While dieting strategies vary, and no one strategy is inherently better than any other (in a universal sense that is), I think the strategy that I entail below will prove helpful for most people looking to lose fat and build some muscle.
As a disclaimer, these are my own ideas, and, though I think they are based on solid research and a good amount of anecdotal verification, I'm no professional, nor am I qualified to diagnose any disease or prescribe any remedies. If you choose to follow my advice, check with a medical practitioner first, and recognize that you are the one who is responsible for your health and the decisions you make about your health.
With that out of the way, let's get this party going!
For those with goals relating to fat loss, muscle gain, or a mix of both, I have a number of relevant solutions that you might consider trying. The numbers that I use are not universally accurate. Use them as starting points, and, if after two weeks you aren't seeing any progress, adjust your numbers accordingly based on your goal.
In order to ensure the best results, you need to calculate your body fat %. A lot of useful and relatively accurate methods exist, and if your at all curious about the varying levels of accuracy you can achieve for each method, just use Google. I personally recommend you try the method outlined on this site: http://www.weightrainer.net/circbf.html. It's pretty accurate for its level of simplicity.
For reference - 1g of protein = 4 calories; 1g of carbohydrate = 4 calories; 1g of fat = 9 calories.
Recommendations for those with a body fat level below 10%:
Fat Loss Specific - On weight training days 65% of your total calories should be comprised of protein and carbohydrates (1g of protein/LB of goal body weight & 1.5g of carbs/LB of goal body weight). The other 35% of calories should come from dietary fat. On rest days 60% of your total calories should be comprised of protein and carbohydrates (1g of protein/LB of goal body weight & 125g of carbs). Dietary fat should comprise the remaining 40% of calories.
"Recomposition" - On weight training days 80% of your total calories should be comprised of protein and carbohydrates (1g of protein/LB of goal body weight & 2.5g of carbs/LB of goal body weight). Fat should make up the remaining 20% of calories. On rest days 60% of your total calories should be comprised of protein and carbohydrates (1g of protein/LB of goal body weight & 125g of carbs). Dietary fat should comprise the remaining 40% of calories.
Muscle Gain Specific - On weight training days 80% of your total calories should be comprised of protein and carbohydrates (1g of protein/LB of goal body weight & 2.5g of carbs/LB of goal body weight). Fat should make up the remaining 20% of calories. On rest days 65% of your total calories should be comprised of protein and carbohydrates (1g of protein/LB of goal body weight & 1.5g of carbs/LB of goal body weight). The other 35% of calories should come from dietary fat.Recommendations for those with a body fat level between 11-15%:
Fat Loss Specific - On weight training days 65% of total calories should be comprised of protein and carbohydrates (1g of protein/LB of goal body weight & 1.25g of carbs/LB of goal body weight). Fat should comprise the remaining 35% of calories. On rest days 60% of total calories should comprise protein and carbohydrates (1g of protein/LB of goal body weight & 100g of carbs). Fat should make up the remaining 40% of calories.
"Recomposition" - On weight training days protein and carbohydrates should comprise 75% of your total calories (1g of protein/LB of goal body weight & 2g of carbs/LB of goal body weight). The remaining 25% should be comprised of fat. On rest days 60% of total calories should comprise protein and carbohydrates (1g of protein/LB of goal body weight & 100g of carbs). Fat should make up the remaining 40% of calories.
Muscle Gain Specific - On weight training days protein and carbohydrates should comprise 75% of your total calories (1g of protein/LB of goal body weight & 2g of carbs/LB of goal body weight). The remaining 25% should be comprised of fat. On rest days 65% of total calories should be comprised of protein and carbohydrates (1g of protein/LB of goal body weight & 1.25g of carbs/LB of goal body weight). Fat should comprise the remaining 35% of calories.Recommendations for those with a body fat level above 15%:
Fat Loss Specific - On weight training days protein and carbohydrates should comprise 40% of your total calories (1g of protein/LB of goal body weight & 1g of carbs/LB of goal body weight). On rest days 50% of your total calories should be comprised of protein and carbohydrates (1g of protein/LB of goal body weight & 50g of carbs). Fat should make up the remaining 50% of calories.
"Recomposition" - N/A
Muscle Gain Specific - N/A* While the timing of meals is ultimately up to your discretion, I recommend you eat the bulk of your allotted calories and carbs for a given day in the evening.
* Eat light throughout the day, and eat meals that are mostly comprised of no more than 15g of fat and 25g of protein. You can also include a non-starchy green vegetable with these meals.
* Post workout you should consume approximately 30-40g of protein with 60-80g of carbs. An easy way to do this is with a protein shake and spotted bananas.
* Eat breakfast if you want, but make it light, and be sure it's comprised of protein and fat. Eating a lot of calories and carbs is associated with the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system (this puts you in a rest and digest mode which is great in evening when you want to relax, but not so good in the morning when you need to get going).
* Be aware that breakfast is completely overrated, and it's by no means essential if you'd rather skip it and, thus, save more of your allotted calories for the evening.
Good luck! If you have any questions, feel free to comment.
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