Ok - because you both want cutting, here is my sample cutting plan for a 170 lb male.
The key to overall fat loss is the following:
- Burn more calories than you take in
- eliminate sugar and simple carbs from your diet
- reduce carbs overall, and increase protein
- eliminate fast foods and frozen foods
- eat every 2-3 hours
- drink water or diet soda only (or any sugar-free, calorie free beverage)
- drink alcohol as rarely as possible
- get at least 8 hours of sleep a night!!
- Take fat burning supplements like BSN Atrophex, GAT Jet Fuel, or Nutrex Lipo-6
Good overall foods -
Protein - Lean meats like Chicken, turkey, tuna, fish, eggs, lean beef.
Complex Carbs - Whole Grains(all of them, like whole grain breads/pasta/brown rice, etc), Vegetables, legumes.
GOOD fats - Olive Oil, Nuts, Peanut butter, fish, OMEGA 3-6-9 supplements, avocados, etc.
You are going to want to take in only 1,200 calories a day....no more and no less.
You are going to want to get about 60% from protein, 15% from carbs, and 25% from good fats. READ THE LABELS OF WHAT YOU ARE EATING and keep a FOOD JOURNAL so you can add everything up.
MAKE SURE YOU ARE EATING EVERY 2-3 HOURS (SMALL MEALS)
In addition, make sure you do at least ONE HOUR of exercise each day. Cardiovascular activity like running, jogging, swimming, playing a sport, using a cardio machine at the gym, or lifting weights WITHOUT taking breaks...are all acceptable. See the exercise guide for more info.
FOOD NOT TO EAT!
(DO NOT EAT THESE FOODS, OR IF YOU EAT THEM, DO IT VERY RARELY!)
Fast Food – Avoid Fast food at all costs. However if you go into a fast food restaurant and you’re hungry…try to make some healthy decisions. For example, instead of a burger with fries – get a grilled chicken sandwich or a grilled chicken salad without the fries....fries are a waste calories.
SODA – DO NOT DRINK REGULAR SODA AT ALL! Instead drink diet soda if you really like it…but if not, then stick to ice water!
Pizza – sorry, but this is one of the things you really have to watch out for. Avoid!
Candy, desserts, and Ice Cream – Just don’t eat it =) it’s loaded with sugar and no nutrition at all!
Frozen food – typically has way too much sodium and bad nutritional value!
Canned Foods and Soups (including ramen) – Also has way too much sodium and virtually no nutrition.
Dark Chocolate – you can eat 1-2 ounces of dark chocolate per day and actually see lower body fat as a result. But don’t overdo it! Too much and it can start adding weight.
EAT CLEAN!!! THAT MEANS AVOID PROCESSED FOODS, SALT/SODIUM, SUGAR, SAUCES, ETC. All spices are fine except for salt.
KEEP A FOOD JOURNAL!! WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING YOU EAT AND TALLY YOUR TOTAL CALORIES/FAT/PROTEIN/CARBS/SUGAR/SODIUM AT THE END OF EACH DAY TO MAINTAIN PROGRESS!
Sample meal plan (No carbs after your 2nd meal each day)
Meal 1 – 1 bowl of whole grain cereal (or oatmeal) w/ 2% skim milk + 2 whole eggs
Meal 2 – chicken/turkey/tuna w/ 1 cup brown rice
Meal 3 – chicken or lean beef or fish on top of a salad
Meal 4 – chicken, turkey, tuna/fish with steamed veggies
Meal 5 – lean beef/steak or fish + veggies.
Meal 6 – 1 cup cottage cheese or glass of milk + mixed nuts.
You will want about 70g carbs, 250g protein, and 75g fat per day which = about 2,000 calories (perfect for a 170 lb man on a cutting routine doing 1 hr of exercise per day - for every 10 extra lbs of body mass, add 100 calories per day in a 1g / carbs, 4g / protein, 1g / fats ratio)
for exercise, stick to 1.5 hours of intense physical activity each day - whether it be lifting weights/doing cardio, playing a sport, running/cycling, etc - you need to keep your heart rate in the target zone of about 135-140 BPM for a 15-30 yr old male in good health. Don't worry about HIIT or any complex activities for now, just stick to the basics to lose the basic fat you both are asking for.