How you should eat if you want to lose weight, build muscle, or run a fast race

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• Reaching your fitness goals requires dedication to both your diet and exercise.
• If you want to lose weight or build muscle, you need to focus on calorie intake and burn. 
• If you want to increase you endurance, you need to stay hydrated.

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Reaching your health and fitness goals comes down to time, patience, and expert planning. To help you avoid nutrition mistakes that could set you back, we spoke with nutritionists and trainers to learn how you should eat to reach your specific goal. From weight loss to building muscle and endurance, here are the strategies you should follow.

If you want to lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than you burn. 

Nutritionist Malina Linkas Malkani, media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and creator of the Wholitarian™ Lifestyle, told INSIDER eating fewer calories is one of the key components to losing weight. 

"When you burn more calories than you eat, your body uses its energy stores which leads to weight loss," she said.

The nutritional standard and old-school diet approach dictates that you eat 500 calories less than your total daily energy expenditure to lose one pound per week, since one pound contains 3,500 calories, according to the Association of UK Dietitians. The exact number of calories needed for weight loss, however, varies by person and the 500 calorie deficit is just a baseline.

Caroline Apovian, director of the Nutrition and Weight Management Center at Boston Medical Center and professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine, previously said that women shouldn't eat less than 1,200 calories a day and men shouldn't eat less than 1,500 calories a day. You should, however, consult with your dietitian or doctor to determine exactly how much you should be eating. 

Although weight loss is mostly a numbers game, the quality of what you eat while shedding pounds is important for your overall health. If you eat "junk" but still eat fewer calories, you'll lose weight but at the expense of your health. According to Malkani, common problems of doing so include fatigue, skin problems, and hormonal imbalances. So it's safe to say that eating high-quality, nutritious food should go for all diets and fitness goals. 

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Implementing nutrient-dense foods in your diet also requires maintaining a healthy weight after shedding pounds. Food isn't good or bad, but the nutritional value can make a difference in your diet and your health. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, a nutrient-rich diet includes brightly colored fruits and vegetables, fiber-rich grain foods, lean meats, and low-fat dairy products. 

Additionally, diets that cut out food groups don't make for an easy-to-follow plan. And since there is no definitive answer on the best way to break down your food for weight loss, the debate is never-ending. Instead, nutritionists previously told us that following a diet you can stick to long-term — whether that be low-fat, low-carb, or low-calorie — is one of the major factors of weight loss. 

Applying these dietary changes to create long-lasting healthy practices is the only way you'll be able to maintain your weight, according to Malkani. 

"The key concept I try to communicate to my weight loss clients is that reaching and maintaining an optimal weight is a lifestyle choice," Malkani said. "When people take a short-term approach to weight loss and go on, and off fad diets, the negative impact on their metabolism makes it harder in the long run to achieve their goals."

If you want to build lean muscle mass you need to eat more calories than you burn. 

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Personal trainer Bryan Goldberg said that under-eating is actually the number one mistake some of his muscle-building clients make. To determine how many calories you should consume, you need to determine your total daily calorie expenditure (TDEE) —the number of calories your body burns per day — and consult with your doctor. To gain muscle, you need need to eat more than your TDEE. 

But, again, it's not a food free for all. Registered dietitian Andy Bellatti, strategic director of dietitians for Professional Integrity, said that balancing protein, carbs, and micronutrients is important too. 

Malkani recommended consuming 20 to 25 grams of protein per-meal, and notes that eating more than that will not necessarily equal more muscle gains. 

"If your calorie needs are being met, eating more than two grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day has not been shown to offer additional muscle-building benefits and can actually be harmful," she said. 

You can get your protein fill by eating foods like chicken, seafood, beans, eggs, and dairy, but Bellatti suggested prioritizing plant-based and minimally processed protein sources instead of sugary protein bars.

As to how effective meal timing is for your muscles, the jury is still out. That said, it is generally encouraged to have a pre and post-workout meal of protein and carbs. 

A recent study in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found you should aim for protein and carb consumption four to six hours post-workout for maximum muscle growth. Bellati noted, however, that nutrient timing isn't as essential as your overall consumption of healthy minimally processed protein for the day. 

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If you're eating more calories, getting enough protein, and having both a pre and post-workout snack you're on the right track for muscle-building. But the actually muscle-building process doesn't actually happen in the kitchen. 

"Muscle growth requires that muscle fibers be stressed [or] damaged," Bellatti said. "It is the repair process that results in muscle growth. Simply consuming high amounts of protein without also stressing the muscles will not result in muscle growth."

Goldberg agreed and said that the amount of food you have would determine if you gain or lose weight, but the workout will determine if you build muscle. He recommended performing anaerobic exercises such as moderately heavy weight training as well as a combination of sprints and interval training for maximum muscle-building results. 

If you want to build up your endurance, you need to eat a variety of foods. 

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If your goal is run your best 10K or finish your favorite spin class without getting winded, then you need to eat a specific nutrient breakdown.  

"When weight loss is the goal as opposed to building endurance, many people (although not all) get better results from a balance of macronutrients that is lower in carbohydrates," Malkani said. "Carbohydrates are key to peak physical performance in endurance activities."

In addition to eating enough carbs, Malkani stressed hydrating and eating pre and post-workout meals. This will help maximize glycogen stores which the body uses for energy. If your activity of choice lasts longer than an hour, she recommended having a sports drink during the workout for energy. Staying hydrated is especially important for endurance sports since doing so will delay muscle fatigue and help prevent injuries associated with dehydration. 

After fueling your workout accordingly, the real boost in your endurance will happen as you continue training. Runners World reports that building your endurance requires consistency, patience, and the gradual adaptation of more miles.

Ultimately, you have to fuel your body for either your workout or your physique goal. Before trying a new diet or workout regiment, be sure to consult with your doctor first. Then safely proceed to break your marathon record, build lean muscle mass, or shed pounds. 

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