Im having troule losing Belly fat and its been bothering me latley!! Right now I am weighing at around 168 and Im 5'9 can someone help me by telling me how much protein,carb and fats  I should be eating to lose a pound a week

Eric,

Losing belly fat and losing body fat is not as complicated as some think.  It is simple math.  One pound of fat has 3,500 calories.  When you are trying to lose fat, you need to do it in a slow controlled manner so as not to shock your body and have the fat loss effects last forever.  The basic formula is this:  You want to lose no more than 1-2 pounds of fat per week.  Anything more is too fast and will shock your body and make it think it is in starvation mode and it will slow your metabolism down thus halting fat loss.  

To do this, you want to have a 500 calorie deficit per day - 500 calories X 7 days/week = 3,500 calories.  How much protein, fat, and carbs you eat is somewhat immaterial.  You need to first calculate what your resting metabolic rate (RMR) is.  Scott has a calculator under the "Meal Plan" tab where you enter your height, weight, age, and activity level and it will give you this number.  Once you have it, you need to calculate your macro ratios.  1 gram of protein or carbs yields 4 calories.  1 gram of fat yields 9 calories.  Since you are weight training, you want to make sure to get at least 1gm/Lb of lean body weight of protein - more is better.  Muscle is active tissue meaning it burns calories even at rest and boosts your RMR.  For you at 168 pounds, that equals a minimum of 168 grams of protein.  168 X 4 = 672 calories.  You then subtract this from your RMR.  The remaining number is how much fat and carbs you can consume per day.  You need to also remember to subtract the 500 calories per day from your RMR to create your fat burn deficit.  So to illustrate this for example:

If your RMR = 1800 calories

RMR - 500 calories for fat burn = 1300 calories

1300 calories - 672 calories for protein = 628 calories

You now have 628 calories left to fill with essential fats and carbs.  If you eat more protein than 168 grams, this number goes down because protein has calories as well.  Remember, carbs are 4 calories per gram but fats are 9 so you need to keep track of the ratios so as not to exceed 1300 calories per day.  

Lift like an animal and do some cardio at least 3 days/week and you will lose fat.  You are lucky because you are still very young so your testosterone levels are high and will help you lean out.  One point to remember about bodyfat.  Everyone has different body fat stubborn areas (like under the arms, around the belly button, the lower back, etc) and different starting fat levels which are predetermined by genetics.  The speed at which you lose fat is also somewhat determined by genetics.  The body burns fat evenly over the ENTIRE body not in specific spots.  This means the last areas to lean out will be the ones with the most body fat.  Don't get discouraged just stick with it and let the mirror and your friends/family be your guide as to how well you are progressing.  Adjust your diet and/or cardio accordingly and make sure to get plenty of rest.  If you try to do too much too fast, your body will be too stressed to lose fat.

Best of luck......

John

If you do about 20 mins of cardio everyday you will be able to keep your methabolism at it's best. The calorie part is pretty much covered in the comment above. However you are not going to go to bed hungry ! Whatever you do, you are supposed to still feel filled (not to the point where you cannot move because you are way to filled). Hunger is an instinct in out body that tells us we NEED food, therefore starving yourself is not a good idea. Hence the reason you should not eat to little calories, my suggestion is more exericse rather than less food. Of course a good mealplan is important and should never be neglected ! On the countrary if your mealplan does not forfill your hunger needs then I suggest to eat outside your mealplan. Foods like carrots, apples, spinach or other fruits and veggies are a great filler. To summarize I suggest to use a good mealplan, don't go hungry and do more exercise 

jmboiardi pretty much hit the nail on the head here!  Great job man!

Williams suggestion of 20 - 30minutes of cardio a day will help as well.

My suggestions.

1.  Boost your protein to around 180-200grams a day and utilize the math methods from John to fill in carbs and fat.

2.  You need to be CIRCUIT TRAINING.  If you are doing muscle splits right now, for example Chest / Triceps, that is not the proper way to train to lose fat.

3. You need to be patient. Once you have the eating down and training the fat will go away easy.  I promise!  Just make sure you are hydrating and drinking enough water! #HTH!

I have the same problem. no matter how hard i work i see definition start to form everywhere except my stomach. hopefully the tips given will help. great information, as always.

Jimmy,

The human body loses body fat evenly over the ENTIRE body therefore the last places to lean out will be the ones with the most body fat. For most people that is the belly, lower back/love handles, and underarms/sides of chest. 

John

I get the math and science. My struggle is finding enough variety of foods to give me 160 to 200 grams of protein per day. I prefer not to use supplements.

Doug

Doug,

This is why you need protein supplementation. There is only so much food you can eat in one day :-)

Protein supplementation is fine.  I am not a fan of nor use other types of supplements. 

John

Doug, John is right.  Protein is protein my friend.  It is still natural to get protein from an additional source like a shake.  But if you do not want to, you should upgrade to PLATINUM and use my meal planner.  It had a database filled with 1000s of food to choose from and can certainly help you with food choices.  use the promo code: FREEFITNESS for a one month free trial! :)  This photo will help show you where to go :)

Totally understood Bro but incorporating a good Protein powder(many great ones)will be more cost effective,not to mention easier on your digestive system.To take down 160-200 grams of solid protein daily can be pricey. A big jug of protein will last you weeks and a serving will mix a good 50 grams(2 scoops) mixed with plain water.You'd need to eat a good 6 ounces of chicken or Turkey to getb that per meal.

jfis.  My wifes a vegitarien . so all we eat is veggies, and one thing ive come to love for my protein intake , its also filled with minerals and vits,  is lentals. brown lentals , extremely cheap , and super high in protein . per one cup of lentals boiled , you have a variety of good nutrition , like very little calories , and 20g of protein. i make a pot of lental soup every weddnesday night . using about 500g of lentals some other other veggies , and a packet of brown onion soup (flavour) , gives me 160g of protein on its own for  weddnesday night and thursday , 

ive come to the point where food to me is just gas in my tank , and i think lots of you guys live like that,,

so yeah , lentals dude . lentals

Spot on Gerry.  Having to fill my protein with ONLY food would be tough.  I would be full 24/7  Not good!

Wow, you have been given 100% sound and solid advice. You now have the tools and the knowledge as to how to burn the fat. I love everyones suggestions. Definitely get your meal plan spot on and do the total body/circuit training 4-5 times a week. 

Hi Eric!

Like Scott has mentioned earlier, you definitely want to try circuit training. Below is a link to our Total Body Strength and Toning Circuit Training video which offers a high intensity interval training and aims to target all muscles of your body (including your belly fat).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QED1gbCiuNA

We also have a BeFit Go series with a total body circuit workout as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js6RWcAhGhE

Hope this helps!