There are five steps to fat loss. Starting at number 1, you get the simplest and easiest weight loss.
Building on step one by adding steps 2 and 3, you get weight loss + leanness. These are the three steps that I *always* talk about, and are the absolute bedrock foundation of all great fat loss programs.
Steps 4 and 5 I talk about very rarely, because they aren't required. They're diet boosters. They are for extremely motivated clients who really *need* to lose fat as fast as possible, or need to break through a diet plateau.
Now I know everyone feels like they *need* to lose fat as fast as possible, but that actually isn't the case. Lots of people would be completely taken care of making simple smart progress with steps 1-3, which is why I've talked about steps 1-3 on a weekly basis, for over 8 years on this blog now.
That being said, steps 4 and 5 are actually scientifically proven to be the absolute fastest and most effective fat loss protocol that there is. Studies show it over and over and over again. The truth is, I've only used steps 4 and 5 with clients who were fitness competitors, bikini models, or regular guys and girls that were *exceptionally* motivated.
1.) The correct Quantity of Calories
2.) Protein at Every Meal
3.) Quality Carbs and Quality Fat
4.) Carb Cycling
5.) Macro Patterning
Quantity and Calories
In any fat loss program, regardless of what anyone trys to sell you – quantity of food matters.
I know calories aren't a perfect measure. But nothing is perfect. So calories are the best measure of quantity of food that we currently have.
More calories = more scale weight. Less calories = less scale weight. Choose.
Calories are #1. If you get the calories right, you have a good start on getting the body you want.
Protein at Every Meal
This one should be pretty obvious by now. You need protein to build or hold on to muscle. Almost everyone is more full eating protein at every meal.
The one thing that nearly every effective diet you will find has in common is this: Protein at every meal.
If you get the calories right, and you get enough protein, you're really on the way to the body you want.
Quality Carbs and Quality Fat
Look – you already know what good carbs are: Fruits, vegetables, brown rice, quinoa.
And you know what good fats are: Avacado, nuts, seeds, olive oil, grapeseed oil, coconut oil
If you get your calories right, the scale will go where you want it to go. If you get the protein and the quality of carbs and fat down – then you can turn jiggly gross fat into tight, firm, beautiful muscle (aka "get toned" if you use such terminology).
Carb Cycling
This is where you alternate days of high carbs/low fat with days that have high fat/low carbs. Protein remains fairly constant. In other words – your carbohydrate intake "cycles" on a weekly basis.
You put your hardest workouts on your high carb days to preserve muscle and keep glycogen stores fueled up for your workout. And then on the days you don't workout or have easy workouts, you force your body to use fat as fuel, you don't produce any insulin response, and you actually burn more fat than you do on your workout days.
So let me repeat that for emphasis: You actually burn more fat on your non-workout days than you do on your workout days. Then, on your workout days, you get to have carbs, plus just all the health benefits of getting to have fruit, and getting to have the energy to have an awesome workout. It's all of the energy of a high carb diet with all of the fat loss of a low carb diet, at exactly the right times.
This is one of the "fat loss accelerators" or "diet plateau busters" you should have in your back pocket. It's starting to manipulate your physiology to cause you to lose fat and lean up faster.
Truth be told – you can lose fat with just steps 1-3: Calories, protein, and quality. But by adding in carb cycling, it's just faster.
Macro Patterning™ (aka advanced carb cycling)
Macro patterning is the next level of carbohydrate cycling – it's like carb cycling on crack.
Besides just cycling on a day to day basis, there is also some clever nutrient timing to accelerate fat loss even further.
There have been dozens and dozens of studies showing that advanced carb cycling is the most effective fat loss that there is. In fact, this kind of carb cycling is actually every bit as effective as cutting out carbs completely! The obvious benefit then, of course, is to get the absolute fasted fat loss possible and get to have carbs.
Macro Patterning takes carb cycling to the next level by adding another layer of nutrient timing. While carb cycling times your carbohydrate and fat intake against a daily cycle, Macro Patterning adds in a layer of timing on a daily basis. The most obvious daily nutrient timing trick is that carbohydrates are muscle sparing post workout. Even someone who has a horrible tolerance to carbohydrates (you look at carbs and get fat) wants carbs post workout – post workout carbs actually enhance your bodies use of insulin and start you on the path to being a better carb utilizer.
It takes a little more planning, but it maximizes every level of nutrient timing so that you lose the most fat, hold on to the most muscle, and look as lean and hot as possible. I spent hours talking with Shaun about Carb Cycling and Macro Patterning when we hung out in Florida, and he's now my go-to expert on the subject.
P.S. Macro Patterning Program On Sale
Obviously, since my friend Shaun is having a sale on his Macro Patterning program right now, this would be a great time to get his program.
His Four Cycle Solution actually adds even another layer on top of the awesomeness of Macro Patterning (which is one of the four cycles). He actually adds a progressive cycle of diets. Now you know from your workouts that *everything* works better for the body in cycles. Smart workout programs build up to a peak, then rest, then start over. 
The Four Cycle Solution actually does that with food. It's totally fucking genius (pardon my french, but it is) and I wish I'd thought of it. Actually give me a few years and I'll probably start to think I thought of it =)
Anyway, it's on sale now, and he's also throwing in a bonus where you get his "Ab Targeted Cardio" program for free also (I'll give you a hint, it's a *very* unique interval training program).
Enjoy!
-Josh Hillis, RKC, CPT, PES, ZMIS
P.P.S. For Personal Trainers and Coaches
So I've talked about the basics of fat loss A LOT. Like FOREVER. I always start people with the simplest and easiest nutrition principles that will get them the result that they want.
Some times, you need to add in the higher levels of complexity, because it's worth it to produce a faster or more dramatic result.
This is my nutrition coaching: We literally start at step one, get that right then go to step two, then step three. Steps four and five are for advanced or extremely motivated people only.
If you want to produce absolutely magical results with your fat loss clients, follow that formula exactly.
2.) Protein at Every Meal
3.) Quality Carbs and Quality Fat
4.) Carb Cycling
5.) Macro Patterning
Coach each one, one at a time. When one step is mastered, move on to the next. It gives you a framework for knowing exactly what is the most important thing to coach at any given time. It also lets your client know what level they are at in their fat loss journey.
Enjoy!
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