A problem with conventional dieting patterns is one's body’s adaptability to changes in diet.  When a person reduces caloric intake, even when still exercising, their body will slow their metabolism to match the amount of calories consumed.  Initially, the dieter will see promising weight loss, but within a week or two, their metabolism slows and their weight loss starts to flat-line.  The "zig-zag" approach to dieting intentionally varies caloric intake levels in order to keep the body from adapting, which helps keep one's metabolism high, ensuring continued weight loss rates. 
 
Any weight loss program should include heavy strength training to build lean body mass.  Muscles are what actually burn fat, so by increasing muscle mass, a person will naturally burn more calories each day.  The calories one's body burns throughout the day just to maintain itself - without including calories burned from activity - is called the Basal Metabolic Rate (BRM).  

Cardio exercise does not necessarily lead to fat loss.  The human body has several choices in fuel to burn, and the rate at which it needs energy from fuel determines which fuel source it burns.  Fat molecules are large and complex compared to carbohydrates, and consequently take longer for the body to break down into energy, so when the body needs energy at a rapid rate, it turns to carbohydrates.  It burns fat when it can afford to obtain energy at a slower rate.  When exercising at 100% of your maximum heart rate, you burn 100% carbohydrates.  When you exercise at 55% of your heart rate max, you obtain about 80% of your energy from fats and 20% from carbohydrates.  At about 75% of your heart rate max, you obtain energy equally from carbohydrates and fats.  So, for burning fats, keep your heart rate between 55% and 75% of your maximum heart rate.  Obviously, this will decrease the total rate you burn calories while exercising, but you will be burning fat calories at a higher rate.  Think: slow and steady.                                                                                                                             
​For example, if during an exercise, your heart rate is at 85% and you burn an average of 10 calories per minute, only two of those calories will be from fat – the other eight will be from carbohydrates.  If you slow down and keep your heart rate at 55%, although you may only be burning 6.5 calories per minute, five of those calories will be from fats.  
​Target weight losses from fat should be about 1-2 pounds per week - not more - to ensure that a person is maintaining or increasing t heir lean body mass.  There are 3915 calories in a pound of fat, so losing two pounds of fat in a week is equivalent to burning an extra 3-4 days’ worth of calories in 7 days, which is substantial.   
​Side Note - Aerobic cardio training takes place when your heart rate is between 55% and 85% of your maximum heart rate.  During aerobic training, your body uses oxygen in the process to convert fuel into energy.  That process takes place at a slower rate than consumption of fuel sources which don’t require oxygen.  When your heart rate is above 85% of your maximum heart rate, your body is burning through energy so fast that it does not have time to use oxygen processes in turning fuel into energy, so it operates at anaerobic levels, which it can do for short bursts, but then requires time and oxygen to replenish those anaerobic reserves. 
 
Another note worth mentioning is the effect of caffeine.  Caffeine tends to prejudice the body towards burning more fat than carbohydrates, which has the effect of shifting the carb/fat consumption ratio so that you burn higher portion of fats at a given heart rate. 

The Zig Zag Approach to Dieting

​To increase total body weight by losing fat and gaining muscle:
For 4-5 days of the week, including heavier training days, add two calories per pound of lean body mass to your daily caloric intake, spread among 5-6 meals throughout the day.  On the other 2-3 days of the week, including light workout days and rest days, reduce your caloric intake by 2 calories per pound of lean body mass, also spread among 5-6 meals throughout the day. 
 
To decrease total body weight by losing fat and gaining muscle:
For 4-5 days of the week, including light workout days and rest days, reduce your caloric intake by 2 calories per pound of lean body mass, also spread among 5-6 meals throughout the day.  On the remaining 2-3 days, including heavier training days, add two calories per pound of lean body mass to your daily caloric intake, spread among 5-6 meals throughout the day.  
 
To maintain body weight while losing fat and gaining muscle:
For 3-4 days of the week, including heavier training days, add two calories per pound of lean body mass to your daily caloric intake, spread among 5-6 meals throughout the day.  On the remaining 3-4 days, including light workout days and rest days, reduce your caloric intake by 2 calories per pound of lean body mass, also spread among 5-6 meals throughout the day.  
​Example:
For a moderately active person with a BRM of 1600 calories per day, their daily caloric needs are about 2640 calories / day.  If their lean body mass is 130 lbs, on the zig zag plan, their caloric intake will vary between 2380 and 2900 calories/day.  
Daily calories consumed, as a general rule, should be one part fats, two parts protein, and three parts carbohydrates, by calorie, not volume.  For targeting fat loss, decrease the fat portion; for muscle gains, increase the protein portion.  Someone regularly conducting strength-training exercises should consume 0.8 to 1.0 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass. For comparison, 0.36 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass are recommended for someone who does not participate in any physical activity; people engaged in average daily activity should consume 0.5g per pound of lean body mass; bodybuilders should consume up to 1.5g per pound of lean body mass.  

​Keep in mind that not all proteins are equal in quality.  Proteins in vegetable sources are incomplete proteins, as they lack essential amino acids, and as a result, your body cannot fully utilize them.  However, it is possible to mix incomplete proteins to acquire all essential amino acids.  Complete proteins are found in meat, eggs, dairy products and a very few plants. 
Among proteins, your body makes better use of some than others.  Eggs set the standard for effective use in your body, and are given a rating of 100.  A chart below rates other proteins compared to eggs.

​Additionally: avoid feeling hungry.  Eating small meals more frequently keeps your blood sugar up, which in turn, helps keep your metabolism up.  Keep nutritious, low-fat snacks on hand to take if you feel hungry.  
​The following two charts (one for women and one for men) contain spreadsheets to calculate body composition, target heart rates, and caloric needs.  Simply enter your age, height, weight, resting heart rate, skinfold thickness measurements, and daily activity level (exercise factor), and it will compute the rest.  
Fill in the light yellow boxes ONLY in the below spreadsheets.  The skinfold thickness measurement is done with a set of body composition calipers; just enter the measurements in the boxes below, measuring each site three times to get an average.  If you are using an alternate method of determining bodyfat composition, skip the skinfold thickness box and enter your bodyfat percentage on that line in the box for Body Composition.  
General Information about Nutrition
 
In general, your body uses two sources of energy for fuel – fats and carbohydrates.  The third component of food we eat are proteins, but proteins are building blocks that our bodies use to build, repair, and replace tissue.  The other components are vitamins and minerals, which are used in maintaining and regulating both biologic structure and function. 
 
Sources of protein are listed above.  People trying to build muscle need more protein than those just maintaining.  People ancestrally from colder regions (such as northern Europe) need more meat and dairy and fewer carbohydrates.  People with O type blood need more protein; those with A and B type need less.  Meat is the densest form of nutrition available. 
 
It should be noted that popular conception of soy is that it is a valuable source of protein.  Yes, there is protein in soy, but it is an incomplete protein, so your body cannot fully utilize it, and it lacks the essential fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.  Vegetables lack the full component of these vitamins; they are only found in the proportions your body needs them in animal fats and dairy.  Furthermore, soy contains phytoestrogens, which mimic the hormone estrogen in the body, creating havoc with your endocrine system.  Soy is demonstrated to suppress thyroid function, which leads to feeling lethargic and depressed, and to bone loss.  Furthermore, the methods which soy is conventionally processed leave several carcinogens in it, which more traditional methods removed, increasing the risk of cancer.  And lastly, unless eaten with seaweed or another source of iodine, soy contains phytic acid which impedes your body’s ability to absorb minerals in your diet, leading to weakened bones and other maladies.  Do not use soy milk. 

In summary, do not eat soy, unless it has been fermented, as with miso or tempe. 
 
Fats are essential to the body for protein metabolism and mineral absorption.  Ironically, fats in one’s diet are necessary for a person to lose fat on their body.  Fats slow the release of carbohydrates, keeping a person from becoming hungry as quickly and avoiding the spike in blood glucose levels that prompts their body to store fat.  The quality of the fats is the key, however.  Only small amounts of fats are needed with each meal. 
 
Do not use butter substitutes such as margarine.  Do not use manufactured oils, such as canola oil. Good sources of oils in your diet should be pure butter, ghee or clarified butter, olive oil, sesame oil, and coconut oil. 
 
Raw foods have the most nutrients, as the process of cooking can destroy or leech away vitamins, but raw foods can be difficult to digest.  Good alternatives would be cultured or fermented foods, which still have their full nutritional value, but are much easier to digest.  Use live culture products to best benefit your gut flora. 
 
Vegan diets can be beneficial for a short time, up to a few months, to help balance a person from excessively “hot” diets, but if taken for too long can be equally detrimental.  With eggs and dairy, a vegetarian diet can be very healthy and balanced.  Craving sweets is often due to insufficient protein.  
Eat This, Not That
 
What to avoid eating
  • Sugar
  • Sugary drinks (soda, sweet tea, artificial fruit juice, etc)
  • Sugary yogurts (flavored) or cereal
  • Sugary anything!   (good luck)
  • Artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame 
  • Fast food
  • Junk food
  • Fried food
  • Excessive alcohol (more than 1-2 drinks/day or so, depending on body mass)
  • Products made from white flour, including pasta
  • Soy and products made with soy, unless fermented (such as miso, natto, tempeh, and soy sauce)
  • Margarine or any butter substitutes
  • Canola oil or other highly processed oils or rancidity-prone oils
  • Anything with trans-fats
  • Highly processed meats (hot dogs, sausages, etc), unless organic and without additives
  • Nicotine, including cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes, gum, and patches
  • As a general rule, avoid highly processed, pre-manufactured food items
  • Another general rule, avoid eating out, unless at farm-fresh or organic supplied restaurants
 
What to eat

  • Complex starches: potato, corn, oatmeal, legumes, beans, whole wheat berry, brown rice, quinoa (ideally, soak legumes and beans overnight to remove their phytic acid) 
  • Vegetables of all colors (not so much pale/white vegetables)
  • Seaweed
  • Sprouts and micro-greens
  • Fruits in season, preferably locally grown
  • Full-fat dairy, organic and without additives, ideally non-homogenized and non-pasteurized  (If cow milk causes too much mucus, switch to goat or sheep milk products, or add honey, cardamom, ginger, or cinnamon to offset the mucus-forming characteristic of cow milk)
  • Eggs (free-range, organic)
  • Fish, in moderation
  • Meats (poultry, beef, pork, etc), preferably organic, free-range, non-hormonal
  • Bone broths, marrow
  • Quality fats - ghee or clarified butter, pure natural butter, olive oil (unheated), sesame oil, coconut oil 
  • Local raw honey
  • Live culture foods, such as probiotic yogurt, sour cream, kefir, cheese, apple cider vinegar, Kombucha
  • Fermented foods, such as kimchi, sauerkraut, pickles, chutneys
  • Tea (can be sweetened with licorice root, monk fruit, stevia, or honey)
  • Seeds and nuts (lightly salted ok, not honey roasted) (ideally, soak as with legumes and beans)
  • Except when perspiring, majority of water intake should be from plants (melons, berries, cucumber, citrus, celery, spinach, zucchini, etc - even iceberg lettuce), ideally freshly pressed or eaten whole, with a balance of fruits/vegetables
Rhythms of Eating
 
  • Eat five or six small meals per day
 
Example of a five-meal pattern, as traditionally practiced in rural Norway
 
Breakfast             7am
Brunch                 9:30am
Dinner                  1pm
Supper                  5pm
Tea                       8:30pm
 
 
  • Break your fast on carbohydrates, caffeinated tea, dairy, meat, eggs, fruits
 
Examples: muesli, oatmeal sweetened and flavored with fresh or dried fruit, probiotic yogurt, black tea with local honey, eggs, ham, turkey bacon, fruit, whole grain bread, water with lemon
 
Need something fast?  Try a smoothie with plain yogurt, honey, fruit, whey protein, and spinach, with rolled oats or muesli added.  Make it the night before and refrigerate. 
 
  • Brunch or mid-morning snack,
 
Same as breakfast, or consider variations with green tea, cheese, nut/dried fruit trail mix, protein shake, Kombucha, and/or beef jerky if you need something more along the lines of a mid-morning snack
 
  • Dinner – meat, starches, vegetables
 
Examples: Lean meat cooked with vegetables and spices, fermented or cultured vegetables, fresh vegetables, whole grain bread, salad with sprouts and micro-greens and olive oil / vinegar dressing… or combine into one epic sandwich
 
  • Supper – light fare: soup, cheeses, vegetables, salad, wine, fewer carbohydrates
 
Examples: Fish; bone broth based soup with beans, legumes, and meat; mixed vegetable salad; fermented vegetables, assorted cheeses; red wine 
 
  • Tea Time – sleep promoting foods and foods that your body can slowly process through the night, such as those high in casein (a protein in milk)
 
Examples: uncaffeinated tea such as chamomile, warm milk with fresh-ground nutmeg, pumpkin seeds, avocado, turkey, cheese, cottage cheese with cherries or banana 
​Comments about the Vegan diet
 
Use it as a balancing phase, not a permanent diet.  If doing prolonged vegan diet, two problems arise: needing to obtain quality proteins, and needing to balance one’s food energy to as not to be excessively cold.  Vegan diets work better in hot climates but are particularly insufficient in cold climates.  Grains and legumes are more carbohydrate than protein, leading to excessive carbohydrate intake or insufficient protein intake. 
Few vegetable sources have the full component of essential amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, and as such are considered incomplete proteins.  Incomplete proteins are just not helpful for your body to repair, rebuild, and maintain tissue.  Without all the parts gathered together within a certain timeframe, the body cannot utilize those parts given it.  It is possible to mix and match sources of incomplete proteins in order to gather together a full component of essential amino acids.  A classic example is corn, squash, and peas.  The general idea is to mix legumes with whole grains and/or nuts. 
There are a few vegetable complete proteins, namely: quinoa, buckwheat, spirulina, hemp and chia seeds.  As with other grains, beans, and legumes, soak them overnight to remove as much phytic acid as possible for better mineral assimilation. 
 
The second aspect, balancing your food energy, can be done by intentionally including warm or hot natured foods in your diet. 
Some hot natured vegetable sources are: pepper, ginger, cayenne and other hot peppers.
Some warm natured vegetable sources are: cherries, coconut milk, red dates, garlic, mustard seeds, onion, pine nuts, walnuts, radish seeds, sweet rice, squash, strawberries, and vinegar.