbs per month. For recomp, aim to stay within a few pounds of your starting body weight.
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Step 11: Get Sufficient Sleep And Minimize Stress
Aim for 7+ hours of sleep a night and try to reduce stress in your life as much as possible.
And so on…