How To Eat To Lose Belly Fat (3 STAGES!)

Summary

This video script offers a three-stage diet plan to effectively lose belly fat. It emphasizes the importance of diet, starting with a calorie deficit and high protein intake to reduce body fat to 15%. The second stage refines the approach, adjusting carb and fat intake to reach 12% body fat, while the final stage requires strict calorie tracking and discipline for further reduction. The script also discusses the sustainability of different body fat levels and encourages finding a maintainable diet plan for long-term success.

Takeaways

• 🍽️ Diet is the key to losing belly fat, and it involves three distinct stages to progressively reduce body fat percentage.
• 📉 The initial phase aims to reduce body fat to around 15%, focusing on creating an energy deficit and increasing protein intake to preserve muscle mass.
• 🔢 To calculate daily calorie intake, multiply body weight in pounds by 11 to 13, adjusting based on height, age, and activity level.
• 🥦 Emphasize low calorie density foods which are unprocessed, filling, and require more energy to digest, aiding in weight loss.
• 📉 Stage two refines the approach, requiring more precise calorie tracking and adjusting macronutrient ratios to continue fat loss down to 12% body fat.
• 🥩 Protein intake is crucial; heavier individuals should aim for 1 gram of protein per centimeter of height, while lighter individuals should consume 0.8 grams per pound of body weight.
• 🍞 Stage three is the most challenging, requiring strict calorie tracking, high-volume food choices, and discipline in social situations to maintain low body fat.
• 🥗 Incorporating high-volume foods can help manage hunger while keeping calorie intake low, which is essential in the final stage of fat loss.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Building muscle through training can improve the aesthetics of a lean physique and may influence the decision on how low to go with body fat percentage.
• 🤔 The video suggests considering if the sacrifices for extremely low body fat are worth it, as maintenance can be difficult and may affect energy levels and strength.
• 📝 For personalized nutrition guidance, the video recommends taking an analysis quiz on buildwithscience.com to find the best approach.

Q & A

Why is belly fat considered difficult to lose?

Belly fat is difficult to lose because it's the body's last resort for energy storage, and it requires a specific approach to diet and lifestyle changes to effectively reduce it.

What is the primary factor in losing belly fat according to the script?

The primary factor in losing belly fat is diet, which involves creating an energy deficit and making smart food choices.

What are the three stages mentioned in the script for losing belly fat?

The three stages are: 1) Kick-starting the fat loss process to reach about 15% body fat, 2) Refining the approach to go from 15% to 12% body fat, and 3) The most challenging stage, going from 12% body fat down to 10%, which requires more discipline and sacrifice.

What does an energy deficit mean in the context of weight loss?

An energy deficit means consuming fewer calories than the body burns daily, forcing the body to use stored fat for energy.

How can one estimate their daily calorie intake for creating an energy deficit?

To estimate daily calorie intake for an energy deficit, multiply body weight in pounds by 11 to 13, adjusting for factors like height, age, and activity level.

What are low calorie density foods and why are they beneficial for weight loss?

Low calorie density foods are those that occupy a large volume in the stomach but contribute fewer calories to the daily total. They are beneficial because they help you feel full with fewer calories and often require more energy to digest.

How does protein play a role in fat loss while minimizing muscle loss?

Protein helps in fat loss by ensuring that more of the weight lost comes from fat rather than muscle. It also helps maintain muscle mass, which is crucial for metabolic health and appearance.

What is the recommended protein intake for someone who is relatively heavier and has a higher body fat percentage?

For heavier individuals with higher body fat, the recommendation is to consume one gram of protein per centimeter over their height in centimeters.

Why is it important to track daily calorie intake more carefully in the second stage of the fat loss process?

As body fat decreases, metabolism slows down, and the initial energy deficit may no longer be sufficient for further fat loss. Tracking calorie intake more carefully ensures that the energy deficit is maintained.

What adjustments are suggested for carb and fat intake during the second stage of the fat loss process?

In the second stage, it's suggested to keep protein intake high but lower daily fat intake to about 20-25% of daily calorie intake, allowing for more carbs to be introduced to manage hunger and support energy levels.

What are some strategies for maintaining discipline and making wise food choices during the final stage of the fat loss process?

Strategies include accurately tracking daily calories, focusing on high-volume foods for satiety, being disciplined during social events and dining out, and planning ahead for big meals or alcohol consumption.

Outlines

00:00

🍽️ Diet and Exercise for Belly Fat Loss

The video script introduces a three-stage process for losing belly fat, emphasizing the importance of diet. The first stage focuses on creating an energy deficit by consuming fewer calories than the body burns daily, with a focus on low-calorie-density foods and adequate protein intake to minimize muscle loss. The script provides a method to calculate daily calorie needs and suggests choosing unprocessed foods that are more filling and require more energy to digest. It also highlights a study showing the benefits of low-calorie-density foods for weight loss and muscle retention.

05:00

📉 Refining Diet for Further Fat Loss

The second paragraph delves into the second stage of the fat loss journey, aiming to reduce body fat from 15% to 12%. It addresses the increased hunger and slower fat loss, suggesting more precise tracking of daily calorie intake and adjusting macronutrient ratios. The paragraph advises maintaining high protein intake while reducing fat intake and incorporating more carbs to manage hunger and support energy levels. It also stresses the importance of discipline and consistency in diet to achieve the desired body fat percentage.

10:02

🏋️‍♂️ Final Stage of Fat Loss and Maintenance

The final paragraph discusses the most challenging third stage of reducing body fat to around 10%. It emphasizes the need for accurate calorie tracking, meal planning with high-volume foods to manage increased hunger, and discipline during social events and dining out. The script questions whether the sacrifices for extreme leanness are worth it, suggesting that a body fat of 12% to 15% might be more sustainable and aesthetically pleasing for most individuals. It concludes by encouraging viewers to find a nutrition plan that is enjoyable and sustainable in the long term, and to consider the provided resources for personalized guidance.

Keywords

💡Belly Fat

Belly fat refers to the excess adipose tissue stored in the abdominal region. In the video, it is the primary focus of the discussion, as the host aims to provide strategies for its reduction. The script mentions that belly fat is 'easy to gain but almost impossible to lose,' highlighting the common struggle many individuals face with this specific type of body fat.

💡Diet

Diet is the set of food and drink consumed by an individual. The video emphasizes the importance of diet in losing fat, particularly belly fat, and suggests that dietary changes are the key to initiating and sustaining fat loss. The script outlines different dietary stages to progressively reduce body fat percentage.

💡Energy Deficit

An energy deficit occurs when the number of calories consumed is less than the number of calories expended by the body. The video script explains that creating an energy deficit is essential for forcing the body to burn fat for energy, which is the fundamental principle behind the weight loss strategy presented.

💡Calorie Density

Calorie density is a measure of how many calories are packed into a given volume of food. The script introduces the concept of 'low calorie density foods,' which are foods that are less calorie-dense and can help fill the stomach with fewer calories, aiding in weight loss efforts.

💡Protein

Protein is a macronutrient essential for building and repairing tissues in the body. The video stresses the importance of consuming adequate protein to preserve muscle mass while losing fat, with specific recommendations given based on body weight and height.

💡Body Fat Percentage

Body fat percentage is the proportion of an individual's body mass that is fat. The video discusses different stages of fat loss targeting various body fat percentages, such as reducing from 25 to 15, then to 12, and finally to 10, with each stage requiring different dietary adjustments.

💡Hunger Levels

Hunger levels refer to the degree of desire or need for food. The script mentions that as individuals progress through the stages of fat loss, their hunger levels will increase, necessitating strategies to manage hunger while maintaining an energy deficit.

💡Muscle Loss

Muscle loss is the decrease in muscle mass that can occur during weight loss if not managed properly. The video warns of the increased risk of muscle loss as body fat decreases and emphasizes the role of protein and careful dietary planning to minimize this risk.

💡Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are one of the macronutrients that provide energy to the body. The script suggests adjusting carbohydrate intake as part of the fat loss strategy, particularly in later stages, to manage hunger and support energy levels for daily activities and exercise.

💡Fats

Fats are another macronutrient that the body uses for energy and various bodily functions. The video script notes that while fats are necessary, they are calorically dense, and their intake should be moderated to facilitate fat loss, especially in the later stages of the dietary plan.

💡Consistency

Consistency refers to the regular and continuous repetition of an action or behavior. The video emphasizes the importance of being consistent with dietary habits and the overall fat loss strategy, as this is what ultimately leads to success in reducing body fat.

Highlights

Your diet is key to losing belly fat, but knowing where to start and how to maintain progress is crucial.

Fat loss generally starts happening around 15% body fat, and significant belly fat reduction is seen around 10-12% body fat.

Different dietary approaches are needed for different stages of fat loss, particularly as you move from higher to lower body fat percentages.

Stage one focuses on kick-starting the fat loss process, maintaining low hunger levels, and minimizing muscle loss by focusing on calorie and protein intake.

Creating an energy deficit is crucial; calculate this by multiplying your body weight in pounds by 11 to 13, depending on your height, age, and activity level.

Emphasize low-calorie density foods to keep your calorie intake low while feeling full.

Studies show that diets consisting of low-calorie density unprocessed foods can lead to significant weight loss compared to high-calorie density processed foods.

Protein intake is vital to ensure that weight loss comes mainly from fat rather than muscle.

Stage two involves refining your approach to overcome fat loss plateaus by tracking calorie intake and adjusting carb and fat consumption.

A precise tracking of calorie intake is necessary as people often underestimate their daily caloric consumption.

Incorporate more carbs into your diet while reducing fat intake to manage hunger and support daily activities.

Stage three is the most challenging and requires strict calorie tracking and disciplined food choices to stay on a low-calorie diet.

Consider whether the sacrifices needed to reach extremely low body fat percentages are worth it for your lifestyle and goals.

Maintaining a body fat percentage between 12-15% is often more sustainable and practical for most people, providing health benefits and a lean appearance.

Consistency with your diet is key to achieving and maintaining your desired body fat percentage.

Transcripts

belly fat is really easy to gain but

seems almost impossible to lose now

you're probably aware that your diet is

the key to losing fat from this area but

you likely have no idea where to start

let alone how to keep fallouts going for

long enough to get rid of the most

stubborn areas today I'll show you step

by step in three stages how to eat to

start losing fat and how to keep that

going until you successfully lost all of

your belly fat and for good

before we dive into the three stages let

me explain what these stages mean and

why you need them in the first place so

you're likely somewhere between a body

fat of 15 and 25 or maybe even higher

regardless of where you are right now

you need to lose enough fat from other

areas of your body before your body will

start prioritizing burning off your

belly fat for energy for most people

this starts to really happen around 15

body fat by the time you reach around 12

or 10 body fat your belly fat will be

almost completely gone now while your

diet is key to achieving this the diet

you use to get you from let's say 25 to

15 most often won't be enough to take

you down to the next level of 12 the

same is true for going from 12 down to

even 10 as you get leaner and leaner

there's certain things you need to be

aware of and certain changes you should

make with your diet to prevent you from

getting stuck and to prevent you from

losing muscle let's start with stage one

the first stage is designed to

kick-start the fat loss process and keep

it going until you get to about 15 body

fat throughout this stage your hunger

levels will be low your risk of muscle

loss will also be low and

physiologically it will be the easiest

stage to get through the stage is

actually quite simple there's only two

factors you need to focus on calories

and protein let's first talk about

calories you don't need to completely

cut out carbs sugar or any of your

favorite foods all you need to do is

create what's known as an energy deficit

to start forcing your body to burn body

fat for energy you create this deficit

by consuming less calories than your

body Burns every day now to find the

appropriate energy deficit for your body

take your body weight in pounds and

multiply that by anywhere from 11 to 13.

if you're a taller individual younger or

more active go with the higher end if

you're shorter individual older or less

active go with the lower end the number

you get will be a rough estimate of the

amount of calories you should eat every

day but to hit your goal calorie intake

some foods are better than others what I

recommend is focusing on what's known as

low calorie density Foods these are

foods that for the amount of space they

take up in your stomach will only add a

relatively low amount of calories to

your daily total for example here's what

200 calories of Oreos look like and

here's what 200 calories of cereal looks

like for the same amount of calories you

could fill your stomach with a mountain

full of strawberries and carrots not

only that but since low calorie density

Foods tend to be unprocessed they also

tend to require more calories to burn

and digest the more processed foods now

as for how much of a difference this can

make for fat loss a recent 2019 paper

took 20 adults and first ran them

through a diet consisting of only high

calorie density processed foods for two

weeks afterwards they switch them to a

diet of low calorie density unprocessed

foods for two weeks in both conditions

they were allowed to eat as much food as

they wanted the result the processed

foods diet led to almost 2 pounds of

weight gain once they switch the

unprocessed diet however their daily

calorie intake dropped by over 500

calories and they ended up losing over

two pounds at the end of the stage I'll

provide a list of low calorie density

food items for you to pick from but

before that there is one more Factor you

need to pay attention to although eating

fewer calories in your body needs will

help you lose weight you want as much of

that weight loss to be from fat rather

than muscle this is where protein comes

in you need to start eating more of it

in fact in studies where subjects go on

the same diet and lose the same amount

of weight the ones who eat more protein

end up losing more fat and less muscle

as for how much protein you should aim

for a good recommendation for relatively

heavier males in the stage who are at a

higher body fat is to eat one gram per

centimeter over your height so if you're

175 centimeters tall you need to eat

around 175 grams of protein per day with

the recipe calories coming from carbs

and fats whereas if you're a relatively

lighter individual or closer to 15 body

fat then you want to multiply your body

weight in pounds by 0.8 and at a minimum

eat that many grams of protein per day

now this might sound like a lot at first

but as you'll see it's pretty easy to do

if you choose the right protein sources

so to apply this all take a look at

these lists here's a list of some low

calorie density unprocessed foods and

here's a list with protein sources

ordered from highest to lowest in terms

of how much protein they contain

relative to their calories use these

lists to build your meals throughout the

day and try to have one lean protein

source and at least one serving of

fruits and or veggies into each of your

meals for example instead of a muffin

for breakfast have some egg whites with

blueberries and oatmeal you definitely

still can have processed foods now and

then but just be mindful of your serving

sizes and enjoy them in moderation so

Focus only on calories and protein every

day and if you're consistent you'll be

able to get your body fat all the way

down to 15 but at this point is when

you'll likely need to refine your

approach to continue getting results

before we dive into the next stage I'm

curious what stage are you currently in

right now and what's your goal body fat

percentage let me know in the comments

down below and also let me know if what

I'm about to say later on in this video

changes your mind at all about your goal

this is where stage two comes in which

involves going from 15 down to 12 body

fat by this point you'll be hungrier

your fat loss will slow down and you'll

be at a slightly greater risk of muscle

loss as a result this is where most

people get stuck there's two things that

will help you overcome this first you

need to get more precise with your

approach from stage one as your body

loses more and more fat your metabolism

will decrease and you'll start burning

fewer calories per day this is your

body's way of protecting its remaining

fat Source this means the energy deficit

you use in stage one to get down to 15

body fat May no longer be enough to get

you down to 12 body fat to overcome this

if you haven't yet been doing so you

should start tracking your daily calorie

intake and doing so more carefully you

might not think this is necessary but

research has shown the average person

will think they eat about

429 less calories per day on average

than they actually do so even if just

temporarily measure out your food to see

how many calories you're actually

consuming and ensure you're in an energy

deficit second this stage is when you'll

want to start addressing your carb and

fat intake take a look at this list of

carbs and fats although healthy fats are

needed in your diet on a gram per gram

basis fats contain more than twice as

many calories as carbs do because of

this an effective approach is to keep

your protein intake high as is but lower

your daily fat intake to the lower end

of what's recommended for General Health

this is about 20 to 25 percent of your

daily calorie intake as a result you'll

now have room to introduce more carbs

into your diet these extra carbs can not

only help you better manage your hunger

levels but they'll also provide you with

the Boost and energy to support your

daily activities and performance of the

gym helping you burn more calories every

day and better maintain your muscle mass

make these two weeks and if you're

consistent you'll be able to get down to

around 12 body fat this is where stage

three comes in this is the most

difficult stage while consistency with

what we mentioned earlier will be the

key to progressing through the stage

it's going to require more discipline

and sacrifice first off not only will

you very likely have to be accurately

tracking your calories every day you'll

also want to ensure your daily meals are

making the best use of The Limited

calories you have at this point your

hunger levels will be the highest

they've been so most of your meals

throughout the day will need to come

from high volume foods that will help

you stay full for less calories I do

have a past video I made that shows the

most effective high volume food swaps to

make which I'll link at the end of this

video but this also means that you'll

need to be more disciplined when it

comes to social events and dining out

you don't have to eliminate it

completely but you will have to make

wise choices when you're out and make

sure that you plan in advance for big

meals out or for alcohol both of which

can drastically increase your calorie

intake without you even realizing it

lastly ask yourself if the sacrifices

are worth it in my opinion for most

natural lifters a body fat of around 12

to 15 percent is the most sustainable

physique it's practical to maintain you

get the health benefits of being leaner

and you'll still look great especially

if you have a good amount of muscle on

you and well developed Abs from training

them while getting leaner than this yes

it's going to provide a bit more

definition than cuts it not only

requires a lot more sacrifice but for

many people that's when daily energy

levels and strength will start to be

negatively effective and unlike our

built with science member Patrick over

here who started off with a good amount

of muscle you might actually not end up

liking the way you look being really

lean if you haven't yet built up much

muscle so while you definitely can get

to 10 body fat by pushing through with

what you've learned at least consider

hanging around at a higher level body

fat first and be proud of how far you've

come and realize that the extra push

just may not be worth it especially if

you can't maintain it

overall guys the strategy when it comes

to your nutrition is actually quite

simple the hard part is staying

consistent with it you have to be clear

about what your goals are and then find

what you personally enjoy and can stick

to consistently in the long run and if

you're looking for step-by-step Guidance

with setting up your nutrition plan and

finding foods and meals that you

actually look forward to eating every

day just head on over to

buildwithscience.com and take my

analysis quiz to discover the best

approach for you and your body I'd also

highly suggest that you give this video

a watch next for an exercise to help you

speed up the fat loss process or give

this video a watch next for some quick

and easy fat loss food swaps you can

make into your diet right away thanks

for watching don't forget to subscribe

and see you next time