Steal This Fat Loss Meal Plan (It Actually Works)

If you want to lose fat and build muscle at the same time, but you have no clue what your meal plan should look like, then don't worry because this video is going to break down everything you need to know. And not just calories and macros, but what to eat, how often you should be eating, and how to fit in cheat meals, snacks, and treats without ruining your progress. You'll learn exactly what your meals should look like, how to not cut out your favorite foods, And make it simple, repeatable, and easier than ever before to lose fat and build muscle. So let's break it down. Step 1, calorie intake. You've probably heard before, you need to eat in a calorie deficit to lose fat. The problem is most people try to lose fat by eating too few calories, and this backfires fast because your energy crashes, your cravings spike, and you end up losing more muscle than you do fat. On the flip side, A lot of people claim to be eating healthy, but they're not losing weight. And just because you're eating healthy doesn't mean you're eating in a calorie deficit. For example, one of our clients, Sarah, she was eating super clean, but the scale wasn't moving. We started her with tracking her calories using a food scale and entering her food in a calorie counting app. And Sarah quickly realized she was eating way more calories than she thought she was. We made some simple adjustments to Sarah's meal plan, and in just 5 weeks she lost 7 pounds. As you can see, most of that from her belly fat area without cutting out the foods she enjoyed eating. Because remember, a calorie deficit means you're eating less calories than what your body is burning. So to do this in a smart and sustainable way where you can stick with it and not lose muscle, create a 250 to 500 calorie deficit per day. And this means you are eating 250 to 500 less calories than what your maintenance calories are. This will be enough to lose 0.5 to 1 pound per week on average while still building your strength and muscle. And by the way, if you're like, Eric, how do I know how many calories that is for me? I have a totally free calorie calculator in the description of this video. So you can just click that link and use that. And yes, you You can build muscle even if you're in a calorie deficit. You may not build muscle as fast as you would if you ate more calories, but if you ate more calories, you wouldn't lose fat. So to lose fat and build muscle at the same time, a slight calorie deficit is required. And the reason you don't need a big calorie deficit is our next step. Step 2, Macronutrients. Now, some people obsess over hitting the perfect macros, and macros just means protein, carbs, and fats. It's like they're trying to play Tetris, hitting all the numbers perfectly. Or worse, they try to cut out all of their carbs thinking it's going to speed up fat loss, but yet you just end up tired, not able to build muscle, and not able to stick with it. The truth is, as long as your calorie goal is hit and your protein goal is hit, your fat loss will be the same whether you do higher carbs and lower fats or lower carbs and higher fats. One of our clients, Melissa, came to us from a previous coaching company where they had her trying to hit all of these macro goals. She was struggling to see progress and constantly felt hungry, tired and defeated because she wasn't reaching those goals. So we got her to focus on the 2 things that matter the most— calories and protein— and she's been able to lose over 20 pounds in 4 months. So your protein macro is the biggest goal you should be shooting for. And to find out how much protein you should be eating per day, take your goal body weight in pounds, multiply that number by 0.6, 7, and that is the absolute minimum amount of protein you should be eating per day. So if you want to weigh 150 pounds, that would be at least minimum 105 grams of protein per day. If you eat more than that, even better, but set that bare minimum to hit every single day. And again, if you want to know your protein and calorie goals, that free calculator will help you give both of those. That's the key for muscle growth, fat loss and staying full and satisfied. Your carbs and fats, they're tools. You can flex them based on preference. For example, if you want more energy before your workouts, carbohydrates are a great source for that. Or if you prefer higher fat meals or snacks, then that is totally fine as well, as long as you hit your calories and protein. But now, how do you actually build a day of eating to hit your calorie and protein goals? Let's cover that right now in step 3. Step 3, meal scheduling. Some people eat once or twice a day thinking that fewer meals equals faster fat loss. Other people snack all day but wonder why they're always hungry and never full. And some people eat 6 small meals a day to boost your metabolism. So what is right? Well, one of our online coaching clients, Nick, he was hitting his total protein goal But it was primarily from a huge meal at dinner. This is an issue because if you get the majority of your protein in one meal, you're missing out on potential muscle building benefits throughout the day. And because he wasn't eating anything all day, he would get to the nighttime, be starving, and end up overeating on his calorie goal. So instead, we spread out his protein intake Eating 25 to 40 grams of protein at breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner, and his energy went up, his cravings went down, he built more muscle, and he was able to stick to his calorie goal better. If you want to lose fat and build muscle at the same time, your body needs frequent, high-quality hits of protein throughout the day. Here's the sweet spot: 3 to 5 meals or snacks per day spread out over 3 to 5 hours. And each meal or snack should aim to have at least 20 grams of protein. This keeps something called your muscle protein synthesis high, which is just a fancy phrase for the actual thing that helps you build muscle in your body. Think of it like watering a plant. You need to give it consistent water for it to grow. So now that you know these meals and snacks should be including protein, to maximize muscle building, what else should they include to maximize fat loss? Well, let's find out what every meal and every snack should look like and include. Step 4, what should meals and snacks include? A lot of people build meals backwards. They start with carbs and fats and then wonder why they're always hungry, or they skip protein at breakfast End up snacking all day without ever feeling full, only to overeat at night. That's why you can eat a 600-calorie muffin and be starving an hour later. One of our clients, Amber, was eating plenty of calories but was never satisfied. We restructured her meals so that each one had a protein, a veggie or a fruit, and some sort of carbohydrate. And in just a few days, Her energy was better, her cravings disappeared, and she said, I finally understand what it feels like to feel full. Oh, and this also lowered her calorie intake, allowing her to stick to her calorie goal better, which ended up helping her lose fat. So here is what every meal should include in your meal plan. Any source of protein. This could be ground beef, Eggs, salmon, chicken, Greek yogurt, a protein shake, whatever you want. Second, it should include some sort of vegetable, and this could be spinach or peppers or a salad bag, or you can also make it some sort of fruit, whether some sort of berries, banana, apple, orange, whatever you like. And then last but not least, your meal can include some sort of carbohydrate, whether it's rice or bread or a tortilla. And this combination keeps you full, satisfied, helps you hit your calorie goal and your protein goal. Now, for your snacks, keep it simple. Every snack should include a protein, a fruit, or a vegetable. And remember, with snacks, they don't need to be perfect. They just need to stop mindless grazing and snacking. And now you might ask, well, Eric, how many meals and snacks should I have a day? Well, if you remember, we should be eating protein every 3 to 5 hours. So for a lot of the clients that we have worked with, it looks something like 3 meals and 2 snacks or 3 meals and 1 snack. And the best part about this meal plan, you can include the foods that you actually enjoy eating. For example, if you hate chicken but love salmon, then eat the salmon. If you hate bread— I don't know who would hate bread, but maybe you're a psycho— but you love tortillas, then eat the tortillas. If you hate bananas but love berries, eat berries. The beauty of this meal plan is you have a guide to follow but can still eat the foods that you enjoy within these guidelines. This is how we coach our clients to make a true sustainable change with your nutrition versus following some meal plan you found on the internet with foods you don't even like because you're not going to be consistent that way. And speaking of, I know you might be thinking, uh, Eric, this is all good and all, but what about cheat meals and incorporating treats into my diet? Well, don't worry, we'll cover that right now. Step 5, work in treats and cheat meals. Most people try to go all or nothing with their diet. You try to eat clean all week and then blow it on the weekend with one giant cheat meal. This sets up a very unhealthy cycle of restrict, then binge, then feel guilty, then restrict even more. Or you think that having one treat is gonna ruin all of your progress. So you just give up completely. One of our clients, Alan, used to eat super clean and healthy during the week, but then would also have days where he would go way over his calorie goal. And so we started to encourage Alan to work in 300 to 500 calories per day of treats or foods that he actually enjoyed and not have any more cheat days. And as you can see, he lost fat faster. Felt more in control with his nutrition and doesn't even feel like he's on a diet. So you don't need to cheat on your diet to incorporate foods you enjoy. You just need to build in the foods you enjoy within your calorie intake. And a good rule of thumb to do this is let 20% of your daily calories come from treats or foods that you enjoy. So if let's say you used my free calorie calculator in the description of this video and your calorie goal came out to 1,800 per day, that would mean 360 of those calories can come from treats or foods that you enjoy. And there's no reason to have guilt. There's no binging because you're not restricting yourself from it. You're just actually practicing balance and moderation with your nutrition. And if you do happen to have a day where you go off plan with your calories, Guess what? You don't make all of your progress in 1 or 2 days of eating perfect. You wish you did. You don't lose all of your progress from 1 or 2 days of being off track. Losing fat and building muscle isn't about being perfect. It's about being consistent and getting back on track as quickly as possible when you do go off track. Now that we know you can eat foods you enjoy, you might be wondering, where do supplements fit into the meal plan? Because the truth is, people waste hundreds of dollars a month on supplements that do not benefit them, and I don't want that to be you. Step 6, supplements. People waste hundreds of dollars on fat burners, metabolism boosters, appetite suppressants, detox teas, when they haven't even nailed the fundamentals of calories and protein and fruits and veggies. Which is why we talked about all that stuff before we talked about supplements. Remember, you don't need supplements to see progress. Supplements are meant to supplement your already good foundation of nutrition and training, but the right supplements could potentially help. So let me run through my top ones I think can benefit you in your meal plan. One of our clients, Kathleen, would struggle to hit her protein goal all the time. She was always about 30 to 50 grams short. And so we started to add 1 to 2 scoops of protein powder per day, which helped her hit her protein goal while still staying in her calorie goal. And she's been able to lose about 100 pounds. And another client of ours, Sarah, added in creatine after stalling in her strength training for a couple of months. And she almost immediately noticed an uptick in how much weight she was lifting. and how her recovery was after workouts. So personally, I would start with the top 2 most researched and most impactful supplements being protein powder and creatine. The protein powder is just a convenient way to hit your daily protein goal, and the creatine is the most researched supplement to help you build muscle and get stronger. Protein powder, I would stick to 1 to 2 scoops a day. Creatine, I would stick to around 5 grams per day. If you're somebody who you are heavier and have more lean muscle mass, you may be able to experiment with 7 to 10 grams per day. And actually, I have an entire video on creatine if you want to watch it after this one as well. After you've hit the basic fundamentals, I would consider adding in a vitamin D and K supplement, especially if you don't get a lot of sunlight. This can help you with your mood, energy, and bone health. Next up would be magnesium. Taking this 30 to 60 minutes before bed can help you get to sleep and stay asleep longer, which will help your recovery and fat loss. Fish oil, especially if you don't eat a lot of fatty fish, because this can help anti-inflammation and your brain health. And last but not least, a pre-workout, especially if you work out super early in the morning and you just like having a little bit of an extra kick in the ass when it comes to your workouts. That almost fell. I'm glad it didn't. But remember, supplements should fill in the gaps. They should not replace food or sleep or proper nutrition or workouts. And by the way, this is the brand of supplements that I personally work with. I will put a link for them in the description of this video as well. You can use my code ERIC at checkout if you want to try it out for 20% off. You do not have to use this brand. This is just the brand that I work with and I recommend because their ingredients are very clean and they are third-party tested to ensure you're actually getting what is in the supplement. Now you have your pyramid complete. Don't forget to click the link in the description to use my free calorie deficit calculator. But even if you have the perfect meal plan, if your workouts suck, none of this will matter. So watch this video here to learn how to build workouts that actually get you results.