the importance of fat during weight loss/cut

[warriors010]

lets say a person is cutting on 1800 calories a day. and he wants to do 40/40/20. that is 180 grams protein, 180 grams carbs, 40 grams of fat. my question to you guys is, would it be more beneficial in terms of weight loss to increase the amount of dietary fat , and decrease the amount of carbs?

[Reman]

Well... maybe.

40g ain't much so it migh be better to increase the amount a little. But for bodycomposition there's basically no difference between calories from fat or carbs. Maybe small edge for carbs because they have a higher thermogenic effect.

[warriors010]

Well... maybe.

40g ain't much so it migh be better to increase the amount a little. But for bodycomposition there's basically no difference between calories from fat or carbs. Maybe small edge for carbs because they have a higher thermogenic effect.

what do you mean by thermogenic effect? will i burn a little more calories?

[Analyst]

what do you mean by thermogenic effect? will i burn a little more calories?

Exactly. It takes a bit more energy to digest and use carbs than fats.

[warriors010]

Exactly. It takes a bit more energy to digest and use carbs than fats.

really, i thought it was the other way around. maybe i thought since fats are slower digesting that it was harder. okay so i should stick with my macros?

[Ian_B]

You need a very very small amount of fat to meet EFA needs and ensure your hormone levels don't fall off the charts... but not much. 30-40 grams is fine.

[warriors010]

You need a very very small amount of fat to meet EFA needs and ensure your hormone levels don't fall off the charts... but not much. 30-40 grams is fine.

yea thats what i figured. alot of people say eat around 75 grams of fat but i see absolutely no need. plus i have fish oil caps so im sure im okay.

[Exa123]

You need a very very small amount of fat to meet EFA needs and ensure your hormone levels don't fall off the charts... but not much. 30-40 grams is fine.

Anywhere from 15-20% of total calories is fine

[warriors010]

Anywhere from 15-20% of total calories is fine

and that is what you would recommend for cutting right?

[Ian_B]

Anywhere from 15-20% of total calories is fine

Percentages don't mean much... it's based more off of bodyweight than anything.

Most agree 0.2 grams of fat per pound of bodyweight is about as low as you can go for long periods.

[Reman]

''There is a large difference in the effect of the 3 macronutrients on MIT: {approx}8%, 2%, and 20–30% of the energy intake from carbohydrate, fat, and protein, respectively.''

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/85/4/1014

''Individuals consuming a diet containing ~20% fat compared with a diet containing ~40% fat (7, 9, 13, 25) have significantly lower concentrations of T''

http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/82/1/49


But that likely isn't that big of a deal. 20% is fine. 40g is ok if you're fairly light. Test levels tend drop anyway when dieting.

[Exa123]

Percentages don't mean much... it's based more off of bodyweight than anything.

Most agree 0.2 grams of fat per pound of bodyweight is about as low as you can go for long periods.

Percentages dont mean much for Protein and Carb values yes! BUT I disagree with your avenue In my (and alot of Natty contest prep trainers) it should all be set off your calorie intake which by right should be in a deficit to begin with lets take an example - For a 200lb bodybuilder

2500 calories (500 below maintance of 3000)

Set Protein at around 1.2g/lb = 240g Protein (960 calories)
Set Fat at 15-20% of 2500 Calories (id start with 20%) = 500 calories or 55g Fat
Set Carbohydrates to Fill in the void = 2500 - (960 + 500) = 1040 calories (divide by 4 to give a gram value) = 260g Carbohydrates

This is the basic start point for a cut - as the weeks go on and stalls occur simply drop the calories by 5-10% (depending on how long your cutting for) in the form of Carbohydrates and/or Fats (but never take Fats below 15%)

To the OP and IanB read these articles on Lyle McDonalds website this should clear up all the bull**** surrounding cutting and bulking - you dont need to make it as hard as some people do!

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/articles