 You can hate the word “Diet” all you want, but that is what you are doing when losing weight. Since I can’t think of any other way to describe how fast you lose fat, I’m calling this “Dieting Intensity”. Figuring out how much of a caloric deficit to be on can be trickier than one might think. Going to low may be painful and set you up to gain the weight right back. Not going low enough may not give you fast enough results to stay motivated. Here is a guide to help you determine your average goal calories based on how strict and uncomfortable you are willing to be while eating less. For a basic rundown on calories read Part 1.1 - Calories.  The average male. Taken from http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html Step 1 – Find your maintenance calories This is done a few different ways. I like to take the average daily calories burned including exercise and adjust from there. This means that you would eat the same amount each day. Some days you burn more and some less, but taking the average is the easiest way to success. Adjusting your calories each day based on activity typically throws people off and unless you are an athlete, doing this just complicates things. Use a formula online or a mobile app to figure this out. It works just fine for the average person.  Calorie Calculator off of www.myfitnesspal.com Step 2 – Eat a percentage of your maintenance calories The idea of taking a percentage of your maintenance calories was shown to me in a class some time ago. Now days, many people are using apps to help them with their weight loss goals. I like these apps and I personally use myfitnesspal. I have seen it help many people keep to a food diary and thus lose weight because many of us are now addicted to our phones. I’m no exception. With these apps, it typically asks you how much weight you want to lose. Most people get overzealous and try to lose 2 or 3 lbs a week which results in the app giving you very little calories each day. I’ve had many people come up to me and ask “This seems like too little calories. Is that right??” It usually is too little and many people don’t realize the time it takes to lose 10, 20, or 30+ lbs. I use a percentage of maintenance calories approach because it is based off of getting someone used to being on a caloric deficit and ensuring permanent results. Here’s a little guide I came up with on “dieting intensity”:  I typically like to start people off around 75% of their maintenance calories. I usually start men off a little higher than women. For example, I might start a man off at 80% and a woman at 70%. In my experience women tend to do better off with less calories than men. Sorry ladies, it’s just how it is. I’m not sure if it’s because women tend to eat cleaner than men or they just need less food to see results. Whatever the reason, I found this to be true. Starting around 75% is a good goal for someone who is serious about losing fat. In time, those who are more serious can gradually cut down to get faster results. It is really about how uncomfortable you are willing to be while on a diet. Going down to 60% may produce fast results, but it may not be worth feeling tired and irritable. Some people are willing to put up with this temporarily while others are not. Then there are those who don’t want to be on a diet what so ever, but still need to lose fat. For these stubborn people I usually start between 80-90%. This is a general table of how people feel when on a diet based off of my clients, colleagues, and own personal experience. Many factors play into how intense a diet can feel including sleep, body fat percentage, previous weight lost, and individual appetite.  Image from Foodswings http://www.flickr.com/photos/foodswings/ Step 3 – Do it! Pick a percentage that is right for you and stick to it. The best diet is the one you can follow to achieve results. I am a numbers guy as you may have noticed. I like playing around and analyzing numbers when it comes to nutrition. If you are a numbers person, this approach will work for you. If not, then there are many other concept diets to follow that will work. Check out Part 2.1 - Marconutrients on eating the right foods and percentages of protein, carbs, and fat. Expert, one on one personal trainer in Palo Alto, Los Altos, Mountain View.
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