Does it really matter WHAT you eat in order to drop body fat and lose weight?
JAT74
Posts: 1,081 Member
I'm now at the beginning of my 9th week on MFP and so far have dropped around 8lbs so it's been a little slower than I would have liked. I've also lost a few inches so far, but not a massive number.
My question is, as I am finding that some weigh in days I have either put on weight (by 1lb) or stayed the same, is it really important what you eat, as opposed to how much you eat in order to reach fat loss goals?
I have been working to a daily deficit of 500-600 calories and have been as accurate as possible with my weighing, measuring and logging in terms of exercise but although I have been losing weight (though slower than I'd hoped), I haven't really been dropping body fat very fast. On average, I've been eating about 1350-1550 including exercise calories and I've now implemented 2 fast days into my week (5:2 diet). I burn off a minimum of 450 calories every day through exercise, sometimes more.
I still want to lose another 22lbs and drop ideally about 10% body fat. I started at around 33% and I'm now just under 32% so I've hardly lost anything in terms of fat.
I try to eat no more than 100-150g carbs per day and I try and get 80-100g protein on my non-fast days but I haven't really been thinking about what I'm eating much other than that.
In other people's experience is it really important what foods you eat for fat loss or when you eat them etc? I'm starting to think that maybe I should try and eat more fiber for a start (I've had a lot of days when my fiber intake has been quite low) and was wondering if others have any other suggestions or tips about how to drop fat rather than simply weight. For example do I need to go lower carb, should I increase protein even more and is there anything else I can do like eat specific foods for fat loss?
My question is, as I am finding that some weigh in days I have either put on weight (by 1lb) or stayed the same, is it really important what you eat, as opposed to how much you eat in order to reach fat loss goals?
I have been working to a daily deficit of 500-600 calories and have been as accurate as possible with my weighing, measuring and logging in terms of exercise but although I have been losing weight (though slower than I'd hoped), I haven't really been dropping body fat very fast. On average, I've been eating about 1350-1550 including exercise calories and I've now implemented 2 fast days into my week (5:2 diet). I burn off a minimum of 450 calories every day through exercise, sometimes more.
I still want to lose another 22lbs and drop ideally about 10% body fat. I started at around 33% and I'm now just under 32% so I've hardly lost anything in terms of fat.
I try to eat no more than 100-150g carbs per day and I try and get 80-100g protein on my non-fast days but I haven't really been thinking about what I'm eating much other than that.
In other people's experience is it really important what foods you eat for fat loss or when you eat them etc? I'm starting to think that maybe I should try and eat more fiber for a start (I've had a lot of days when my fiber intake has been quite low) and was wondering if others have any other suggestions or tips about how to drop fat rather than simply weight. For example do I need to go lower carb, should I increase protein even more and is there anything else I can do like eat specific foods for fat loss?
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I've lost 71 pounds eating reasonable amounts of what I want. So no, for weight loss I don't think it matters what you eat. Health is another conversation entirely.
Fat loss comes down to eating less than your body burns, and that's it.0 -
Wondering the same thing, although I have seen most people on this board say a calorie is a calorie and it doesn't matter if it's "clean" food or junk food as long as you create a deficit.0
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The only reason it will matter is maximizing your calories.
If I ate all the ice cream I wanted- I'd be really hungry all day.
Because I'd eat all my calories at once- and then that'd be it (yes I CAN eat that much ice cream in one sitting)
Technically on paper- I COULD lose weight like that. But I wouldn't be able to met my daily goals of perforamnce- and odds are I'd eat over my calorie budget because I'd get hungry again.
The trick to weight loss is balancing realistically what you WANT to eat- and what you CAN eat.
You can maximize the amount of food you eat- and how full you feel with lower calorie foods- veggies- lean meats- then you get to eat more- you feel less hungry- less often- WINNING when you're losing weight.
Sometimes I chose to not. Meaning- I chose the higher calorie- less filling foods.
And then I go hungry- because I don't want to go over my limit.
So you have to find the trade off of how willing to be "hungry" you are and how much you can maximixe- low calorie- but filling food.
Which is why you'll see people say "not worth the calories" Meaning- milk chocolate? not worth the calories. Cheese cake? not worth the calories (I don't like cheesecake)... but dark chocolate? YES- I'm willing to go a little hungry and enjoy a more rich treat.
Just about finding balance.
And as you can see- I am not to shabby looking and I eat ice cream and chocolate daily.0 -
When you're looking at differences like 1lb here or there, look at how much salt you're taking in. You're always going to have water fluctuations, but the more salt you have, the more you're going to retain, even if you're someone who "doesn't have to worry about salt." Otherwise, if all you care about is a number on a scale being lower, it doesn't matter what you eat. If you care about your long term health, that's another issue entirely.0
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for the most part no, but dont completely ignore micronutrients (vitamins & minerals). with an ideal level of micro's (on top of macros) you'll feel physically better, and it can only help with fat loss (both appetite wise and just ensuring your body has all it needs to function at 100%)0
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I am wondering about this mainly because I don't always seem to lose my 1lb per week and when it's such a low weekly number it really makes a difference to how I feel if it doesn't come off, especially when I've been so careful about calculating my numbers and am definitely under the amount needed to lose that 1lb.
I am also wondering about it because of fat loss and can't understand how I can have lost inches, 8lbs in weight but only around 1.5% body fat so far.
I've noticed that although I've discovered I can still meet my calorie and macro goals in terms of protein and carb intake while eating chocolate, ice cream, other snacks etc. (and I've not felt deprived by eating those high calorie foods) I don't always manage to get enough fibre and this could be stopping me from 'going' regularly.
I always take a multivitamin with iron and also Omega 3 and I do eat fruit and veggies most days but I've been wondering about whether I need to eat more to help shift the weight and fat or if it's simply a case of eating more good foods for health reasons. I do try and eat whole grains when I have the chance and I limit the quantities of high calorie foods on the whole but don't know if eating these things is affecting my journey compared to if I only ate 'clean'.
A body builder friend of mine has just started a 'cut' and we were discussing this today and he told me that during his cut he will reduce carbs and calories so the way to strip off the fat for him is to basically go a lot lower carb. I don't know if this is right but as I've never been able to get to my goal weight of 117lbs and goal body fat of 20% (or a little less if I can), I'd welcome the opinion of others with more experience of the best way to go about this.
I am setting myself what I feel is a realistic timeframe to get where I want to be and ideally I'd like to reach my target by mid-July but just don't know if I'll get there as the body fat seems so slow to shift.0 -
I'm assuming by weight loss you mean you're wanting to lose as much fat as possible while minimizing muscle loss. If that's the case, it matters what you eat as well as how much you eat and what type of exercise you do.0
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Yes, that's exactly what I mean. I want to lose the excess fat because a lot of the time I train hard and burn off all these calories and feel I have nothing to show for it as although I'm feeling stronger there's a horrible layer of fat covering my hard work!
I don't want to lose muscle no way! I'm trying to eat as much protein as I can on my feed days (90-100g) but other than that I am keeping my carbs to around 100-150g and don't know if there's anything else that's required to maximise fat loss and maintain muscle.
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8 lbs in 9 weeks is good progress depending on how much you need to lose and how heavy you are to start. Recommended weight lost is 1-2lbs/week, so your loss seems pretty much on target.
If your only goal is weight loss, then I'd say no, it doesn't matter as long as you are in a calorie deficit.
If you however want to have a healthier body and nourish your muscles, organs, and systems...then yes, it does matter and it's important to meet your basic macros for iron, protein, fiber, fat, calcium, potassium, etc.
I started out with about 104 lbs to lose (give or take 10 lbs, I'll know better when I get to about 150 if I want to lose more beyond that). I know it's going to take me many many months to get to my goal. I want to be fit and active - I want to grow stronger as well as thinner, so I am taking care to meet those macros (or come reasonably close, can't make 100% every day for every item) as much as possible while losing the weight. That means less "fun" (others call them "junk") foods, and more nutritionally dense foods like meats, dairy, veggies, and fruits.
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Yes, that's exactly what I mean. I want to lose the excess fat because a lot of the time I train hard and burn off all these calories and feel I have nothing to show for it as although I'm feeling stronger there's a horrible layer of fat covering my hard work!
I don't want to lose muscle no way! I'm trying to eat as much protein as I can on my feed days (90-100g) but other than that I am keeping my carbs to around 100-150g and don't know if there's anything else that's required to maximise fat loss and maintain muscle.
What is a "feed" day? You should eat a good amount of protein every day. Prioritize protein over fats and carbs. Try to hit about 0.8-1 gram of protein per pound of the body weight you want to ultimately be at. So if your goal is 150 pounds, try to eat 120-150 grams of protein every day.
For carbs and fats, try to see what works best for your body, track your macros and tweak the carbs and fats every week or two and pay attention to how your body responds.
For exercise. Resistance training is #1. Do it 1-3 times per week, with a rest or cardio day in between sessions. Incorporate HIIT training, Tabata, or fartlek if you want to do cardio on they days you don't do resistance training, but avoid long moderate intensity cardio sessions (except walking, walking is great to do every day).0 -
Galgenstrick, I am following the 5:2 fast diet. It's a diet which was developed by a doctor from the UK and the subject of a BBC TV documentary which is very popular in the UK and elsewhere. It consists of eating 500 calories 2 days a week (I'm eating 550 on those days) and on the other days you are supposed to eat normally. There are loads of health benefits which come from eating in this way but as I'm trying to lose a specific amount of weight each week I generally calculate my weekly calories required, eat my 550 calories for the 2 days and on the other days I split the remaining calories so I usually end up at around 1500-1600 5 days a week.
Obviously on the 2 fast days I don't get to 100g of protein or even close, and I try to eat little and often instead of eating all my calories in one go.
My goal is not 150 pounds, I already weigh 139 lbs and my goal is 117lbs. I have been lead to believe that you should eat your lean body mass in protein not your goal weight, so in my case this is around 95 grams.
I do HIIT training 4 days a week already (with weights up to 12lbs at the moment), a Pilates class once a week, high intensity cardio twice a week, low intensity cardio once or twice a week (35 minutes max for the majority of my cardio sessions) and most days I also go for a 30-60 minute walk with my dog.0 -
Galgenstrick, I am following the 5:2 fast diet. It's a diet which was developed by a doctor from the UK and the subject of a BBC TV documentary which is very popular in the UK and elsewhere. It consists of eating 500 calories 2 days a week (I'm eating 550 on those days) and on the other days you are supposed to eat normally. There are loads of health benefits which come from eating in this way but as I'm trying to lose a specific amount of weight each week I generally calculate my weekly calories required, eat my 550 calories for the 2 days and on the other days I split the remaining calories so I usually end up at around 1500-1600 5 days a week.
Obviously on the 2 fast days I don't get to 100g of protein or even close, and I try to eat little and often instead of eating all my calories in one go.
My goal is not 150 pounds, I already weigh 139 lbs and my goal is 117lbs. I have been lead to believe that you should eat your lean body mass in protein not your goal weight, so in my case this is around 95 grams.
I do HIIT training 4 days a week already (with weights up to 12lbs at the moment), a Pilates class once a week, high intensity cardio twice a week, low intensity cardio once or twice a week (35 minutes max for the majority of my cardio sessions) and most days I also go for a 30-60 minute walk with my dog.
Thanks, I missed the part about the fasting. Keep it up if it's working for you. I'm not sure I would recommend doing it long term though.
About the protein. the 150 was just an example (i just picked that number because I could do the math in my head), and your method for calculating protein is just about the same thing. My method says about 93-117 grams for you. Your method says 95 grams, so we're in complete agreement.
HIIT Training 4 days a week seems like a lot to me. If you're doing it right, you should only be able to handle doing it once or twice. Your intervals need to be max intensity, 100% effort. and the sessions shouldn't last more than 20 minutes or so. In my opinion, I would remove two days of the 4 HIIT days you're doing, and replace them with just resistance training. Do full body workouts, so things likes Squats, Pushups, Pullups, etc. You can find a lot of good full body programs online. Also, aim to do the resistance training and HIIT on the days you're eating.0 -
I think it does matter what you eat. If you eat a lot of processed foods, the amount of sodium and preservatives in them can cause you to retain a lot of water. So, IMO, it does matter WHAT you eat. Do I eat a completely clean diet? No. I still have what I want, just less of it as time has gone on.0
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The only reason it will matter is maximizing your calories.
If I ate all the ice cream I wanted- I'd be really hungry all day.
Because I'd eat all my calories at once- and then that'd be it (yes I CAN eat that much ice cream in one sitting)
Technically on paper- I COULD lose weight like that. But I wouldn't be able to met my daily goals of perforamnce- and odds are I'd eat over my calorie budget because I'd get hungry again.
The trick to weight loss is balancing realistically what you WANT to eat- and what you CAN eat.
You can maximize the amount of food you eat- and how full you feel with lower calorie foods- veggies- lean meats- then you get to eat more- you feel less hungry- less often- WINNING when you're losing weight.
Sometimes I chose to not. Meaning- I chose the higher calorie- less filling foods.
And then I go hungry- because I don't want to go over my limit.
So you have to find the trade off of how willing to be "hungry" you are and how much you can maximixe- low calorie- but filling food.
Which is why you'll see people say "not worth the calories" Meaning- milk chocolate? not worth the calories. Cheese cake? not worth the calories (I don't like cheesecake)... but dark chocolate? YES- I'm willing to go a little hungry and enjoy a more rich treat.
Just about finding balance.
And as you can see- I am not to shabby looking and I eat ice cream and chocolate daily.
Listen to what this gorgeous and fit woman says. She's smart.0 -
galgenstrick wrote: »I'm assuming by weight loss you mean you're wanting to lose as much fat as possible while minimizing muscle loss. If that's the case, it matters what you eat as well as how much you eat and what type of exercise you do.
keep in mind weight loss is NOT linear- which is why you have to change one variable- wait upwards of 4 weeks to notice a change or not- then adjust or stay the course.
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And the lower you get to your goal weight- the slower and grindie-er the process becomes. The harder you must work and the more diligent you must be. 200 pounds over weight- just start cutting a few things- you'll be dropping like crazy.
2 pounds of weight at 17% - every thing will be weighed and measured- and you'll be doing a boat load of cardio.
So don't get hung up on it's not a steady pound a week- think long term averages- the weight you lose weekly is a mere data point for the bigger picture.
aw shucks darling- thank you!Listen to what this gorgeous and fit woman says. She's smart.
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roxielu0422 wrote: »I think it does matter what you eat. If you eat a lot of processed foods, the amount of sodium and preservatives in them can cause you to retain a lot of water. So, IMO, it does matter WHAT you eat. Do I eat a completely clean diet? No. I still have what I want, just less of it as time has gone on.
Yes, it matters as far as water retention goes, but the OP asked about fat loss.
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I think I'll keep doing what I'm doing for a while longer but it's frustrating when I still want to lose 22lbs/10%+ fat.
Maybe I will try and eat a bit cleaner and the scale will move more easily or my body will stop retaining so much water which could be masking some of my weight loss. I know weight loss isn't linear so I'll try to look at the overall picture but it seems like one minute I have lost more weight and a few days later it's come back again without any rhyme or reason!0 -
galgenstrick wrote: »I'm assuming by weight loss you mean you're wanting to lose as much fat as possible while minimizing muscle loss. If that's the case, it matters what you eat as well as how much you eat and what type of exercise you do.
This^
All weight loss isn't fat loss (unfortunately). I know that weight loss products are advertised this way.
You want to stay full (to keep from being miserable, and to prevent binges) - fats, protein and complex carbs
You want to keep lean muscle (as much as possible) - enough calories overall, enough protein, and strength training
You need micro nutrients too. Junk food doesn't contribute enough.0 -
Yes but I am doing this already. I eat around 90-100g protein, strength train, eat carbs generally 100-150g and eat at a deficit of 5-600 calories in order to lose 1lb per week, but the weight that's come off so far has not been much fat (8lbs weight vs 1.5% body fat).0
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Technically no. As long as you are in a deficit you will lose. That said I do believe what you eat is beneficial to losing weight. Foods that satisfy your hunger as well as taste will make it much easier to stay in deficit. Besides, there is more to fitness than weight loss.0
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although I have been losing weight (though slower than I'd hoped), I haven't really been dropping body fat very fast. On average, I've been eating about 1350-1550 including exercise calories and I've now implemented 2 fast days into my week (5:2 diet). I burn off a minimum of 450 calories every day through exercise, sometimes more.
I still want to lose another 22lbs and drop ideally about 10% body fat. I started at around 33% and I'm now just under 32% so I've hardly lost anything in terms of fat.
How are you measuring the body fat? If something like a scale I'd be skeptical about accuracy. If you have a reason to think those numbers are actually accurate, though, I think you'd want to focus on food choice/macros somewhat (although it sounds like you have the macros down) and, especially, lower the deficit, even if it makes it take longer.
I decided I had to lower my own deficit because I had lost more muscle than I'd like (DEXA) despite lots of protein, weight training, etc., along with the fat that I lost, and especially as I'm close to goal. Doing 5:2 and maintaining a significant deficit on your "feed" days (which if I'm understanding is what you are doing) might be more than ideal if the idea is to maximize fat loss and minimize muscle loss. But again if it's a scale estimate I don't think those are terribly accurate. If you are losing inches along with the weight that's pretty good indication that your fat loss is probably more.0 -
Re. Body fat I have used online calculators but they have me at 26% which is definitely not correct. I have used 3 different scales, one which says I'm about 37% but that doesn't separate water and fat. The other two do and the both come out to 31.5-32%, as do body fat calipers.
Basically I'm working to a weekly deficit of around 3500-4000 calories so I'm not eating a deficit of as much as 500 cals on my feast days. I eat 550 calories on my fast days and then subtract 1100 from my weekly total cals to eat which already factors in the deficit I need from my sedentary TDEE plus some of my exercise calories.
I usually eat 1500-1600 on feast days so if I was to split the total over 7 days I'd be eating around 1250. My sedentary TDEE is 1550 and I burn off 450 cals per day or more through exercise.0 -
I've not lost that many inches. I've lost 1 inch off my waist, 0.5 off each thigh and about 3 inches off my hips but most of those inches came off about a month ago.0
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Unless I'm doing the math wrong, you can't drop 10% bf (about 1/3 of your total fat) by dropping 22 pounds, even if 100% of your loss is fat loss.0
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It's just a number I wanted to work towards but I've never sat and worked it out. My lean body mass is 94.5 lbs if I understand correctly so that would be 0% fat. My goal weight is 117 lbs and calculators I've looked at have told me I'd be around 20% fat at that weight based on my starting weight and body fat %.0
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