Fat loss eating plan

[Cado]

Can anyone recommend an eating plan for fat loss? I'm not really overweight (well maybe a little just now, post Xmas!) and I exercise regularly but feel that the way I eat undoes the benefits of the exercise. I feel I need to educate myself to eat differntly in order to reveal the muscle that is lurking beneath my flab! Don't want a fad diet but am looking for some sort of structured eating plan to get me started. Any recommendations?

My experience is that different ways of eating are better for different people. I have done Weightwatchers, Slimming World and low carb and lost on all of them; but low carb was easiest to maintain and left my body leaner and stronger.

On the other hand, I know people who do 5:2 and look fantastic on it - I personally couldn't do it, but that works for them.

Either way, without knowing what you eat now, cooking from fresh, watching portion sizes, and more veg will probably help.

This is what I do for a living!

Without knowing your stats it's hard to say exactly what you need but if it's the last 5-10lb then it's going to hurt! Cutting out refined foods, alcohol and limiting the treats will help, also ensuring a calorie deficit but not so much that you then dive head first in to the biscuit tin!

Nutrition is my passion too :)
Every body responds differently to diets, what works for one person doesn't necessarily work as well for another
One of the best ways to start is by totally honestly tracking your food intake, I love using MyFitnessPal, and it's free
Once you've got the hang of it, do a TDEE calculator, and take off approx 500 calories from this - set this as your new target - and start to focus on your macros - the ratio of carbs protein and fats. A good starter for ten is 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fats.
The carbs should all be from unrefined sources ideally! And your data from healthy sources - avoiding trans fats.
Once you're in good habits with this, the start tweaking the ratios to see what you work best with :)

I would say much lower carbs than that Laura, more like 20-30% if it is someone who is already lean.

Yes, I agree if someone is already on the leaner side or it is the last stubborn bit!
depends on the starting position I guess!

Exactly! It has to be in context doesn't it? It's fluid and flexible, not black and white.

Absolutely - even completely grey at some points!