fat loss vs. fat loss

Call me naive, call me what you will. this may be a stupid question, but i honestly would like to know...

can you actually LOSE fat but eating LESS fat..or cutting out alot of excess fat from your diet...

or...

do you need to BURN fat in order to lose fat...?

and if you do lose fat by cutting out fat.. does anybody have a nutritional explanation for HOW your body loses fat but just cutting out fat in your diet?

Replies

  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    Cutting out calories will cut fat on the body. It does not matter whether you cut out fat calories or not, although if you currently eat a lot of fat it is an easy target as fat has more calories per gram than protein or carbohydrates.

    Cutting fat but replacing it with an equivalent number of calories from other sources will do nothing at all for weight loss.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    your body loses fat if the stores of fat are called upon to supply energy to muscles etc because there isn't enough available from food.

    It isn't critical what the deficiency in food is represented by, as no food at all will work too.

    If you eat a significant excess of fat or an excess of carbohydrate both will end up increasing your fat deposits, to store the excess energy. The stuff we want rid of is essentially surplus energy (calories) that we have eaten, temporarily stored as fat.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    dietary fat =/= body fat. Excess calories, regardless where they come from is how body fat is accumulated. Fat is a very important Macro for many reasons, some being, healthy hair, skin, nails, digestive system, among many others. Don't cut fat too much a minimum of 20% of cals should come from fat.
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    cutting out all the fat is a bad idea. you will get something called rabbit starvation.
    Eating the fat is good.
  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
    No.
    Eating fat doesn't make you fat.
    Not eating fat doesn't make you lose weight.

    Eating less calories than your body burns is what makes you lose weight.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    The formula for fat loss (as opposed to total body weight loss) is simple.

    1. Eat a balanced diet (including health unsaturated fats) at 20% calorie deficit below your total daily energy expenditure.

    2. Incorporate strength training into your exercise program and do moderate cardio.

    3. Be patient because it takes time.
  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
    And yes, eat fat, it's good for your brain.
    The "fat war" is just a myth perpetuated by the low-fat products companies.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    your body loses fat if the stores of fat are called upon to supply energy to muscles etc because there isn't enough available from food.

    It isn't critical what the deficiency in food is represented by, as no food at all will work too.

    If you eat a significant excess of fat or an excess of carbohydrate both will end up increasing your fat deposits, to store the excess energy. The stuff we want rid of is essentially surplus energy (calories) that we have eaten, temporarily stored as fat.

    Consuming excess calories of fat = gain weight.
    Consuming excess calories of carbs = gain weight.

    What happens if we consume excess calories of protein? (It's an honest question...I've seen some conflicting conclusions lately and I honestly don't know the answer. And what I *thought* was the answer seems to be the minority opinion.)


    OP, like others have said, dietary fat does not result in fat gained. Excess calories do. And it is important that you consume adequate dietary fat for various body/brain functions.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    your body loses fat if the stores of fat are called upon to supply energy to muscles etc because there isn't enough available from food.

    It isn't critical what the deficiency in food is represented by, as no food at all will work too.

    If you eat a significant excess of fat or an excess of carbohydrate both will end up increasing your fat deposits, to store the excess energy. The stuff we want rid of is essentially surplus energy (calories) that we have eaten, temporarily stored as fat.

    Consuming excess calories of fat = gain weight.
    Consuming excess calories of carbs = gain weight.

    What happens if we consume excess calories of protein? (It's an honest question...I've seen some conflicting conclusions lately and I honestly don't know the answer. And what I *thought* was the answer seems to be the minority opinion.)


    OP, like others have said, dietary fat does not result in fat gained. Excess calories do. And it is important that you consume adequate dietary fat for various body/brain functions.


    Excess protein will increase protein oxidation and decrease oxidation of dietary fat/dietary carbohydrate and you will still gain fat, just not from direct storage of protein as fat.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    your body loses fat if the stores of fat are called upon to supply energy to muscles etc because there isn't enough available from food.

    It isn't critical what the deficiency in food is represented by, as no food at all will work too.

    If you eat a significant excess of fat or an excess of carbohydrate both will end up increasing your fat deposits, to store the excess energy. The stuff we want rid of is essentially surplus energy (calories) that we have eaten, temporarily stored as fat.

    Consuming excess calories of fat = gain weight.
    Consuming excess calories of carbs = gain weight.

    What happens if we consume excess calories of protein? (It's an honest question...I've seen some conflicting conclusions lately and I honestly don't know the answer. And what I *thought* was the answer seems to be the minority opinion.)


    OP, like others have said, dietary fat does not result in fat gained. Excess calories do. And it is important that you consume adequate dietary fat for various body/brain functions.


    Excess protein will increase protein oxidation and decrease oxidation of dietary fat/dietary carbohydrate and you will still gain fat, just not from direct storage of protein as fat.

    (Hopefully not veering too far from the topic...although it isn't as if OP hasn't already received an answer to her question...)

    Given a hypothetical...(and this is a hypothetical only, not a recommendation...don't do this, for various reasons)...of someone consuming a calorie surplus of just protein. (Or perhaps a very minimal amount of necessary fat and a very minimal amount of carbs). I would have expected that person to still gain weight from the calorie surplus despite the source being protein...but it sounds like my expectation may be wrong.
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    DIetary fat doesn't make you fat.
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    DIetary fat doesn't make you fat.

    This! You won't lose fat by simply consuming less dietary fat provided your overall calorie intake/expense is the same. You NEED fat in your diet for a lot of reasons.

    You lose fat by using more calories than you consume. Simple.
  • Marley2310
    Marley2310 Posts: 304
    can you actually LOSE fat but eating LESS fat..or cutting out alot of excess fat from your diet...

    No.. calories in vs calories out , and if u go for a long time without eating fat ..your hormones will turn crazy on you and u will start a nice hard to stop binge cycle ..
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    No.. calories in vs calories out , and if u go for a long time without eating fat ..your hormones will turn crazy on you and u will start a nice hard to stop binge cycle ..

    This is so true! I made this mistake and I was so hungry ALL.THE.TIME! It didn't matter what or how much I ate, I was ****ing hungry!!!
  • Marcillene
    Marcillene Posts: 484 Member
    so i dont live a sedentary lifestyle but just to use as am example...:

    So is it possible for someone who lives a sedentary lifestyle, who sits on their butt, or their computer and only gets up to pee or whatno to consume only 500-1000 calories per day...., of the right foods... and continuously lose fat IF they are consuming less calories then they burn throughout the day since they just sit...

    honest question.. i am just trying to understand more about nutrition to avoid the 'binge' cycle of cleaner eating... but also, i do have a cousin who suffers from obesity and struggling....
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    so i dont live a sedentary lifestyle but just to use as am example...:

    So is it possible for someone who lives a sedentary lifestyle, who sits on their butt, or their computer and only gets up to pee or whatno to consume only 500-1000 calories per day...., of the right foods... and continuously lose fat IF they are consuming less calories then they burn throughout the day since they just sit...

    honest question.. i am just trying to understand more about nutrition to avoid the 'binge' cycle of cleaner eating... but also, i do have a cousin who suffers from obesity and struggling....

    eating that little they will lose a lot of muscle. most likely you could eat 1400 cals/day being sedentary and still lose weight slowly with less muscle loss than eating 500-1000 cals.

    Go to goals and look at the right hand side "Calories burned from Normal Daily Activity". all you have to do is eat less than that to lose weight, no exercise necessary
  • Marley2310
    Marley2310 Posts: 304
    So is it possible for someone who lives a sedentary lifestyle, who sits on their butt, or their computer and only gets up to pee or whatno to consume only 500-1000 calories per day...., of the right foods... and continuously lose fat IF they are consuming less calories then they burn throughout the day since they just sit... ?

    Yes possible why ? EX : This sedentary person maintenance level is 2000 while he is sedentary so he/she eats 500 or 1000 calories a day clean or bad foods doesn't matter ,but of course if he/she ate only candy etc and no fiber he/she will binge , and if no protein is consumed = muscle loss so he/she will be a smaller fat version of the old big fat version .

    So Best thing to do is to fit everything in your diet and have CONTROLLED free meals every week or 2
  • Marcillene
    Marcillene Posts: 484 Member
    So is it possible for someone who lives a sedentary lifestyle, who sits on their butt, or their computer and only gets up to pee or whatno to consume only 500-1000 calories per day...., of the right foods... and continuously lose fat IF they are consuming less calories then they burn throughout the day since they just sit... ?

    Yes possible why ? EX : This sedentary person maintenance level is 2000 while he is sedentary so he/she eats 500 or 1000 calories a day clean or bad foods doesn't matter ,but of course if he/she ate only candy etc and no fiber he/she will binge , and if no protein is consumed = muscle loss so he/she will be a smaller fat version of the old big fat version .

    So Best thing to do is to fit everything in your diet and have CONTROLLED free meals every week or 2

    What exactly do you mean by 'controlled free meals'? like a portion controlled version of a binge meal?
  • Protein is the only "macro" which cannot be stored as fat. Once it's been ingested, if it's not used, it will be turned into feces. Middle school health class 101.
  • Marley2310
    Marley2310 Posts: 304
    What exactly do you mean by 'controlled free meals'? like a portion controlled version of a binge meal?

    A binge meal can go up to somthin like 10000 calories lol .., Controlled free meal is having what u are craving within or SLIGHTLY above your Maintenance level for the day by 'SLIGHTLY OVER " i mean 500 or 1500 MAX

    How should u do it ? best way is eating your proteins for the day then fill the rest of the calories with what u are craving ...something like this if ur maintenance for the day is 2000 u can eat up to 3500 max so u ate ur proteins 500 cals ..3000 calories are remaining now fill them with what u are craving

    But of course the amount of calories u put as a max should be within reason bec u don't want to ruin ur week ...if u cut 3500 calories a week a 500 cals over maintenance on your freed day/ meal should be enough ...but if u want to "eat more " u can cut like 1000 or more calories the day before get it ?
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Protein is the only "macro" which cannot be stored as fat. Once it's been ingested, if it's not used, it will be turned into feces. Middle school health class 101.

    Thanks.

    I would have expected there to be a pathway from protein to glucose (by gluconeogenesis) to fat (in my unrealistic hypothetical question)...just like the de-novo lipogenesis pathway for carbs to fat.

    But apparently not...at least according to middle school health class 101...(a class that I apparently slept through).
  • LongIsland27itl
    LongIsland27itl Posts: 365 Member
    Fat consumption doesn't have a whole lot to do with fat loss.

    Your body will Burn fat when you eat less calories than you burn in your daily life. Calculate your TDEE at IIFYM CALCULATOR google it.
  • LongIsland27itl
    LongIsland27itl Posts: 365 Member
    Protein is the only "macro" which cannot be stored as fat. Once it's been ingested, if it's not used, it will be turned into feces. Middle school health class 101.


    Tis is not true at all. Say you're allotted 2000 calories to eat in a day, then you hit that 2000 calorie mark, You think that's you're free to eat as much protein as you want after you eat 2000 calories and not gain fat? Sme will turn into muscle if you work out, some will turn into fat. You sir do not know what you're talking about.
  • Marcillene
    Marcillene Posts: 484 Member
    What exactly do you mean by 'controlled free meals'? like a portion controlled version of a binge meal?

    A binge meal can go up to somthin like 10000 calories lol .., Controlled free meal is having what u are craving within or SLIGHTLY above your Maintenance level for the day by 'SLIGHTLY OVER " i mean 500 or 1500 MAX

    How should u do it ? best way is eating your proteins for the day then fill the rest of the calories with what u are craving ...something like this if ur maintenance for the day is 2000 u can eat up to 3500 max so u ate ur proteins 500 cals ..3000 calories are remaining now fill them with what u are craving

    But of course the amount of calories u put as a max should be within reason bec u don't want to ruin ur week ...if u cut 3500 calories a week a 500 cals over maintenance on your freed day/ meal should be enough ...but if u want to "eat more " u can cut like 1000 or more calories the day before get it ?

    okay that makes more sense.... i do tend to actually do this about once a week..
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    Call me naive, call me what you will. this may be a stupid question, but i honestly would like to know...

    can you actually LOSE fat but eating LESS fat..or cutting out alot of excess fat from your diet...

    or...

    do you need to BURN fat in order to lose fat...?

    and if you do lose fat by cutting out fat.. does anybody have a nutritional explanation for HOW your body loses fat but just cutting out fat in your diet?

    Cutting fat, especially saturated fat is a no-brainer for reducing calories BUT you absolutely NEED about 35 grams of essential fats per day for your body to function properly (which includes burning fat). If you are looking for non-essential calories to cut, far better to eliminate most added sugar and processed carbs. Thank goodness, the low fat/no fat craze is over. When food processors cut out the fat, they slip a lot of sugar and other things in to make up for the lack of flavor when they take out the fat. I have lost 60 pounds (I lost another one that won't be reflected in my ticker until my reporting day on Wednesday) eating a lot of high quality fats (avocados, coconut oil, nuts, flax seed oil, full-fat dairy, etc.) The satiety factor for fat is very high and it gives a long burn (as opposed to the very short burn of sugar and simple carbohydrates).

    Most days, I end up eating more than half of my calories from fat--the rest from vegetables, protein and some fruit and longer-burning carbs like steel-cut oats (which I reserve for my cardio days) and starchy vegetables like purple potatoes (higher in protein and fiber) and sweet potatoes. I eat no other grain--with the exception of the steel-cut oats. I'm feeling very healthy and strong (much stronger than I was on a "conventional" diet). I eat about 70-100 grams of carbohydrate a day-- consisting of complex carbohydrates--vegetables and fruit. And I eat 1,350 to 1,800 calories per day (depending on exercise). And my weight continues to slowly decline (I have been on this plan for the past three years and have lost about 20 pounds a year). Interestingly, I have not once gained an ounce in those three years--and that is first for me. All of my adult life, my weight has bounced up and down. I would go on a "diet" (and some of them, like the HCG diet were crazy) and lose 20 pounds and then gain 30 back. Then I would go on another diet and lose 20 and gain back 40, etc. After I finally abandoned diets altogether, convinced that they don't work, my weight continued to creep upward until I stepped on the scale one day to see that I was nearly 100 pounds overweight. And I had started to collect health problems--high blood pressure and high blood sugar along with a worsening arthritis. Since I have been on my current plan, my blood pressure has returned to normal--without medication. I no longer have the threat of Type II diabetes (I was a prime candidate as I had gestational diabetes, and also my brother has it and my mother had it--she died of complications from it). AND my arthritis has improved so much that I am considering taking up jogging (I already do two sessions a week at the pool). I also lift weights (which I would recommend for everyone).

    You should never be afraid of fats--pick the right ones and they will build your health. I am 65 years old.
  • Saucy_lil_Minx
    Saucy_lil_Minx Posts: 3,302 Member
    No.
    Eating fat doesn't make you fat.
    Not eating fat doesn't make you lose weight.

    Eating less calories than your body burns is what makes you lose weight.

    This is sound advice.
    It is important to have healthy fats in your daily diet.
  • Saucy_lil_Minx
    Saucy_lil_Minx Posts: 3,302 Member
    No.
    Eating fat doesn't make you fat.
    Not eating fat doesn't make you lose weight.

    Eating less calories than your body burns is what makes you lose weight.

    This is sound advice.
    It is important to have healthy fats in your daily diet.
  • Marcillene
    Marcillene Posts: 484 Member
    Hi there,

    I had exactly that problem one year ago. I just couldn't lose any fat from my belly, even if I was eating healthy. I think that exercises must be combined with a healthy diet and supplements to achieve great results.
    Then I saw Doctor Oz show when he talked about Garcinia Cambogia, which he called "the magic pill that helps you lose fat for real". It really worked for me. I combined it with some exercises and I lost all my belly fat.
    Here, give it a try and order a free bottle: http://www.darnelreviews.com/Garcinia-Cambogia
    By the way, you can always check for health products reviews on this guy's website.
    I hope it helps you!

    hmmm. interesting i have never heard of this before... did you just use it for the free one month supply?