So ...why do I need fat to lose body fat

fat
(LARRY FOWLER) #1

I cant get past why do I need to eat more fat?..when I am trying to lose body fat…
It seems like such an obvious question, but I haven’t found the answer anywhere.

thanks, Larry

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #2

You need fat as a source of calories to replace the ones you are no longer getting from eating carbohydrate. Carbohydrate has a massive effect on insulin secretion (and insulin is the fat-storage hormone par excellence), whereas fat has no effect on insulin to speak of. So fat is a safe source of calories.

Furthermore, even on a low-carb diet, restricting your food intake is likely to send your body into famine mode, in which case it will cut your metabolism and hold on to its fat stores. What we advise instead is to eat to satiety, since fat is highly satisfying, and giving our body enough energy is key to keeping our metabolism up and using up our excess fat stores. In low-insulin conditions, the body will set your appetite to a level at which it can use both the fat you eat and some of that excess stored fat to fuel your activities. In essence, you will still be eating less, but you won’t have to go hungry, and your body will handle the calorie-counting for you.

(Ken) #3

The reason is that if you restrict carbohydrates, the body needs it for it’s primary source of energy. That’s why a common mistake by Noobs, following the decades of anti fat propaganda and nonsense, often think that if you restrict both carbs and fat you’ll be healthy and lose fat faster. The truth is that if you restrict both, by default you’re eating high protein, which the body can only use a limited amount for energy, via Gluconeogenesis. Your nitrogen levels can also get too high, a very unpleasant experience, which has occurred to me several times.

Fat also contains Leptin, which fluxes through the Hexsosamine Biosynthetic Pathway, which then tells your brain you are Sated and can stop eating. This is really what causes you to eat less and lose fat.

In the beginning, if in doubt eat more fat.

(LARRY FOWLER) #4

but…can’t I use the body fat as energy?.. that seems to make sense to me…instead of adding more fat to my body fat.

(Scott) #5

At first you are trying to get your body accustomed to being a fat burner. After many weeks (fat adaption) you can play around with the amount of fat in your diet. Remember low carbs, moderate protein and fat to satiety. Don’t fall into the trap of trying to restrict calories.

(Jane) #6

See @240lbfatloss post above. Your body can only burn so much of its fat stores and then it drops your metabolism, which you do not want.

True, it is a balance we do without much data but early on err on the side of more fat to get your body adapted into fat-fueled mode. No rush. This isn’t a quick weight loss diet. It’s long term.

#7

This explanation might be helpful too :slightly_smiling_face:

#8

It matters how much fat you have but even if you have enough body fat to get enough energy from them every day and even feel right while barely or not eating for longer term (I doubt many people feel right in that case), you don’t want to make your body “think” you are in some special famine where you eat enough protein but barely any calories. So… Let’s use less energy! A drastic calorie restriction is a great way to lower your metabolism and it doesn’t mean you just get more effective, the body sacrifices something for it. It’s a struggle for survival, not keeping you in a close to ideal state.

It doesn’t mean you need to eat more fat than before, it depends. I lowered my fat intake because I ate very much before and eating less carbs made that possible. But if you ate just a bit too much before and many carbs, you might need to replace some of the carb calories with fat calories. And I don’t even want to touch the case when your energy need changes with your diet change.

First you can just follow the usual advice, eat enough protein, little enough carbs and eat (fat and potentially more than adequate protein) to satiation. If it doesn’t work, you can change something but it’s very natural and easy and it works for many. If your body doesn’t need the fat, hopefully you won’t be hungry and you automatically eat less. Forcing yourself on a very low-cal diet is dangerous and less natural and probably pretty unpleasant even if you are lucky and don’t damage your health.

(Jack Bennett) #9

If you cut carbs AND fat, you’re essentially doing a “protein-sparing modified fast”. That’s a high protein, very low calorie diet. Under medical supervision it’s fine, but there are risks if you do it on your own without supplementation.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #10

Sorry. I thought I explained that in my post above. On a low-carb diet, restricting your food intake is likely to send your body into famine mode, in which case it will cut your metabolism and hold on to its fat stores.

You need to give your body adequate calories, or it will hang on to its fat reserves to get you through the famine. And the surest way to get adequate calories is to eat when hungry, stop when no longer hungry, and wait to eat until you are hungry again. We call this “eating to satiety.”

Done in the context of a low-carbohydrate diet, this will trigger a hormonal response that will adjust your appetite to a level at which your body can use both the fat you eat and some of that excess stored fat to fuel your activities. You can even eat past the point of satiety, to some extent (though I don’t recommend it), because the body is capable of adjusting your energy expenditure up or down to meet the energy intake you subject it to.

(PSackmann) #11

Good responses here Larry. First, eating plenty of fat before you’re fat adapted helps the process along. It takes time to train your body to function well while burning body fat, you’ll know you’re getting there when you can easily go 8 waking hours or so without wanting to eat. Once you’re burning fat, both exogenous and body fat, you’ll want to keep your fat intake up to keep the metabolism going, as there is a limited amount of energy that can be released by each pound of body fat each day.

#12

Great question Larry

(Consensus is Politics) #13

Forget what we’ve been taught for the past 70ish years about eating fat. Its just not true.

Forget most of what you have learned about calories. Losing weight by lowering calories “can work” if you restrict enough, and feel like you are starving all day.

Forget what you’ve been taught about eating cholesterol, you dont absorb much that way at all, your body makes it as it needs it. The cholesterol you eat passed right through for the most part.

I’ve been eating this way for over two years now. Lost over 60 pounds in the first couple of months and have been holding there. I have noticed if I eat less than about 2000 calories I begin to gain weight. So I typically eat about 3,000 calories to maintain my 190 pounds. In my case my pivot point has to do with my coffee. If I have less heavy cream and coconut oil, I can begin to lose weight again. Alternatively I can fast, at will, not be hungry, lose weight, which I do on occasion, but it needs to be followed up by high calorie intake to keep metabolism high to continue burning fas afterward.

I have a new job, keeps me. On the road from site to site, so I dont have much time to eat. So I get one meal a day, which works perfect for me, usually dinner after work. But i guess one could argue my coffee is actually a meal seeing as it is usually about 1,000 calories by itself :cowboy_hat_face:

(Dan Dan) #14

Welcome to the Forum @larryfowler

Eating High fat, Moderate Protein, and Low Carb turns your body into a Lean mean Fat Burning Machine. It revs up your metabolism and dips into stored fat for additional energy needs and satiates your appetite.

Eating High Carb puts your body in storage mode and blocks access to the food you eat and stored fat and increases appetite.

Restricting Calories lowers metabolism.

(Jack Bennett) #15

Image stolen from somewhere else on the forums

Even when you are in the early stages of weight loss (fat loss) you still have some fat in the diet.

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(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #16

Your body can only pull so much energy from your stores daily. Richard developed calculator so you could get a good idea of just how much fat you need to supplement when fasting. It is at

(LARRY FOWLER) #17

so…are chicharones (pork rinds) OK as a fat supplement?

(traci simpson) #18

What do you put in it

(Dan Dan) #19

Only if you dip them in sour cream or make nachos :crazy_face:

They are great but watch for carbs in the flavored ones :grinning:

FYI the dollar stores and walmart has the best prices

#20

They’re a high source of fat but a lot of commercially available pork rinds (here in my country anyway) are cooked in vegetable oils, which isn’t good.