I’ve been having arguments with someone over the Importance of Calories and Hormones in regards to fat loss with said guy putting a calorie defecit as the utmost importance and lives and breathes the IIFYM lifestyle whereas ive always been more of the hormonal balance and where the calories come from eg. 250cals of protein to me is more efficient for fat loss than 250cals of carbs due to hormonal releases and the effects of each macro on the body with satiety etc.
My point that i was making to him that in order to acheive WEIGHT loss (not just fat) a calorie defecit possibly is of more importance but is it actually possibly to have a positive energy balance if you ate the right foods at the right time etc. not just getting cals from anywhere, and still burn body fat? Both of these groups of defecit and excess cals would be on a resistance based programme.
[quote]saban116 wrote:
I’ve been having arguments with someone over the Importance of Calories and Hormones in regards to fat loss with said guy putting a calorie defecit as the utmost importance and lives and breathes the IIFYM lifestyle whereas ive always been more of the hormonal balance and where the calories come from eg. 250cals of protein to me is more efficient for fat loss than 250cals of carbs due to hormonal releases and the effects of each macro on the body with satiety etc.
My point that i was making to him that in order to acheive WEIGHT loss (not just fat) a calorie defecit possibly is of more importance but is it actually possibly to have a positive energy balance if you ate the right foods at the right time etc. not just getting cals from anywhere, and still burn body fat? Both of these groups of defecit and excess cals would be on a resistance based programme.[/quote]
You are on the right track – hormones matter, as does nutrient timing to a degree, both for protein synthesis and lean mass retention.
However, it’s still subordinate to an energy deficit.
Even the most “guru’d of the gurus” still count calories. They may do it by “eating clean” or separating macros or doing a rain dance at 3 pm while holding a chicken breast, but the net result is the same - to lose fat you need to consume less energy than you expend.
I think the whole eating in a deficit thing is overrated. I think hormonal stuff is pretty damn important. A few months ago I was able to “accidentally” drop fat simply by doubling my fat intake (up to around 200g a day I’m thinking) and not changing anything else.
The ONLY way for someone to lose weight is for them to burn more calories than they take in. BUT, and this is a big BUT, the calories you take in can affect what your body does with them and to what degree they are burned. So yes, 200 kcal of protein is not the same as 200 kcal of carbs or fat, nor is 200 kcal of glucose during or after a workout the same as 200 kcal of sucrose right before bed on a non training day.
Hormones do play a major role in what your body does with nutrition, and nutrition plays a major role in how your body regulates hormones. For someone who is overweight, by eating clean they will most likely reduce their caloric intake, and lose weight. At the same time by eating clean, they will begin to fix their hormones and thus begin to lose weight because their body is not trying to store fat, and is not giving them the cravings that can come with leptin and insulin issues insensitivities.