To get a fit physique you know you have to diet and exercise. Now we all know if we hear the word ‘diet’ we become little upset and furious about it and end up giving a try. Why does this happen? It happens because we think we have to avoid certain food when we are on a diet. This isn’t true. There isn’t any fat loss diet food or muscle gain diet food. Let’s dig into it completely.

Basics of Diet Chart Making:

Energy balance matters the most. All food has calories and our body functions according to it. Calories come from food and beverages. Calories are basically broken down from macronutrients- protein, carbohydrates, and fats.

1g of protein= 4cals

1g of carbohydrates= 4cals

1g of fats= 9cals

Protein helps to maintain, repair and build muscle, Fats are for hormonal functions and Carbohydrates are the primary fuel for energy which will help us for maximum training performance.

How to lose fat and gain muscles?

To lose fat you need to eat below your maintenance calories. Its called as a calorie deficit. To maintain your current weight you need to at your maintenance calories. To gain weight or muscles you need to eat above your maintenance calories, its called as calorie surplus.

For example, if your maintenance calories are 2000 calories then below this would be your deficit and above this would be your surplus.

Guidelines for your macronutrients:

Once you have fixed your daily calorie intake according to your goal then you need to spread to your macronutrients accordingly.

Protein: 0.6-1g/lb of bodyweight during a bulk phase

0.8-1.5g/lb of bodyweight during a cutting phase

After the protein is set then set your fats-

Fats: 15%-30% of total calories during a bulking phase

13%- 25% of total calories during a cutting phase

After your protein and fats are set then rest calories should come from carbohydrates.

Make sure you include fruits and vegetables for micronutrients and fibre.

Micronutrients have a small role in our body, helps us with various health benefits. Fibre is required for proper digestion and helps us to clear gastro problems.

Food Selection: Your 80-90% of food should come from nutrient-dense wholesome foods like grains, meats, eggs, etc. Other 10-20% can be your craving foods like chocolates, cookies, etc. That’s how you be flexible with your diet and achieve results. For reference see this food cheat sheet.

Yashovardhan Singh is a fitness coach with GetSetGo Fitness and a former national football player. He likes to keep a no-nonsense approach to fitness by applying scientific literature to provide results to his clients. Reach him at yashovardhan@getsetgo.fitness for coaching.