How to Eat the Same Amount of Food and Still Lose Weight
Blake Sanburg (@thenutritionnarc) is a diet and fitness influencer with over 368,000 TikTok followers who lost 23 pounds in two months. He regularly shares videos offering insight into exactly how he did it. In one viral video, he claims that it's possible to eat the same amount of food and lose weight. "I'm going to tell you how you can eat the exact same amount of food and still lose weight. And I'm talking about the exact same amount of calories, not just volume," he says.
He Says It Has to Do with the Thermic Effect of Food
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"It is something called the thermic effect of food," Blake reveals.
Food Are Broken Down Into Carbs, Proteins, and Fats
"Now, if you didn't know, foods are broken down to three different macronutrients: Carbs, proteins, and fats," he continues. "And all three of these are kind of processed in your body in different ways, basically, meaning it takes a different amount of energy to process each macronutrients."
Fat Calories Get Stored and the Thermic Effect is 3%
"And we can use this nuance to our advantage. So let's say you're eating a ton of fat and a ton of carbohydrates. So the thermic effect of fat basically means all the calories you eat from fat pretty much gets stored," he says. "The thermic effect is only 3%."
Related: This Is Exactly How I Lost 70 Pounds in 10 Months
The Thermic Effect of Carbohydrates Is Higher – 7 to 10 Percent
"But then if you bump that up to carbohydrates, you could see that there's a seven to 10 percent thermic effect," he says. "Basically, meaning if you eat a hundred calories of carbohydrates, you will burn about 10 calories during the digesting process."
Protein Boasts a 25 to 30 Percent Thermic Effect
"And then for the winner, the one that takes it all, protein, has a 25 to 30 percent thermic effect," he continues. "Again, meaning if you eat a hundred calories of strictly protein, you'll probably burn 25 to 30 calories while digesting it."
Eating More Protein Is Key
"And this is how we get to eating the exact same amount, but we can burn calories. You eat more protein," he claims. "Now, it's not that much. If we look at the total daily energy expenditure, basically all the calories you burn throughout the day, the thermic effect portion is only like 10 percent of the whole equation."
Eating a High Protein Diet Will Help You Lose Weight
"But every little bit counts. And if you're trying to lose weight, you want to do everything you possibly can to make it easier on yourself. And eating a high protein diet will do so," he concludes.
Related: I Lost 80 Pounds with This High Fiber "Weight Loss Drink"
An RDN Agrees with the Strategy
The Diet Diva, Tara Collingwood, MS, RDN, CSSD, LD/N, ACSM-CPT, a Board Certified Sports Dietitian agrees with this strategy. She previously told The Body Network that protein has the highest thermic effect of food, "meaning you burn the most calories just digesting protein," she explains.
There Is Also Research Behind It
According to research, other factors come into play with thermic effects. For example TEF is increased by larger meal sizes – as opposed to frequent small meals – and also low-fat plant-based diets. Age and physical activity may also play roles in TEF.
💪🔥Body Booster: Eating more protein will speed up the way your body metabolizes food and help you lose weight due to the concept of thermic effect. And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week.
