Aiming for ¼-1/2 kilogram per week body fat loss is less likely to create a calorie deficit that may place a drain on your energy levels. Give yourself enough time to reach your best, healthy shape. Remember, you’ll never get there if you don’t have the energy to train.

2. Tick off the basics
Before you reduce carbohydrate to trim off weight, check your consumption of fat and alcohol. Fat has 37kJ (9Cal) and alcohol 29kJ (7Cal) per gram whereas carbohydrate has only 17kJ (4Cal) per gram. Restricting bread and potatoes while still eating cakes, biscuits and chocolate will be counter productive and won’t provide the best fuel your body needs.

For an honest assessment of eating habits, keep an accurate eating diary for 3-7 days. Although some people are reluctant to record what they eat, self-monitoring is a powerful strategy to change your eating habits. Keeping a food log is also exactly what the research shows really works for fat loss.

Write down everything you eat and drink from the time you wake up until you go to bed. It’s easy to leave little snacks out of your diary, so it’s best to fill it in as you go, rather than write it all at once at the end of the day.

Your diary will reveal:

If you are effectively limiting high-fat foods

Whether you are eating regularly enough to provide all the carbs you need, and

The triggers that cause you to eat too much or eat when you don’t need to

If you find yourself overeating carbohydrate at night, set a plan to eat earlier in the day. Tackling these basics first, will result in a much better eating pattern and better results.

3. Experiment with carbs
According to Australian Sports Dietitian Glenn Cardwell, most adults eat 150 - 250 grams of carbohydrate a day. But how do you know what amount is right for you?

Your needs will depend on your fitness routine, training, gender and size. The table below shows estimated carbohydrate needs for individuals with different levels of regular activity. Your carbohydrate needs are expressed in grams for every kilogram of your ideal weight. If you are overweight, your carb needs may be lower than you calculate with your current weight.

Your carbohydrate needs
Carbs (g/kg/day) V's Activity level
1 - Very little aerobic activity. What you get on most weight loss programs
2 - Sleeping, watching TV, sitting
3 - Daily chores (the amount most adults eat)
4-5 - A good intake for active people. Walking, moderate exercise, recreational athlete, fitness programs (3-5 hrs / week)
5-7 - Serious amateur athlete, football, netball, bodybuilding, weight training. Medium level exercise (10 hrs / week)
7-9 - Serious professional athlete. Endurance athlete, marathoners (training 20+ hrs /week)
10 - Full-time athletes, ultra-endurance, iron man events, Olympic athletes

Source: Gold Medal Nutrition by Glenn Cardwell (2004)

To determine the amount of carbs you need multiply:

Your weight (kg) x grams of carb/kg target = daily needs

For example: Sue is an amateur triathlete who weighs 65kg trains about 12 hours a week.

Her daily carb needs = 65 kg x 7g carbs/kg/day = 455g

To check if Sue is getting 455g carbs a day she can do the following:

Accurately write down her average daily food intake, including the serve sizes of all carbohydrate containing foods at breakfast, lunch, dinner and all drinks and snacks. Although there will be daily variations, the average or usual intake is important.

Use a carbohydrate counter, food table booklet or diet software program to add up how much carbohydrate she gets from her usual diet.

Compare with the daily target and make any necessary adjustments.

Let’s look at two scenarios for Sue to find some changes she may need to make:

1. More carbs than needed. Sue’s usual diet provides 570g carbohydrate, which is 115g carbs over her estimated needs. If Sue needed to lose body fat, she could cut back on carbs and see if her body composition changes. She should also monitor how she feels in terms of her energy level and hunger as she makes the changes.

A drop in energy level or training performance plus greater hunger or a desire to binge would suggest she needs the extra carbs.

2. Less carbs than needed. What if Sue’s usual diet provided 290g carbs, which is 165g carbs under her estimated needs? She should first check her energy and hunger levels. If there are no problems here and her training goals are being met, it may mean that Sue can still perform well on a lower carbohydrate intake.

However, a very low carb intake (less than 100g / day) may leave her and you feeling short on fuel. The aim is to experiment to get the right amount.

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