My no-nonsense guide to effective and sustainable fat loss

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Hey guys, I just wanted to share what I know in regards to fat loss, since I've seen alot members talk about this, and it's a topic I am very passionate about. The last 3-4 years I've been reading every article and study, from any source I've been able to find. I don't subscribe to any ideological and dogmatic nutrition beliefs, all I care about, is the truth about how our body works. I've tested pretty much every fad diet out there, low fat, low carb, ketogenic, no sugar, nutrition timing based protocols, "clean eating" ect. And all of them, in my opinion, are for the most part completely nonsensical.

The one that annoys me the most, is definitely "clean" eating, or "healthy" eating. I consider myself fairly disciplined when it comes to diet, but this paradigm was pretty much impossible for me to sustain. And the problem is, you're spending your willpower on something that ultimately doesn't matter, instead of placing it where it really makes a difference. Let me tell you a fact, "healthy" eating does not equate to fat loss. It already annoys me, that someone will read this and think it's too good to be true that you can actually eat burgers and ice cream, and it will make zero difference in fat loss. But let me tell you one thing, your body does not categorize the foods you eat in "clean" and "unclean", your body looks at the total picture, on a day to day basis. And when it comes fat loss, 98% of the total picture, is made up by only 2 variables. Anyways, I will stop ranting now and go into what these 2 variables are.

- Overall caloric intake
- Protein

These two are above and beyond the most important factors to keep an eye on, and if you're focusing on other stuff, you are wasting your time. No matter where you are now, and no matter how much you want to lose.
"That's cool and all, but assuming you're right, what do I do now?".
Let's get concrete:

- Download MyFitnessPal
- Set it to moderate calorie deficit
- Set protein to 25 - 40% (Specific amount will depend on alot of factors, but for males I recommend 2g/kg bodyweight)
- Eat whatever the hell you want, as long as you track and get close to the two factors above.
- Profit

Now I could go into great detail about why protein is important, and why other factors like fat, carbs and sugar are not, but I would end up spending the rest of my day writing this. And before you push any nonsensical theories on me, about how insulin causes fat gain, realize that the insulin hypothesis as it stands is complete bs.

Anyways, good luck. Time to get beach body ready.

I agree with you mostly. I don't think sugar is as bad as people make it out to be. Too much is, sure, at least for me.

I eat burgers and have ice-cream, Chinese and pizza. I don't bother too much about having salad with meals. If it's around, I'll have some for texture. But I don't know if it makes much difference health wise. As for Chinese takeaways, apart from MSG, if they add it, I think Chinese meals can be quite healthy, including chow mein, because I've made it entirely from scratch myself and there really isn't anything bad that goes in it. I listen to what my body craves, and these days, it's very strange, but sometimes I find the idea of eating a burger, or even cheese, too greasy/fatty for my liking. Not remotely related to what is considered healthy or not, I actually simply don't fancy them and really do go, "Urgh" at the idea. Other days, I want nothing else but a burger or pizza.

I'll also add, which you may not agree with me on, but it's fine: Every now and then, spending one day more or less fasting and eating nothing but plain, boring food like rice really increases my appreciation for all food. I end up eating less generally. I don't try to eat healthily, I go for what I crave.

And yeh, a bit of protein is important for me I find, otherwise I feel hungrier.

The only "problem" with sugar, is that it's not very filling or all that useful for the body really, but it makes no difference in fat loss when calories and protein are matched. Studies show this.

My problem with the term "healthy food", is that there isn't a single cohesive definition of what that even means. I am not saying it's a bad idea to include some nutrient dense foods like veggies, eggs, fruits ect. in the diet, in fact it's probably a very good idea to do so. But what is healthy really depends on the total context of the diet, so if a burger for dinner fits your overall needs, then I would argue it's perfectly healthy. I think it's a bad mindset to freak out and feel guilty for eating snickers, and think that it causes fat gain, when science shows that it doesn't, the only thing that makes you fat is a caloric surplus.

About the fasting, I am actually a fan of strategic fasting, as long as it's not taken to extremes. Fasting once in a while might even have some health benefits. When I diet down before summer, I usually skip breakfast, so I have more calories to play with later in the day, this is called intermittent fasting. I would recommend prioritizing protein more though, as it will do a better job of preserving muscle and bone mass, otherwise I think it's fine.

The message I want to get across with my post, is that the science shows calorie and protein intake are the major variables in fat loss, the rest is preference.