Are you putting too much fat on your plate? It’s simple really. Fat is 9 cals per gram and protein and carbs are 4 cals per gram. Because of this, having too many fatty foods on your plate can lead to a sneaky increase in calories. Even if the fat you are eating is “good fat”. But let’s dive a little deeper, paint a picture, and throw in a dash practicality.

DIVE DEEPER:

Let’s start with what we know. We know, that without a doubt, if one aspires to lose weight, they must bring less calories in than they put out or “burn” (Gardner CD, et al.). This is regardless of low carb or low fat. I’m only presenting one study here that compared low carb to low fat but, if you need more, feel free to go here and read up on the above study plus a few other references they utilize as well.

PAINT THE PICTURE:

Let’s examine breakfast. Breakfast is traditionally a high fat meal. Eggs, avocado, sausage or bacon. It could also be fatty from the butter you may add to your toast, pancakes, or waffles. But, let’s say that you aren’t eating waffles or pancakes. Maybe you aren’t even eating toast because you are attempting to keep your carbs low. Good for you! That’s a solid approach to a fat loss diet. At BFP, we encourage getting your starchy carbs in around your workouts so that would determine which meal you have those carbs at. Let’s look at this example of a breakfast with little to no carbs as compared to a breakfast with a healthy dose of carbs.

As you can see, the meal on the left, with some healthy and diverse fat, comes in at over 100 cals higher than the plate on the right, also with healthy fats, more protein, veggies, and a healthy dose of whole grain carbohydrates.

If you ate the breakfast on the right for 14 days instead of the breakfast on the left, you would lose just over a lb of fat in 2 weeks. Not a ton but quite a return on investment when only making slight changes to one meal. In fact, if you took an egg out from the meal on the right and added more ham, you could maintain the protein and lower the calories even further which would accelerate your results.

PRACTICALITY:

Now remember, low carb or low fat, as long as we are in a calorie deficit, we will lose weight. Based on the info in the picture, the meal on the right, although containing carbs, would be a better bet for most anyone looking to lose weight.

That being said, we don’t push specific methods of nutrition on anyone here at BFP. We don’t feel that nutrition should be treated as a religion that one positions their life around. So let’s look at this from another angle.

Maybe many carb options beyond veggies don’t settle well with your stomach. Perhaps you like the way you feel when you aren’t holding as much water (a normal result of eating carbs) or you find that you are more full when keeping fat higher and carbs lower. That’s great too! Using that example, let’s look at how we could save you some calories on the meal on the left, increase the protein, but keep your carbs on the lower end or save them for your post workout meal.

It’s simple, swap the bacon for a leaner breakfast meat. You could cut cals and add protein by switching to some sliced ham or even turkey sausage. I LOVE BACON but, bacon is very calorie dense without any significant nutrient value outside of an amazing taste.

What does this mean for you?

When it comes to weight loss, especially as we approach the Spring and Summer months, you can hit your goals with a nutritional approach that suits your lifestyle and is sustainable. We both know that no matter the nutritional approach you choose, if you can’t sustain it for the long haul, it won’t work.

Making small adjustments to your regular meals (meals you tend to eat often) can contribute to long term strength, fitness, and confidence!

Some of these include:

• Eating a lower calorie dessert option like Chilly Cow instead of cookies or ice cream.

• Or blend up frozen banana with a half a tablespoon of peanut butter and a teaspoon of chocolate chips in place of other desserts.

• Use something like low fat sour cream and french onion soup mix to make a dip for when you have cravings or even as an awesome salad dressing (only 20cals per serving).

• Instead of croutons or chips on a salad, try french fried onions.

• Much lower cals per serving and taste great!

• Keep cucumbers handy for when you feel the need to snack on something crunchy. In fact, dip the cucumbers into the homemade french onion dip I mentioned earlier!

• Eat tons of veggies and protein at every single meal!

I cannot overemphasize the importance of small changes like the ones mentioned above in leading to long term results while maintaining your sanity, and allowing you to enjoy other treats occasionally. Of course as always, get some kind of exercise in everyday, preferably intense exercise at least 3x per week and strength training at least 2x per week out of those.

If this approach to nutrition and exercise gave you a sigh of relief. Maybe took a little pressure off your shoulders and you think “Hmmm, this might just be the way to go. I’m tired of trying the latest supplement or diet and failing. Maybe it’s time to put in the work consistently and have patience”, then our Mid-Spring Tune Up may just be the ticket for you! Click here to learn more and grab your spot in our 28 day program!

References:

Gardner CD, et al. Effect of Low-Fat vs Low-Carbohydrate Diet on 12-Month Weight Loss in Overweight Adults and the Association With Genotype Pattern or Insulin Secretion: The DIETFITS Randomized Clinical Trial . JAMA. (2018)

https://examine.com/nutrition/low-fat-vs-low-carb-for-weight-loss/

Thanks,

Coach Joe