How can eating fat help you lose stored body fat?
Eat fat to lose fat
It may sound contradictory that consuming a nutrient, in this case fat, actually causes our body to eliminate it, or better yet, use it , but that is how it is and today I will explain how this can happen, which fats can help you and which ones definitely cannot.
What happens in our body
There are several hormones in our body that regulate both the storage and use of fat in the body, mainly the human growth hormone and insulin because they are the ones you can directly influence.
Human growth hormone ( HGH ) can be increased in two ways: one is through fasting or abstaining from all food and the other is through exercise, particularly high intensity exercise. Thus, the more calories you use, the less opportunity you have to accumulate fat.
The hormone insulin is a fat storage specialist. The carbohydrates that you consume and that are not used for energy, insulin is responsible for converting them into fat and this is how this hormone promotes the storage of fat in the body. When we fast we are doing two things in our body: we are increasing HGH and we are decreasing insulin production.
When you fast, you only have your basic fasting blood sugar level, you are not adding any carbohydrates to your body and this is as low as your insulin can go. However, there is a way to reduce insulin production to a minimum and that is by eating very low sugar foods . Protein can stimulate insulin production a little, but fat can hardly stimulate it. This is one of the reasons why low-carb diets and the ketogenic diet are the most effective in bringing the human body back into balance.
Fasting vs. ketogenic diet
vs 
Although fasting is considered to be the most powerful way to modulate growth hormone and insulin, it is not a practice that can be carried out long-term – we simply cannot stop eating for the rest of the year, for example. But there are techniques that allow us to achieve the benefits of fasting, but without completely abstaining from food and this can be achieved with ketogenic diet and cycles.
Ketogenic diet
This is the strictest form of a very low-carb, high-fat diet. Currently, several ways have been designed to achieve this and not fail in the attempt. Traditionally it was a four-day fat fast, but I have found some techniques that make the transition much easier and more bearable thanks to the advice of Dr. Sten Ekberg. ( 1 )
- Converting your normal meals into ketogenic meals whether you eat one, two or three meals. Of course, you get faster results if you eat fewer meals, but you can still maintain the state of ketosis.
- The other way is by making cycles. For example, you can do 3 days of ketogenic eating (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) which can be done in parallel with a restricted eating schedule. While on other days he eats trying to follow a low-carb protocol, but with moderate protein and fat.
Macronutrient ratios to enter ketosis
As stated above, the key is to keep your intake of sugars, flours and other starches very low.
|
CARBOHYDRATES 5% Low-very low |
PROTEINS 20% Moderate |
FATS 75% High |
According to Dr. Ekberg, it's not about consuming as much fat as possible, but rather supplementing whatever is available in your portion of that food with healthy fat since it provides insulin neutrality and depending on the approximate number of calories you consume in a day, Ekberg shows us the proportions in the macronutrients so that you can stay in a state of ketosis, that is, using the available fat (whether from food or that which is stored in your body) to use as fuel in your daily activities.
If you consume a total of 2000 calories a day,
|
Carbohydrates 25 grams |
Proteins 100 grams |
Fats 165 grams |
If you consume a total of 1500 calories a day,
|
Carbohydrates 18 grams |
Proteins 75 grams |
Fats 100 grams |
If you consume a total of 3000 calories a day,
|
Carbohydrates 37 grams |
Proteins 150 grams |
Fats 250 grams |
These tables can be a little confusing because at a glance you might think that if your total daily calories are 2000 and you consume 25 grams of carbohydrate, 100 grams of protein means you must consume 165 grams of fat. The truth is that carbohydrate and protein consumption remains fixed, but fat consumption varies until you feel satisfied.
That is, if you have strictly maintained the percentage of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, but suddenly you are still hungry, you can supplement with more healthy fat until you feel that your appetite has been satisfied. It does not matter so much how much fat you consume, but how few carbohydrates you eat.
You may be consuming too much fat. If you consume so much fat that your body has no need to use the fat it has stored, that is where the transition will begin. The idea is that your body becomes so efficient at using fat as fuel that at some point it no longer matters whether it comes from food or from your body's reserves. It is at this point that we can say that your body has adapted to fat, that is when your appetite begins to be controlled and when you do not need to overeat.
The message you should convey is that the less we provoke insulin production, the better we can control our appetite, our weight and prevent many diseases.
Healthy fats to add to your diet
When choosing which fats are the most beneficial, it must be clear that there are healthy fats and others that are not. For weight loss purposes, if that is your goal, all fats are insulin-neutral. However, in the long term, they do not work in the same way. Unhealthy fats cause inflammation, a condition that is at the root of major diseases, and they also slow down the weight loss process. In the long run, I think what we all want is to be healthy and live a good quality of life.
Get to know the fats
Essential fatty acids
The body requires them and they are the basis for important functions such as the production of membranes in every cell of the body, especially those of the brain and nervous system. The health of the membranes depends on the quality of the fats you consume and the ability of both the brain and nervous system to send appropriate signals to different parts of the body.
Fatty acids are necessary for the proper functioning of hormones and are also inflammatory regulators, some are pro-inflammatory and others anti-inflammatory. What is not used for these functions is then used as fuel for the body.
The fats we consume are healthy as long as they are not altered or processed, but they are stable. Their stability depends on the type of fat they are. You have probably heard of saturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids
Image: Ewa Durban
Essential fatty acids are polyunsaturated, but only a small amount of them is needed (800-2000 mg per day), depending on the case. Other polyunsaturated fats are considered unhealthy because they are easily altered or because they have to undergo aggressive heating, pressing and chemical additions to extract the oil.
Img:ValeriaLu
To consume a polyunsaturated oil, it must be fresh, as in the case of fish oils, for example. Some seeds such as flaxseed, chia and hemp contain omega-3 fatty acids provided they are consumed fresh or freshly ground. However, the human body is not very efficient at converting these fats into EPA and DHA to obtain the daily ration of Omega-3 necessary in the diet.
Processed plant oils such as canola, soybean, cottonseed, corn, etc., have a high Omega-6 content, are intensely processed, and have lost their nutrients and are pro-inflammatory.
Trans fats. Most trans fats are formed through an industrial process that adds hydrogen to vegetable oil, making the oil solid at room temperature. This partially hydrogenated oil is less likely to spoil, so foods made with it have a longer shelf life. According to the Mayo Clinic ,
The manufactured form of trans fat, known as partially hydrogenated oil , can be found in a variety of food products, including:
- Baked goods, such as cakes, cookies and pies
- Shortening or lard
- Microwave popcorn
- Frozen pizza
- Refrigerated dough, such as cookies and muffins
- Fried foods, including French fries, donuts, and fried chicken
- Dairy-Free Coffee Creamer
- Stick margarine
Saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids
The most stable are the monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids. They can provide the necessary fatty acids, especially if they have been minimally modified.
- Olive oil (mono unsaturated)
- Nuts, seeds (check that they do not have high levels of Omega-6)
- Avocado. It is better to eat it whole than in oil, which must be processed.
- Butter or ghee 26% MUFA (monounsaturated fatty acids) and 6.5% short chain triglycerides. This means that it can be absorbed quickly in the body. It also has 7.8% medium chain triglycerides (MCT).
- Coconut oil has 65% medium chain triglycerides (MCT) which is why it becomes liquid at 25ºC. It is stable, meaning it does not spoil, oxidize, or become rancid, and it is not pro-inflammatory.
Again, as Dr. Ekberg says, eating more fat is not the best. The protocol to start seeing changes in your body is,
- Fasting or intermittent fasting or time-restricted eating.
- Keep your meals low in carbohydrates.
- Let these meals contain a moderate amount of protein.
- And make sure that these meals contain enough healthy fat to allow for ketosis. If you're still hungry at the end of your meal, supplement with a little more healthy fat until your body feels satisfied. The quality of the fat will make a big difference.
References