1. Take your time, and don't do it at a rush. I recommend taking two or three weeks off between workouts so you can take in all of the different nutrients that will help you build muscle. And if you're feeling extra creative, try eating more protein than usual during the first week after your workout. It'll still be enough to put on some fat but you'll feel much better about your nutrition for the rest of the month.
2. Take green tea regularly to aid fat burning and improving your performance in exercise. Its contains antioxidants which help in preventing other diseases. Make sure you're buying the best and pure pure green tea for good taste an getting maximum benefit from that.
3. Avoid caffeine. If you drink coffee before and/or after your workouts, cut out all sweetened beverages. They don't count towards your daily allowance (if you don't know how many calories they contain). You should also avoid any caffeinated drinks after meals because there's no evidence they help with weight loss.
4. Stay away from sugary snacks during your workouts. That means no candy bars, chips, and sweets. The same goes for soft drinks like Mountain Dew, Coke, Pepsi, etc. I actually found myself cutting back on sugar after my workouts because I felt like I was losing weight. But I never did go overboard.
5. Eat protein sparingly. Most people think they need to eat a lot of protein when they exercise, but it really isn't necessary. In fact, you could even skip a meal when exercising. But keep in mind that eating too little protein might make your muscles grow weaker. So stick to one serving of protein per pound of bodyweight each day.
6. Don't skip breakfast. I'm not going to tell you what to eat but it's best to have something ready for you to start your day off right. Eggs, oatmeal, milk, bananas, yogurt, whatever.
7. Get plenty of sleep. I didn't have much trouble sleeping, but if you're struggling, give yourself an additional hour or two to relax and recharge. Also, it's important to note that it is very difficult to lose weight while sleeping.
8. Try to stay active as often as possible. This sounds simple but it can mean the difference between life and death. Exercise can be extremely beneficial, especially if you have a lot of excess body fat (like mine). If you want to lose as much fat as possible, I'd say go hard to the gym most days. Just keep that in mind — it doesn't have to be intense. It just has to be a lot of fun!
9. Don't let fear control your diet. No matter what you think about food, it's important to remember that your brain works differently than your stomach. Your brain doesn't store any kind of energy. Your digestive system does, however, store some sort of carbohydrate called glycogen. When you eat, this is converted into glucose, which your liver uses as fuel.