• A man, 34, shared his daily diet with Business Insider for help with building muscle and losing fat.
• The registered nutritionist and personal trainer Jamie Wright said he could take two approaches.
• Fill out this form to have your diet reviewed by an expert.

Justin Khan, 34, told Business Insider's Nutrition Clinic that his goals are to build strength and muscle, and reduce his body fat to 15%. A nutritionist told him he has a choice of two strategies to hit his goals.

Khan submitted an average day of eating to BI's Nutrition Clinic, where registered nutritionists and dietitians offer advice on readers' diets.

Khan, who lives in Florida, said he was an avid gym-goer and martial artist in his 20s. Currently, twice a week he does 1.5 hours of calisthenics and strength training, mostly compound lifts. He also tries to walk between 3,000 and 10,000 steps a day.

"I'm a software engineer, so I'm sitting at a desk most of the day," Khan said. "I'm also taking classes toward a Master's degree, which cuts into time I would use for working out or getting in extra steps."

He tries to get at least six to seven hours of sleep each night but occasionally gets less.

Jamie Wright, a registered nutritionist and personal trainer, told BI that Khan focusing on whole foods, protein, and gut-healthy nutrients means he is already ticking a lot of boxes.

Every meal Khan eats contains protein

Khan said he's never followed fad diets but he has "teetered between very healthy and unhealthy eating periods."

He has a family history of high cholesterol and has previously had issues with critically low levels of vitamin D, so now takes supplements.

"I'm trying to follow a few strict meals for my diet but continue to be a little flexible every day," he said.

On an average day, Khan eats:

• Breakfast: hot oatmeal with banana, chia seeds, collagen powder, creatine, protein powder, and kefir
• Lunch: seasoned and baked chicken thigh and drumstick with mixed vegetables
• Snack: two hard-boiled eggs and mixed beans
• Dinner: salmon with mixed vegetables and beans

Option 1: Follow a small calorie deficit to lose fat and maintain muscle

The first of the two approaches Wright recommended Khan could take to hit his goals was creating a sustainable calorie deficit to lose body fat. Reaching his goal of 15% body fat should be achievable without a severe, prolonged deficit, Wright said.

"He is already eating a well-balanced diet so that means he won't need to make any drastic changes, but rather optimizing his intake to ensure he maintains muscle while gradually losing fat," Wright said.

It can take some trial and error to work out how many calories to eat. But Wright recommended trying to keep them as high as possible, then cutting portion sizes slightly or making simple food swaps, like replacing chicken thighs with breasts, which are leaner, if needed.

There is a significant difference between 3,000 and 10,000 steps, so aiming for the higher end of that range could help with fat loss, Wright said.

He also recommended Khan assess how much protein he eats and aim for roughly two grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily (the International Society of Sports Nutrition recommendation for people who exercise) to help him maintain his muscle.

"Maintaining a moderate but consistent calorie deficit rather than an aggressive one will allow for better adherence and help prevent excessive muscle loss," Wright said.

"I'd also recommend that Justin is firm with his goal and isn't tempted to go beyond his initial 15% mark (especially given his history of more restrictive diets that have ultimately backfired).

"He may wish to explore a 'reverse dieting' strategy at that stage to gradually increase his food intake over time while aiming to mitigate any significant changes in his body fat levels."

Option 2: A 'lean bulk' to build muscle

Khan could alternatively take the approach of eating in a slight calorie surplus, or taking in more energy than his body uses to maintain his weight and lifestyle. This will help him build muscle while minimizing fat gain, known as a "lean bulk."

Wright recommended gradually eating more food but no more than 300 to 500 calories a day above what he needs to maintain his physique.

Wright said to focus on eating nutrient-dense whole foods, plenty of protein, and more carbs to fuel his workouts.

"Since he is only lifting twice a week, adding a third session, even if it is a shorter one, could help drive more muscle growth," Wright said.

It's smart to monitor your body composition when lean bulking: If you gain excess fat, dropping your calories or upping your energy expenditure, for example by walking, can help, Wright said.

Sleep helps muscles grow

Both strategies are effective, it's simply a case of whether Khan wants to prioritize fat loss first or muscle gain.

Whatever approach Khan takes, he would likely benefit from sleeping for closer to 7.5 hours a night to help with muscle repair and energy levels, Wright said.

"If he starts with weight loss, he can eventually transition to a muscle-building phase by gradually increasing calories while monitoring body composition," Wright said. "If he chooses to build muscle first, he will need to accept that some fat gain is likely, but keeping his surplus controlled will help keep it to a minimum."

While it isn't impossible to build muscle and lose fat simultaneously, it can be difficult, especially for people who've been strength training for some time. This is why people often go through phases of "bulking" and "cutting."

Having a flexible diet (regardless of approach) should help Khan stick to his lifestyle sustainably and build a healthy relationship with food, Wright said.

• Tom Russell, 40, got in shape while maintaining his busy social and work calendar.
• He lost 17 pounds by strength training and focusing on eating protein.
• He didn't cut out alcohol, but drank less to help him lose weight.

Tom Russell, a director in the hospitality industry, has a grueling schedule. When he spoke to Business Insider from New York City, he was about to head back to London before setting off to Tokyo the week after.

He's also in the best shape of his life.

Russell used to work out but his sessions weren't structured or efficient. After teaming up two years ago with personal trainer Harry Cox, who runs London's private gym Club Q, Russell dropped 17 pounds over 18 months.

He built strength and maintained his busy social life and career — including lots of networking drinks.

"I look after teams in Asia as well as right through to the west coast of America. So my day can start relatively early and then it can run pretty late," Russell said.

He and Cox told BI how focusing on strength training, planning ahead, mindset, and a high-protein diet helped Russell change his approach to health and fitness — and his physique.

Planning ahead

In an average month, Russell spends two to three weeks abroad, he said. This can make sticking to a regular workout schedule challenging.

However, Cox showed Russell how he could still get results.

Every Sunday, Cox checks in with Russell and asks about his plans for the week ahead. Cox then Googles the gyms Russell will be able to access and plans workouts accordingly.

"It's hard enough for him to find the hour a day to get it done, but he doesn't want to have another hour on top of that figuring out how to do it," Cox said.

Russell has essentially outsourced one element of his life.

"He likes the mental freedom of just having to wake up, check his phone, know exactly what he needs to do, and doing it. Then he can get back to all the other things inside his head," Cox said.

Focusing on strength training and steps

For the past two years, Russell has done at least four strength training workouts a week, ideally including one with Cox.

Russell's main motivation was dropping fat and building muscle so he mainly does bodybuilding-style training, but Cox keeps longevity in mind too.

"My responsibility as a trainer is to make sure he doesn't get injured and his body's still healthy," Cox said. So, when Russell is feeling particularly tired or has a more taxing week, Cox doesn't program exercises like deadlifts which fatigue the body.

"Having a high-performing job, one can't dedicate one's whole life to the gym," Cox said. "So it was important to me that he was also able to maintain good energy levels throughout the day. He was not going into the gym and absolutely battering himself."

With little free time, Russell didn't do cardio workouts, as strength training was a more efficient way to achieve his physique goals. But he tracked his steps and made sure he was walking plenty for his overall health (and calorie burn).

Controlling the controllable

Entertaining is a big part of Russell's life so it's impossible for him to control or track everything he eats and drinks.

With that in mind, Cox encouraged him to "control the controllable" and make smart choices the rest of the time.

In practice, that meant lower-calorie, high-protein meals for breakfast (Weetabix, a banana, and a protein shake), lunch (chicken salad), and healthy home-cooked dinners including plenty of protein and vegetables when he was eating in.

At events, Russell didn't worry too much about what he ate and drank, but tried to choose lean meats such as chicken breast and fillet steak, as well as white fish.

Cutting down on, not quitting, alcohol

Russell feels working in hospitality comes with certain expectations, including drinking at his company's events.

"We need people to drink alcohol, it's a huge part of our business," he said.

Russell also enjoys alcohol, so didn't cut it out.

Cox encouraged him to reduce from drinking five or six evenings a week, to two or three. When he was drinking, he stopped after a couple and also prioritized lighter options like wine over beer. While beer typically contains around 200 calories per serving, a small glass of white wine contains around half that.

Understanding the calorie content of alcohol helped Russell realize that he wanted to hit his goals more than he wanted to drink a whole bottle of wine.

"If I'm going to eat X amount of calories through food, then I'm going to go and lob on another 500 calories through alcohol, then I'm never going to start losing weight," he said. "And it just kind of put it all into perspective."

Having the right mindset and being disciplined

When Russell first approached Cox, he felt ready to make a change. He'd been shocked by his body in vacation photos and decided that instead of feeling sorry for himself, he was going to take action.

But Russell knew he didn't want to do anything drastic or punishing that he could only stick to short-term.

"I'm still doing this job and I'm still being social, I'm still having people over and we're still going out," he said.

That said, he has put the work in.

"You have to go into it with the right mindset, with discipline," Russell said. "You say the word 'discipline' and everyone sort of shivers and runs away, but discipline doesn't have to be bad."

He added: "It's not a negative thing. If anything, it actually just gives you some structure so that you know when you want to enjoy yourself and have a good time, you can do it."