How you eat on a fat loss diet is very different from how you eat on a weight loss diet. If you are only concerned about losing weight on the scales your focus is on the restriction of calories and the weight loss you will experience is some fat and also muscle tissue and water. But if you are looking to lose excess body fat the way you eat is quite different. In a nutshell, weight loss is focused on the reduction of calories while fat loss is focused on metabolic hormones and the balance of them to assist with fat burning.
On a fat loss eating plan you will always be eating more food than you think you should. However the foods you eat are nutritionally dense, have plenty of fiber and protein but are sparse in calories.
Here are the key rules for increasing fat loss:
Rule 1: Eating enough food
For fat loss it is important to reduce calories only a hundred or two below your base level. This may mean you will be eating around 1600-1800 for women and 2200-2400 for men. If fat is not being lost, drop it a hundred calories at a time till fat burning kicks in.
Eating enough is essential to prevent the ‘starvation mode’ from being activated which will stop fat loss dead in its tracks. As you won’t know where this is caution is needed to stay under the body’s radar system sensitive to food shortages for all of the time humans have lived on earth.
Rule 2: Eat 4-6 small meals per day
The idea here is to increase the quantity of food eaten but not to increase the calories. When your body knows there is plenty of food around it will be more likely to give up its fat stores. But if you eat the wrong types of foods and too much of them you will set your body in fat storing mode rather than fat burning mode.
When you eat your small meals you can increase the volume of the food you eat with protein rich, high fiber and water content foods that will increase your metabolism and encourage fat loss. These small meals will also quieten hunger hormones that can derail even the most serious fat loss plan
Rule 3: Each small meal must contain lean protein
Quality lean protein has many beneficial fat burning effects. Firstly, I helps the release of the fat burning hormone glucagon which directly opposes the action of insulin (fat storing hormone) and helps burn fat. Protein is also slow to digest and break down and requires the body to work hard to do it also increasing metabolism. When you increase the metabolic rate you increase heat which increases fuel (calorie) burning.
Protein rich meals are also important for a fat loss plan because it is very satisfying and helps us stay full for longer. Blood sugar levels are also maintained to avoid drops in energy and to avoid triggering intense food cravings.
When combined with proper strength training exercise extra protein also helps build, tone and maintain muscle tissue which is the driver of the metabolism. The surest way to create food cravings, feel deprived and risk binge eating is to skimp on protein.
Rule 4: Avoid processed foods that increase hunger
The chemicals and additives in prepared, processed foods (the ones that come in packets, boxes, tins and frozen) send your metabolic hormones ‘out of whack’. Delicate appetite regulation hormones are overridden and you don’t know if you are really hungry or are just experiencing their mischief. They increase hunger because of their effect on insulin and stress hormones (fat storing hormones).
Fat loss happens in the kitchen
The only way to avoid these so called non-nutrient foods that get and keep you fat is to get yourself back into the kitchen cooking natural whole foods from scratch. Yes, you will have to plan and prepare ahead but once you get used to doing this it is no harder than eating ‘anything, anytime’ and the results will delight you as the fat loss magic happens.
Note: If you found the content in this article useful, please check out my home page where you'll find more information about my No Excuses Body Makeover program:
