3 Dietary Methods to Burn Fat and Get Lean

Published in Healthy Living
October 14, 2023
9 min read
3 Dietary Methods to Burn Fat and Get Lean

“Weight loss doesn’t begin in the gym with a dumbbell; it starts in your head with a decision.”- Tori Sorenson

My goal for this article is to provide you with an understanding of different approaches to calorie restriction so that you may decide for yourself what the best fit is for you. An individualized approach will provide the most flexibility and freedom so that you can enjoy the foods you want while still progressing toward your goals, and even more importantly how much easier it will be to stay there once you hit your target weight.

There are many diets that claim to be the best for weight loss and longevity, often individual dieters will demonize aspects of other diets which may cause confusion since either fat or carbs may be the enemy depending on who you talk to. Even more confusing is that both people may have had great success following an eating plan that are complete opposites from each other.

With all these different approaches and perspectives it’s important to gain some clarity surrounding the fat-burning process. The biggest point to consider is how you can keep things as basic as possible so that a “diet” is a lifestyle. As I have said many times to my clients and in previous articles, diets don’t work, they actually create more problems than they solve.

I mean this by the way people change their eating patterns to become very restrictive for a short period of time in a way that is not sustainable in the long term. I want to highlight the part about it being “very restrictive for a short period” which makes it difficult to continue past six months.

Changing your body composition and maintaining your new body will take place over months to years, don’t rush the process for short-term gains. The best way to maximize your results is through diet and exercise, in this article I will only elaborate on the dietary factors.

Below are three different approaches you can use to reach your goals, within these three methods are ways you can further individualize your eating to fit your lifestyle and preferences.

“Fitness is like marriage, you can’t cheat on it and expect it to work.” - Bonnie Pfiester

Time-restricted eating (intermittent fasting)

Intermittent fasting has almost become a fad these days, most often you hear proponents supporting this method due to all the health benefits it provides. Such as reduced cancer risk due to “autophagy,” which is the clearing away of old damaged cells by the body following periods of starvation.

This same process is said to reduce cancer risk by decreasing inflammation and free radicals. When the body is deprived of food for prolonged periods it begins to use fat as a primary fuel source, a byproduct of this process is ketones.

With certain diseases that affect the brain, the presence of ketones as fuel has a protective effect and may slow or even slightly reverse its progression. The same benefits can result from a ketogenic diet which forces the body to use ketones rather than glucose.

One of the reasons people like an intermittent approach, or more broadly, a time-restricted feeding window is the convenience and simplicity. There’s not much, if any, counting calories involved and the only thing you need to keep track of is the time of day.

This works because when you only give yourself a small window of time throughout the day to eat it’s harder to over consume calories. The most common feeding schedule is the 16/8 ratio, which means you are fasting for sixteen hours of the day and only eating for eight.

You can even do a 20/4 schedule if you’d like but it may take some building up to. Many people go for the one meal a day or OMAD way of life for simplicity as they become more experienced with this strategy.

Just imagine the difference in calories between eating three meals a day compared to one. It may seem like it’s not a very sustainable way of life at first but you would be surprised by what you may become accustomed to.

Like training your body for physical endeavors you can train your appetite and hunger cues for two and even one meal a day. You will find that after doing time restricted eating for a while you won’t even get hungry until your designated time of day.

Have a daily calorie budget

There is a bit more attention to detail with this method as you need to be aware of the total amount of calories you’re consuming on a daily basis. This includes everything you’re eating and drinking because some of the most unlikely saboteurs of your calorie budget are likely liquids.

Probably the most sneaky of all are salad dressings. It feels like the right decision to pick the salad over the hamburger and fries, which it is, but is it really better for the weight loss goals if the salad has just as many or more calories than the burger?

The answer is no because it all ends up being the same or worse. If that salad comes with dressings that are high in fat and it’s drenching the bowl then it could have a lot of calories hidden in those veggies.

At the end of the day the amount of calories you eat needs to be less than the amount of calories you burn. In actuality, it really doesn’t matter what foods you eat as long as you remain below your budget. Read my article about the “Twinkie Diet” for more information.

There is a concept in nutrition and dieting called the IIFYM approach, meaning “If It Fits Your Macros.” All this means is if you hit your target numbers for proteins, carbohydrates, and fats it really doesn’t matter what kinds of foods they come from.

While there will be a difference in the way you feel and perform eating junk food rather than whole foods, it will not detract from your weight loss goals. This is with the understanding that if you need to eat 2500 calories a day to maintain your weight and you continuously eat 2200, slowly your body fat will decrease.

I don’t believe this is the best approach 100% of the time but I do think it’s important to keep in mind because adherence is the ultimate factor for success. We all have those foods that we know are not the best for us but they give us momentary pleasure.

To tell yourself you will never eat them again is not likely, but we can reward ourselves with them sporadically without the guilt and shame of cheating. Without quality food choices making up the majority of your nutrition you’re likely to end up skinny and unhealthy, if that’s the case we are missing the point of losing weight.

Reduce a macronutrient- Carbs or Fats

This kind of dietary approach is probably the most common and requires more attention than either of the first two. Not only do you need to keep track of the total amount of calories you’re consuming but it’s necessary to be aware of the source of those calories.

Keeping protein high will be a priority while minimizing either carbohydrates or fats. This will be up to you to decide whether a low carb or low fat approach will be the most ideal, the only way to know for sure is to try them out and see how you feel.

Low carb or Ketogenic diets have been popular for many of the health benefits they provide in addition to it’s positive effects on fat burning. This diet was originally created to help patients with epilepsy experience fewer seizures, today it has proven to be very beneficial to treat individuals with diabetes, obesity, cancer, and other neurological diseases.

When following this method carbohydrates are kept below 10% of the total calorie intake, if 2000 is the daily goal then no more than 50 grams of carbohydrates should be eaten. Low carbohydrate diets have been shown to result in greater reductions in body weight that are sustained for longer periods.

It also provides an increase in metabolism and greater reductions in blood sugar levels and diabetes risk. Some downsides to the keto diet are the common side effects that occur in the first few days to weeks after initiating this approach.

It’s commonly referred to as the “keto flu” due to symptoms like dizziness, nausea, headaches, fatigue, insomnia, and even vomiting. The causes for these reactions are not known but may be related to changes in the gut microbiome as well as effects on the immune system due to a potential detoxification post carbohydrate withdrawal.

Proponents of a low fat approach support its effects on decreasing an individual’s risk for cardiovascular disease. This occurs as a result of lower cholesterol and saturated fats in the bloodstream.

Another benefit to lowering the fat content in meals is that you can eat more quantity of food without having a surplus in the calorie budget for the day. One gram of fat contains twice as many calories as one gram of carbohydrate.

Meaning, a snack that contains thirty grams of fat will account for 270 calories, while the same amount of carbohydrates contains 120 calories.

For individuals who are very active and exercise regularly with weights or cardio activities will benefit from a diet with more carbohydrates due to their positive effects on performance. This is especially true for those who want to gain muscle and improve their physique.

More carbs will fill up the muscles to give them a fuller appearance and provide readily available energy for short but intense bouts of activity. Individuals will notice they have more power during heavier training sessions and will recover better with post-workout carbohydrates.

Final Thoughts

An important point to consider is that there need to be good sources of fat in the diet to support overall health and longevity even when on a low fat diet. Unlike a low carb diet the body cannot create healthy fats from other food sources and so it must account for a greater percentage of calories than what a low carb diet would.

As stated earlier a keto diet will consist of 10% or less of carbs while a low fat diet will account for no more than 30% of total calories.

The same weight loss you get from intermittent fasting will be the same losses you get from keto or low fat diets. Decreasing body fat will improve your overall health while decreasing inflammation, diabetes, and cancer risk.

That means if you’re more likely to stick to an intermittent fasting schedule to lose weight then it’s probably the healthiest approach for you. The same is true for low carb or low fat, it’s important to know what you will stick with the longest.

Following an 80/20 approach is all you need to achieve the results you want while still feeling like you’re enjoying your life. That means making healthy decisions about your consumption 80% of the time and being more free the remaining 20%, but always staying 100% conscious about the decisions you’re making.

Don’t let the 20% turn into 60% because you’ve gotten too comfortable treating yourself with foods that were meant to be a reward. When you remain fully present and aware of the choices you’re making it allows you to enjoy your treats to a greater degree even though they’re infrequent.

Your satisfaction will be enough to sustain you till the next occasion.

I’ve said all that to say this, a calorie deficit is all it really comes down to.

  • Summary of main points

    1. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to dieting and losing weight, find something you will stick to and think long-term.
    2. The word “diet” should be replaced with lifestyle in your mind. Let that new perspective dictate your choices.
    3. A “if it fits your macros” approach can provide some freedom in food choices while simultaneously staying on track.
    4. Try different dietary approaches to find what feels the best for you, this could be a low carbohydrate or ketogenic diet.
    5. In order to lose body fat the calories burned must exceed the calories consumed. It’s that simple, everything else is flexible.
  • Call to action

If you’ve been considering a dietary change to tone up, or just to be healthier start with a little pre-planning. What do your habits look like surrounding food right now?

Think about the timing, how many meals per day, do they consist mostly of carbohydrates, fats, or protein? If you don’t know the difference that’s okay learn about your nutrition and look them up to get your answers.

With all these factors in mind decide which method described above would fit your lifestyle the best.

Once you’re ready begin with little changes, even reducing your total calories by 300 a day will start your fat loss journey.

Resources:

Bhandari P, Sapra A. Low Fat Diet. [Updated 2023 Feb 6]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK553097/

Collier R. Intermittent fasting: the science of going without. CMAJ. 2013 Jun 11;185(9):E363-4. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.109-4451. Epub 2013 Apr 8. PMID: 23569168; PMCID: PMC3680567.

Conlin LA, Aguilar DT, Rogers GE, Campbell BI. Flexible vs. rigid dieting in resistance-trained individuals seeking to optimize their physiques: A randomized controlled trial. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021 Jun 29;18(1):52. doi: 10.1186/s12970-021-00452-2. PMID: 34187492; PMCID: PMC8243453.

Clifton, K,  Ma, C,  Fontana, L,  Peterson, LL.  Intermittent fasting in the prevention and treatment of cancer. CA Cancer J Clin.  2021: 71: 527-546. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21694

Jensen NJ, Wodschow HZ, Nilsson M, Rungby J. Effects of Ketone Bodies on Brain Metabolism and Function in Neurodegenerative Diseases. Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Nov 20;21(22):8767. doi: 10.3390/ijms21228767. PMID: 33233502; PMCID: PMC7699472.

Mark P. Mattson, Valter D. Longo, Michelle Harvie, Impact of intermittent fasting on health and disease processes, Ageing Research Reviews, Volume 39, 2017, Pages 46-58, ISSN 1568-1637, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2016.10.005.

Masood W, Annamaraju P, Khan Suheb MZ, et al. Ketogenic Diet. [Updated 2023 Jun 16]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499830/

Ruth E. Patterson and Dorothy D. Sears. Effects of Intermittent Fasting. Annual Review of Nutrition 2017 37:1, 371-393

Seid H, Rosenbaum M. Low Carbohydrate and Low-Fat Diets: What We Don’t Know and Why we Should Know It. Nutrients. 2019 Nov 12;11(11):2749. doi: 10.3390/nu11112749. PMID: 31726791; PMCID: PMC6893678.

Tobias DK, Chen M, Manson JE, Ludwig DS, Willett W, Hu FB. Effect of low-fat diet interventions versus other diet interventions on long-term weight change in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2015 Dec;3(12):968-79. doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(15)00367-8. Epub 2015 Oct 30. PMID: 26527511; PMCID: PMC4667723.


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