The next several paragraphs are going to look like 7th grade math. And
the reason is... they're 7th grade math. I know. Ugh. As David
Letterman says, 50% of Americans are mathematically illiterate, and the
other two-thirds aren't much better. Bear with me. And grab your
calculator.
A pound of fat is 3500 calories. And though the late-night ads for
Ab-thumpers and mylar spacesuits may try to convince you otherwise,
nobody has repealed the First Law of Thermodynamics - energy cannot be
created nor destroyed, only converted from one form to another.
What that means for you is that to burn a pound of fat, you have to
metabolize as energy 3500 calories more than you take in. That
difference between energy use and intake is called a "caloric deficit".
Now here's where it gets tricky - severe caloric restriction triggers a
fasting state that slows your metabolism down, and also causes muscle
loss. Moreover, it causes your body to increase the level of "fat
storing" enzymes (lipoprotein lipase) in the body. Exactly what you
don't want.
If you're going to get results, you have to stop thinking about the
body as a "linear" system where more is better or less is better. The
body is a "feedback" system which tries to establish equilibrium.
For instance, according to Dr. Rudolph Leibel (one of the key
researchers in "set point" theory), a 10% decrease in bodyweight
through dieting generally triggers a 15% slowdown in metabolic rate -
largely by reducing muscular activity. Other studies show that fat loss
is generally smaller than would be predicted by a given increase in
physical activity, because people too often counter the extra activity
by increasing their food intake ("Wow! Great workout. Let's get a
beer").
In short, as you lose weight, your body subtly tries to gain it back.
The only way you're going to counter that is by increasing muscle mass,
intentionally maintaining muscular activity (through cardio and weight
training) while you lose fat, properly setting your portions, and being
careful to avoid sitting around all day after your workouts.
Extreme caloric restriction doesn't work because it ignores the body's
tendency to "survive" by shedding muscle, increasing fat storage
efficiency, and slowing metabolic activity. So you can't succeed at a
fitness program while severely restricting your calories.
The way to lose fat, very simply, is to FOCUS ON THE DEFICIT. You won't
lose fat by exercising more if you let your caloric intake creep
higher. You won't lose fat by restricting your calories if you're
skipping workouts.
The goal is to create a deliberate and well-controlled caloric deficit
between the energy you take in and the energy that you burn. You do
that by planning carefully, keeping accurate records, and maintaining
discipline.
Your daily "caloric deficit" depends on all sorts of factors, including
your height, weight, lean mass, gender, workout intensity, and portion
sizes. It's unlikely for anybody to get the deficit beyond about 1500
calories a day by working out harder or eating less, because you'll
either interfere with proper recovery, or throw yourself into a fasting
state.
If you're following effective workouts and specifically targeting fat
loss and muscle tone/gain, it is not unreasonable to target fat loss of
as much as 1 to 2 lbs a week for women, and as much as 2 - 3 lbs a week
for men. Unless you score basketball points by throwing the ball
downward, it's very difficult (and generally unadvisable) to lose more
than about 3 pounds of fat per week.
When you're eating 5 or 6 times a day instead of 3, your meals had
better be much smaller than they used to be. As a rule of thumb, it's
generally advised to target between 8-10 calories per pound of weight,
if you're shooting for fat loss, and up to 15 calories per pound of
weight if you're shooting for muscle gain.
The problem is that fat itself is metabolically inactive, so it's
better to base your intake on lean weight rather than scale weight. If
you want a quick rule of thumb, I prefer the following: shoot for 10-12
calories per pound of lean weight if your main goal is fat loss, and
about 15-17 calories per pound of lean weight if your main goal is
muscle gain without fat loss.
Now, 10 calories per lean pound is almost certainly below your Base
Metabolic Rate (see below), so you shouldn't go with less than 10 even
if you're aggressively targeting fat loss. [Example: If you weigh 180
pounds and are at 20% bodyfat, your fat weighs .20 x 180 = 36 pounds,
so your lean weight is 180 - 36 = 144 pounds. So you might target
1450-1700 calories daily to achieve a fat loss goal].
Want the perfect number of calories? There is no perfect number. Your
body is extremely efficient at adjusting its activity level in response
to moderate changes in caloric intake, and all of that takes place
unconsciously and involuntarily. That's why the portion rule is useful
- it's simple, and excessively fine-tuning your calories is useless.
Just keep your portions relatively small if you want to lose fat. The
frequency of the meals, and the balance of high-quality protein and
carbohydrate are the most essential aspects of your nutrition plan.
Still, some people want a more scientific number. Alright, technically,
your body needs a certain amount of intake to support your "Base
Metabolic Rate" or BMR.
Unless you're a Munchkin, your BMR is rarely less than 1100 calories a
day. So let's estimate your BMR. I've replaced my original section with
the Java-based calculator below, with the eventual goal - as in the
Dilbert cartoon - of making this website into a complete Broadway
musical.
for more info
http://bodybuilding.com/fun/hussman1f.htm >> Stay informed about: physiology of burning fat 
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