Eating "Healthy" vs. Eating for Fat Loss

People are often mystified by fat loss. In order for fat loss to occur, there must be a negative energy balance. You must be burning more calories than you are taking in. Sure, it gets a little more complicated as you consider metabolic adaptations and metabolic status (and it should be noted that fat loss is never a linear process), but I want to address the basics.

There are no "magical" foods. There are no magical foods that will cause fat loss, and there are no magical foods that will cause fat gain. No amount of "clean" or "healthy" eating will allow you to lose weight if you are eating in a caloric surplus, and no amount of cookie dough will cause you to gain weight if you are eating in a caloric deficit. Burning more calories than you take in will cause fat loss, and taking in more calories that you burn will cause fat gain. So let's repeat that again: there are no magical foods.

Many people vow to eat "healthy" (however ambiguous of a term that is) in order to lose weight. People think "clean" eating is the answer to fat loss. It seems that many people believe that the quality of calories matters more than the quantity of calories when it comes to weight loss, and that simply trading in their "junk" food for "healthy" food will allow them to finally lose weight. However,  it is the quantity of calories that matters most in weight loss, not the quality. Weight loss results from creating a caloric deficit, and no matter how "healthy" or "clean" someone may be eating, they will never lose weight if they are eating more calories than they burn.

Here I want to make the distinction between eating for health and eating for fat loss, because they are not one in the same. Even if your goal is to eat for total health, simply getting to a healthy body fat range tends to improve most markers of health. So if someone is overweight, simply eating only "healthy" foods will not significantly improve their health if they continue to eat in a surplus/continue to gain weight. It is unlikely that health will significantly improve until weight is lost and body fat falls to an acceptable range. And as we already established, weight loss is a function of caloric restriction.

If your idea of the "best" or "healthiest" diet is one that allows absolutely zero room for "junk" or "indulgences", you are setting yourself up to fail. Health is also mental, and as long as there is a strict dichotomy between "good" vs. "bad" foods, or "clean" vs. "dirty" foods, it will not be sustainable, and any results will be short lived.

Doughnuts, pizza, and chocolate can be incorporated in your weight loss diet if you accurately account for your calories. You can still eat these foods and lose weight as long as you are eating less calories than you burn.

Think sugar has to make you fat or unhealthy? This study compared two hypo-caloric, low-fat diets with the same macronutrient (carbs/fat/protein) distribution, only one group had 43% of their total calories from sucrose (table sugar) while the other group had only 4% of their total calories from sucrose. No significant differences were found between the two groups, and the high sugar intake had no negative effects on weight loss in the high sucrose group. The study, "failed to find any adverse metabolic [ie plasma lipids] or behavioral effects [ie mood disturbances or appetite problems] of high sucrose consumption," and concluded that, "the use of sucrose in a weight-loss regimen is unlikely to cause problems for the average patient, as long as total energy intake is restricted.

So what's optimal? Finding an appropriate macronutrient distribution, getting sufficient amounts of protein, getting appropriate amounts of both carbs and fat, getting enough fiber, getting in your vitamins and minerals, and ending the restriction of certain foods or food groups. Become familiar with basic nutrition, experiment with your body, and find what works best for you. Quit being dependent on a meal plan. Quit being rigid with your diet, and start becoming more flexible with your diet. Practice balance and moderation.

So enough with the super strict and restrictive diets that make you feel miserable. Enough with the swearing off of any "dirty" foods in hopes of more/better weight loss results. Enough with the restrict/binge/guilt/restrict cycle. Enough with the searching for magical foods or magical meal plans that are a waste of time and money.

The ability to suffer through an extreme or hardcore diet does not equate with more or better results. Diet smarter, not harder.