Anyone who asks me how to lose body fat will hear me say the following things:

1. Eat 5-7 smaller meals a day, 1 every 2.5 to 3 hours
2. Eat protein at every meal
3. Eat vegetable at every meal
4. Lower high and moderate GI carb intake
5. Consume your carbs after an intense workout out
6. Eat breakfast everyday
7. Start or keep exercising

There are other things that I will say but these are the standard answers to everyone but the very lean or very active people.

In T-nations The 2008 Fat Loss Roundtable, Part I and Part II, some other suggestions are given:

Dr. Mohr: Here are four such rules:

1. Eat a fruit and/or at least one vegetable with every single meal.
2. Plan ahead. Don’t go to work without any food at all, then wonder why you opted for fast food at noon, hit the vending machine at 3 PM, and are famished on the way home so you decided to order a pizza to pick up for dinner.
3. Define your goals and write them daily. If you don’t know what you’re working toward, you’re going to continue to struggle.
4. Move more! I’m all about complexes, interval training, large body movements like deadlifts, etc. but what about the other 160-plus hours during the week when you’re not at the gym? Walk more. Get on a bike and use that as your transportation. Use the stairs instead of the elevator.

And:

Mike Roussell: Yes, what I call the 6 Pillars of Naked Nutrition: 

1. Eat five to six times a day.
2. Limit your consumption of sugars and processed foods.
3. Eat fruits and vegetables throughout the day.
4. Drink more water and cut out calorie-containing beverages (beer, soda, etc.).
5. Focus on consuming lean proteins throughout the day.
6. Save starch containing foods until after a workout or for breakfast.

I’ll admit that the lists are not exactly the same, so saying that these experts agree completely would be inaccurate. BUT, if you look closely and consider the practical consequence to these suggestions, the behavioural outcome IS the same.

When you read the t-nation articles it will be obvious that these guys draw their conclusions from research and experience, the same places I get mine from. It will also be obvious that they hold out little hope that an individual will change their behaviour until they take a hard look at the way they think about the world, themselves and their relationship with food. In fact, the claim is made that binge eating is the number one eating disorder in America.

If you have some body fat to get rid of and what you are reading here does not come as a surprize, you need to ask yourself WHY you are not doing what you know you need to do. There is too much evidence now about the right way to achieve your goals that you can no longer blame your lack of success on a lack of knowledge.

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