Losing body fat...

Hey,am currently trying to get my body fat down to about 12 and i need some help,am going on a diet which consists of nothing but Apples,Chicken,Turkey,Fish,i have been told that when the body doesn't get enough or very little carbs it starts to breakdown fat as energy is this true ? Am not exactly going on a "non-carb" diet,because am fully aware the body needs carbs in order to function or my body would be forced to use protein as carbs,this is why apples play a large roll,also protein is used to keep me from losing muscle,am also burning 400 calories per day on treadmill. Will this work?.

 

Oh and for the record am not exactly on a calorie restricted diet.

 

My aim isn't to be skinny,more to be leaner.

...Wouldn't any diet burn the fat as an energy source? What do carbs have to do with it? If you burn more calories than you have, the bodywould burn fat (and some muscle) regardless of where your energy has been coming from...right?

If you want to be leaner, I think you have to start lifting to gain some muscle as well as having a nice diet.

Good luck on only those foods. I'd want to kill myself. x_x

Original Post by jaefuma:

...Wouldn't any diet burn the fat as an energy source? What do carbs have to do with it? If you burn more calories than you have, the bodywould burn fat (and some muscle) regardless of where your energy has been coming from...right?

If you want to be leaner, I think you have to start lifting to gain some muscle as well as having a nice diet.

Good luck on only those foods. I'd want to kill myself. x_x

Not exactly,because carbs need to be used for activity and if they don't get used up,they then get stored as fat,where is protein 85% of what you eat is metabolically used up by your metabolism,there for wouldn't get stored as fat,thus would make me feel fuller for longer,and yes i know it's boring,but if your serious about performing athletically and looking good it's worth it.

Sorry,if i sound like a "know it all" i could be wrong thats why i ask.

I thought fat was just an energy source as well as food and that carbs got used quicker since you're doing "activity" by just breathing. Lol. I don't know though.

Do whatever works for you.

I don't think you sound like a know it all, not in the least.  Here's a few sites that would help though.

http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hinfo.html

Are you a boy or a girl? Just asking bc a BF of 12% for a girl is not something you should be aiming for. If you're a guy, then 12% is fine.

I don't want to be rude, but I think it is an awful idea to only eat apples, chicken, turkey, and fish. What about healthy fats? Vegetables? Whole grains? dairy? Your body can't get all the nutrients it needs from 4 foods.

You need a balanced diet in order to be healthy, and yes in order to lose body fat. If you only eat those four foods you will no doubt lose muscle as well. I am a girl with 18% BF which is considered lean, and I eat lots of healthy fats and carbs. I eat about 3000 calories a day (sometimes more), and my calories are usually 20-30% fats, 15-25% protein, 50-70% carbs. I eat a varied diet consisting of almost exclusively organic whole foods. I've lost about 15lbs, and a good portion of that is fat. I lost fat and got my BF% down simply by making smarter food choices, not by eliminating entire food groups from my diet

Here's a sample meal that I think is very well balanced (perhaps too much sodium, though. and yeah, i did have dessert which isn't very healthy. oh well). It's actually what I ate today.

Breakfast: steel cut oats made w/1.5cups skim milk and 1/4 c. raisins

Snack: gala apple with 2 tbps of peanut butter

Lunch: turkey sandwhich on whole wheat bread w/lettuce, tomato, avocado, sprouts

Snack: 1/2cup of edamame, 1/2cup of skim milk, 3 pieces of dove dark chocolate, triscuit crackers

Dinner: chicken, corn, cherries, salad (not sure of the portions)

Dessert: nonfat yogurt w/candy toppings (yes, i know this isn't very healthy)

I also ran 14 miles (I'm training for a marathon) so I had 30 ounces of mountain blast powerade. Oh and another 1/4 cup of raisins.

Please don't think eating only 4 foods is the way to lower your BF. It's a rather dumb idea, and it won't do you any good.

Yikes, nothing but Apples,Chicken,Turkey,Fish? No it is not a good idea. That is just silly. You will deplete your body of so many vital nutrients and vitamins doing that. You will make yourself sick. Whoever promotes that kind of eating needs to be stopped.

Diets don't work. Changing your diet does. There is no magic pill, potion or diet. To be successful in weight loss and fat loss and keeping it off you have to change your lifestyle. Eat clean/balanced and move your body.

To loose fat you need to cleanup your diet but not go on a diet. Most people who go on diets cut a bunch of foods out might drop weight initially but can you stay on that diet for the rest of your life? No, so why bother. You Will gain all or more of the weight back. It is pointless. If you change your diet to be clean/balanced and exercise 5-6 days a week you will be successful.

Carbs are necessary and not bad. You need them to be healthy. What you want to do is limit simple carbs and include more complex carbs. Find out how many carbs you should include in your normal/healthy diet and eat. Same with fat, dairy, fruits and vegetables, protein. You need all of that. Just choose the right foods. Don't buy white bread, buy "whole" grain bread, brown rice, whole grain pasta. Limit sugary foods, highly processed foods, diet foods, sugar free foods, fat free foods, fast foods.

Include 2 days of HIIT or interval training in your workout plan. And 4 other days of high intensity cardio that gets your heart rate up, race walking, swimming, biking.

Lift hard/heavy 3 days a week.

Include core and strengthening work 5-6 days a week.

Don't drink your calories. Drink plenty of water. Count calories. Find out how many calories you need a day and try to stay within that range. Subtract 500 a day for a normal, healthy paced weight loss.

If you do those things you will loose weight and fat and keep it off.

Move your body in general, in your everyday life. Take the stairs, park in a spot far away from the door at the store, walk when you get a break at work.