What role does food play in the fat loss and muscle gain area? I used to wonder about this a lot and now I have come to some serious conclusions about the topic. Eating for fat loss and muscle gain is a topic that most bodybuilders will tell you is extremely important.
In the past I used to think a good calorie was a good calorie. If I was busy I saw nothing wrong with replacing a meal with a protein shake. I didn't truly grasp the thermal effect of whole foods. To me, having a protein shake was not a bad thing. I have truly changed my opinion on the topic after some experience with eating nothing but clean whole foods.
After I switched over to the plan involving 99% whole food I saw a major shift in my body composition. I now eat chicken or beef 5 to 6 times a day along with vegetables and sweet potatoes and brown rice. Since going on this type of plan I have lost 25 pounds and 12% body fat. The results have been nothing short of amazing. This is what is involved in eating for fat loss and muscle gain.
This leads me to conclude that not all good calories are created equally. While a 200 calorie protein shake might seem to be a safe bet, the fact is that 200 calories of beef has a much better fat burning potential. The food I eat is now at work in my body helping my body burn fat. That right there is the key–whole foods have a thermic effect and that is something that helps you burn more body fat. This is why you want to eat whole clean foods–to leverage the thermic effect of your food.
If you are like I was and you depend a lot on protein shakes and you have found that you are not doing as well as you'd like with fat loss, switch over to using more clean whole foods. You are definitely going to see greater results. I have lost 34 pounds of fat in the past 8 weeks with just this one small change. Once you do this you will be eating for fat loss and muscle gain.
