The Secret to Fat Loss: There is No Secret

Michael Hauf deciding on the better food choice.

There is a Sasquatch documentary on HBO right now. I haven’t watched it yet, but I always wondered why no one has ever found Sasquatch remains. I think people will believe anything if the marketing, T-shirts and memes are good enough.

There is a lot of marketing and promises in the fitness and nutrition industry. It’s difficult to know what to believe and what’s a myth. There’s a magical detox for everything. Everybody’s biohacking something. One exercise program is more intense than the rest, promising the best results yet. However, people have been losing fat and getting in shape for years. Are all of these newfangled diets/workouts necessary, or even effective? Was Arnold drinking detox teas and doing HIIT (high-intensity interval training)? Or is it marketing?  

This summer is looking a little different than last summer, thank goodness. People are back to enjoying everything Stone Harbor has to offer – dining, shopping, recreation. Another thing that might also be looking a little different are those few extra pounds that decided to stick around even though quarantine is over. I guess they didn’t get the message. With everyone trying to get back in shape, there are a lot of myths out there that, with good enough marketing, people tend to believe. Let’s dissect a few.

Keto! The best for fat loss! Not necessarily. For those who do not know, the ketogenic diet is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet originally used mainly to treat hard-to-control epilepsy in children. Now it has been adopted into the mainstream as a supposed fat-loss tool. This high-fat diet means cutting out or greatly reducing carbohydrates. Although eating deep-fried buttered bacon might seem appealing to some, there’s very little evidence to show that this type of eating is effective – or safe – over the long term for anything other than epilepsy. When you cut out a huge chunk of your previous calories, chances are you will lose some weight. But when an entire macronutrient is limited or removed from a diet, you are probably going to be cutting out healthy foods, making it very tough to meet the micronutrient needs of the body.

The Mayo Clinic believes while the ketogenic diet may be recommended for some people with uncontrolled epilepsy, the high fat content – and especially the high level of unhealthy saturated fat – combined with limits on nutrient-rich fruits, veggies and grains, is a concern for long-term heart health. A macronutrient-balanced diet is going to be best for fat loss and general health. The research has shown time and again that calories and protein will dictate fat loss. For example, if your goal is 2,000 calories and 200 grams of protein, it is not going to matter the ratio of fat to carbs for your remaining calorie needs. Research from the International Society of Sports Nutrition has found that, to date, no controlled diet comparison where calories and protein are matched between groups has reported a clinically meaningful fat loss or thermic advantage to the lower-carbohydrate or ketogenic diet.

As long as calories and protein are accounted for, you can go high-fat/low-carb, high-carb/low-fat, or whatever you like, and the resulting fat loss will be the same. I would recommend making healthy choices. If you reach your protein goal and fill in the rest of your calories with gummy bears, it probably isn’t going to go well in the long run.

So, there is no special diet that is best for fat loss. How about the best cardio for fat loss? It turns out (drum roll please) there is also no superior form of cardio for fat loss, either. High intensity is all the rage these days. The more intense the better. However, passed out in a puddle of your own sweat trying not to puke at the end of a workout is not a good gauge for progress. A study published in Obesity Review found there were no differences for body-fat outcome between HIIT/sprint interval training and moderate intensity continuous training. There may be differences in cardiovascular system adaptation, but this study found no difference in fat reduction.

So, what’s the moral of the story here? If there’s no best diet for fat loss, what do I do? If it doesn’t matter what cardio I do, how will I choose? Does Sasquatch really exist? The biggest myth by far is that there is one “best way” to do anything. Since 1965, there have been 16 Mr. Olympia winners. They all had very different training and nutrition strategies. The answer is simple: The best diet is the one you can stick to and the best exercise is the one you will do.

For fat loss, you need to be in a caloric deficit while meeting specific protein goals. Fill the rest with whatever you like. If it’s easier for you to go low-carb because it keeps you away from high-calorie processed foods, go for it. If it’s easier for you to go low-fat because it makes you eat more veggies, go for it. Do the exercise you enjoy and can do consistently. If your goal is fat loss, you should definitely do some strength training to conserve muscle mass, but then do whatever cardio you enjoy.

As for Sasquatch, he must have an amazing marketing team.