Hey,

I'm 17 years old and i've been working out for 11 months. I went from 60kg (15.5% BF) to 78kg (16% BF). I'm training for Australian Rules Football so i'm aiming for 80-85kg at around 10-12% BF. At the moment I would like to lower my body fat % but I heard eating in a calorie deficit as a teenager isn't healthy. Is this true? Also, of my understanding I thought it was impossible to lower your body fat % while in a calorie surplus but a "nutritionist" told me that I could. Is this true? If so, how can I do this? I've already cut out unhealthy foods.

Thanks, Jacob.

1) Eating in a deficit does not negatively impact health as long as the calorie deficit is not below BMR. BMR (basal metabolic rate) is the absolute lowest calorie intake the body needs just to power all systems and "keep the lights on" and having no extra calories for training. Having a deficit below this amount puts the body in starvation mode which causes a cascade of biological, hormonal, and metabolic adaptations that can impact health and leads to both fat and muscle loss.

2) You can reduce body fat and maintain your muscle mass and potentially add a small amount of new lean mass if you do the following:

a) Run no more than a 500 calorie deficit off of daily TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) which is BMR + calories for exercise.

b) You cycle you carbs - have higher carb days on workout days and lower carb days on rest days. You keep protein the same and increase healthy fats on rest days and decrease them on workout days such that your total calorie intake is still in a 250-500 calorie deficit off of TDEE. This shows the body you are not starving and it still is getting glucose but on some days (lower carbs) it must use fat to meet TDEE needs as glucose levels are lower.

c) You get plenty of rest and don't try to train everyday.

3) You can try Intermittent Fasting (IF) where you eat all your daily calories in a 6 or 8 hour "feeding window" and then fast the rest of the time. This is not a diet in that you are not restricting calories but rather restricting the timeframe in which you eat the calories. A common protocol and one that I have been doing for 3+ years is the 16:8 protocol. Here, you eat your first meal (you Break Fast) at Noon or 1PM and then eat your last meal at 8PM or 9PM. You then fast until Noon or 1PM the next day. When you do this, Growth Hormone levels are boosted significantly which causes the body to burn fat and preserve muscle. It is not for everyone as it is mentally demanding because the hunger you feel in the morning is mental not physical - you train your brain to expect food after you wake up.

You can read more at:

www.leangains.com

John