Personal trainer shares daily diet tip everyone 'must follow' for weight loss

Tracking calories manually or with an app allows slimmers to gather data on how their bodies react to food and what they should consume to lose weight.

A good way to find your calorie deficit is to track what you eat in an average week, then deduct a small amount of calories from this going forward.

Personal trainer, strength coach who owns Vigor Ground Fitness and Performance, Luka Hocevar, explained: "You must be in a calorie deficit to lose weight, which means having a daily plan for what you eat. I tell clients: 'When there is no path or plan, the default is struggle'.

"There are many ways to make sure you achieve a calorie deficit, the most powerful one being tracking your calories through some type of app, such as Macros First or MyFitnessPal.

"While this may be a big lift for some, it is very beneficial to do it for even just two to three weeks, as you end up learning a lot about how much you eat.

"Awareness precedes change. And assessment precedes awareness. This means becoming aware of how much we eat can drive us to positively change our behaviour."

The fitness pro recommended everyone track what they eat for a few weeks, but tracking calories can quickly get in the way of life. In those cases, Hocevar shared tips to get into a calorie deficit without tracking every bite of food.

He said: "For those who tracking is too stressful, I recommend having a smaller plate size and making a third of the plate protein, a third of the plate vegetables, and the rest some type of carbohydrates, along with some fats."

For protein sources, he recommended chicken, beef, fish or eggs, for carbohydrates, potatoes, and avocado or olive oil for healthy fat sources.

Hocevar added: "When people control the portions and focus on whole, unprocessed foods with a good amount of protein, vegetables, and slower-digesting carbohydrates, it tends to lead to favourable outcomes."

A standard way to figure out your deficit calories is to subtract 300 to 500 calories from your maintenance, although this can depend on starting weight, activity level and goals.

There are plenty of calorie trackers online that can help you figure out what you should be eating. Many online tools will also give recommendations on how to split these calories between proteins, carbohydrates and fats.

Eating a high-protein diet can be particularly beneficial for weight loss, according to registered dietitian nutritionist and medical advisor, Dr Kezia Joy. She said: "Building a healthy meal plan for an adult over age 50 that includes maintaining muscle mass is equally beneficial to losing body fat.

"I generally recommend developing your meals from high-quality protein sources, including fish, eggs, Greek yoghurt, legumes or lean meats, as these will provide you with satiety, improve metabolism, and allow for greater strength during weight loss.

"Furthermore, a well-balanced diet rich in sufficient amounts of protein will provide you with energy and consistency in meeting your overall fitness objectives."