00:00The number one diet to lose fat?
00:02I think I've found it.
00:04It's tough to lose fat, let alone keep it off.
00:06But there's a reason why the old saying, abs are revealed in the kitchen, is still
00:10around.
00:11Because it's true.
00:12Unfortunately, there's a ridiculous amount of misinformation out there.
00:16And even the popular diets that work, tend to have more cons than pros.
00:20Today, I'm sharing the side-to-back diet that's simple, easy to stick to, and just
00:25works.
00:26Here's everything you need to know.
00:27First off, you must understand that all fat loss diets, regardless of what you call it,
00:32have one simple goal.
00:34To get you into a calorie deficit where you're eating fewer calories than you burn every
00:38day.
00:39But in the diet I'll be showing you today, rather than cutting out foods, the first step
00:43is actually the opposite, eat more.
00:45Not just any food though, I'm talking about protein.
00:48One study published back in 2005 had participants change nothing else aside from eat twice as
00:54much protein as they usually do.
00:56You'd expect since they were eating more, they'd gain weight, right?
00:59Well, here's what actually happened.
01:02After bumping up their protein intake, the participants ended up eating 440 fewer calories
01:07every day without them even realizing it.
01:09And after sticking to their high protein diet for 12 weeks, they lost almost 10 pounds of
01:14fat.
01:15Now as for why this happened, part of it is because protein is extremely filling.
01:19Try to eat 400 calories worth of chicken breast compared to a bowl of cereal, and you'll
01:23be shocked with just how long you stay full for.
01:26But the real power of protein is that when you're in a calorie deficit, your body can
01:30choose to burn off either fat or muscle for energy.
01:33Eating enough protein, ideally at least 0.8 grams per pound of your body weight per day,
01:38it sends a powerful signal to your body to keep your muscle and burn off your fat for
01:42energy.
01:44This is why high protein diets not only lead to more fat loss during the diet, but have
01:48also been shown to be more effective at preventing fat regain after the diet is over.
01:53However, don't make the same mistake I did and start having chicken breast for breakfast,
01:57lunch, dinner, and dessert.
01:59You have plenty of other options.
02:01For example, here's what 30 grams of different protein sources actually looks like.
02:06For every one of your meals, pick one that you actually enjoy.
02:09So we're going to continue the theme of eating more, but now with carbs.
02:14So back when I was attempting one of my first diets ever, I went on bodybuilding.com and
02:18saw a post from a ripped bodybuilder sharing his diet.
02:21He explained how he cut out all his carbs and basically ate just meat and veggies.
02:25So the next day, I give it a shot.
02:27I cut out bread, rice, candy, even ketchup, anything that contains some form of carbs.
02:32Now by day three of this, I felt like complete crap.
02:36Super low energy and my gym performance sucked.
02:38Now after about a week, I actually did end up losing about five pounds, but I was confused
02:43because I didn't look or feel any better.
02:45Well, this is why.
02:47So when you cut out carbs, initially you're going to lose a ton of weight, but this is
02:51because carbs pull in water to your muscles.
02:53So almost all of that initial weight loss is from water, not fat.
02:57And the reason why cutting out carbs often makes you feel like crap is because they're
03:01your main source of energy, especially during high intensity exercise.
03:06Now eventually your body does adapt to this and learns to use other sources for energy,
03:11but the research is clear.
03:12As long as you're in the calorie deficit and eating enough protein, you'll lose fat regardless
03:17of if you're eating a ton of carbs or none at all.
03:21So for me personally, I'm half Filipino and I grew up eating rice with almost every meal.
03:25So cutting them out completely just didn't make any sense.
03:28And you should have seen the look on my mom's face when I told her I wouldn't be eating
03:31rice for dinner.
03:32That said, the calories from carbs add up fast.
03:35If you're currently overeating, then you probably will need to cut back on some of your carbs
03:40or at least choose less processed carbs that can keep you fuller for less calories.
03:44A good strategy I personally use is saving most of my carbs for before and after my workout
03:49for when I need the most energy, and then add them into my other meals depending on
03:53if I have the room for it.
03:55I should probably address the elephant in the room, which is my face.
03:59I just got back from Hawaii and I kid you not, I had the most epic fight with a shark.
04:03If you think my face looks bad, you should see what I did to Mr. Shark.
04:07Okay fine, this is what actually happened.
04:09Happy?
04:10Alright, back to the diet.
04:11Alright, so far we've talked a lot about protein and carbs, but there is one more food
04:16group we've yet to cover, fats.
04:19Unlike carbs and protein which only contain 4 calories per gram, fats are much easier
04:24to overeat with because they contain more than double the calories at 9 calories per
04:28gram.
04:29Now aside from the obvious fats like desserts, cupcakes, or deep fried foods, the real problems
04:34are often the hidden fats that pack on the calories without us even noticing.
04:38For example, here's what 200 calories of salad dressing, mayo, cooking oil, cream,
04:44and butter actually look like.
04:46I could easily scoop out a couple spoonfuls of peanut butter when I'm feeling a bit
04:49peckish and that could completely throw off my calorie intake for the day.
04:53But just like with carbs, you shouldn't completely cut out your fats, just have them
04:57in moderation or try to make swaps like using skim milk instead of full cream, spray oil
05:03instead of cooking oil, choosing less fatty cuts of meat, or using a lower calorie salad
05:07dressing.
05:08That said, there are some high fat foods that I personally can't live without.
05:12Comment below what yours are, but for me, it's donuts.
05:15We have amazing donut recipes in our built with science cookbook, but still, sometimes
05:19you just need the real thing.
05:21You don't need to completely cut out anything from your diet, there's ways to make that
05:25fit in moderation.
05:26So you need to include lots of protein as well as some carbs and fats into your diet.
05:31So how do you go about actually applying this into your meals?
05:34Well, let's start off with what not to do.
05:37This 2021 study had subjects follow a strict meal plan that I'll put a screenshot of here.
05:42The goal was to put them in a calorie deficit, and they weren't allowed to substitute any
05:45of the foods they were given.
05:47After 10 weeks, the results were great.
05:50On average, the participants lost about 7 pounds of fat.
05:53But here's the catch, as soon as the diet was over, most of them quickly regained the
05:58fat they lost.
06:00This is because sticking to strict meal plans doesn't actually teach you the proper habits
06:04of sustaining fat loss in the long run.
06:07That's why I love what's known as the balanced plate concept.
06:11Instead of rigidly planning out your meals, most of your meals should look something like
06:15this.
06:16First, fill a quarter of your plate with a protein source like the ones I showed earlier.
06:20Next, to keep you full, fill half of your plate with vegetables and or fruits.
06:25And then lastly, balance out the last quarter of your plate with either carbs and or fats.
06:30And here's some great options from each food category that you can reference to start building
06:35your own balanced plates.
06:36For example, for breakfast today, I love eggs, so I had a few of them as my main protein
06:40source with ketchup, and then some whole grain bread with sugar-free jam as my carbs, and
06:45then some fruit on the side.
06:47And then for lunch, I'm planning to have a balanced plate of extra lean ground beef,
06:51steamed veggies, and a side of hummus.
06:53But you can also apply this concept when eating out.
06:56I used to be that guy at restaurants, restricting myself to just salads or pretending I wasn't
07:00hungry so I could just stick to my strict meal plan.
07:03But instead of feeling restricted, just try to build or order a meal that fits within
07:08the general idea of having a balanced plate.
07:11So far we've talked a lot about food, but now you're probably wondering, are there any
07:14supplements you can take to shortcut the process?
07:17I'm sure you've seen your fair share of supplement ads of ripped guys and girls making all kinds
07:22of crazy promises.
07:23Simply take two inner shred and one shot of vodka on first thing in the morning, and it's
07:27like blowtorching your fat.
07:31While these companies have mastered the art of using marketing and sales to take advantage
07:35of people who don't know any better, their products are honestly a bunch of BS.
07:38For example, I've personally spent hundreds of dollars on fat burners back in the day.
07:43Yet the research is clear, they're basically just glorified caffeine pills that spike your
07:48heart rate up a little bit to burn a small amount of extra calories, but doesn't do anything
07:52actually meaningful for fat loss.
07:54Now while there are a few legitimate supplements that can help you fill in the gas from your
07:58diet such as omega-3, vitamin D, and zinc, there is one supplement that's probably the
08:04single best fat loss tool you can invest in.
08:07Illustrating this power is a study from the British Journal of Nutrition that had a group
08:11of subjects first complete a four-week diet.
08:14After the diet, they split the subjects into two groups.
08:17One group added a 30 gram protein shake into their day, whereas the other group did not.
08:22Surprisingly, the protein shake group regained less fat after the diet was over and also
08:27maintained a smaller waist circumference.
08:30So if you're someone who struggles to eat enough protein every day, then you need to
08:33make protein powder your best friend.
08:36As for which one is the best, the most regulated, highest quality protein is called whey isolate.
08:41Now I do sell my own brand of whey isolate over at builtwithscience.com, which I'll admit
08:46is more on the pricey side because of the top quality and the 29 grams of protein you
08:50get per scoop, but regardless of if you get it from me or from somewhere else, I highly
08:55recommend making the investment.
08:57So by now you should have a good idea as to what foods to include in your diet.
09:01But one factor most people overlook is how often they eat.
09:05I used to think skipping meals was a great idea.
09:07If I didn't eat much or just snack lightly throughout the day, I wouldn't be getting
09:10many calories in and that would surely lead to a calorie deficit.
09:14But this quickly became a nasty cycle.
09:16I'd end up feeling like crap by the end of the day and as soon as I finally ate something,
09:20my stomach would just be a bottomless pit that never got satisfied.
09:24Generally, you should avoid ever getting to a point where you're feeling dizzy, have low
09:28blood sugar, and want to eat everything in sight.
09:31That said, there is a popular diet called intermittent fasting where you don't eat your
09:35first meal until usually around 12pm and then don't eat anything past 8pm.
09:41I've personally used this in the past and it worked really well.
09:43Not because it's magic, but because it can make sticking to a calorie deficit easier
09:48by fitting all your meals into a smaller time window.
09:51But nowadays, I prefer a more regular schedule of eating, with at least 3-4 main meals per
09:56day spread out by around 3-4 hours from each other.
09:59And then I'll just add in 1-2 snacks or fruit between my meals when I'm the most hungry.
10:04Just keep in mind that your body will need time to adjust if you change your eating schedule.
10:08But if done properly, you should feel improved and consistent levels of energy throughout
10:13your whole day.
10:14Now speaking about when you eat, did you know that where you eat also matters?
10:19This study published in 2021 analyzed the food environments of over a thousand households.
10:24It found that one of the strongest predictors of being overweight was eating meals in front
10:29of a TV.
10:30In addition to this, a few other interesting studies have shown that slowing down your
10:34meal by taking more bites, using chopsticks, or eating with small utensils all has a powerful
10:40effect on reducing hunger and potentially boosting fat loss.
10:44I disappointed my Asian mom by never becoming a doctor, but you can imagine just how excited
10:49she was when I told her I'd now be eating rice, using her chopsticks, and sitting down
10:53at the table for dinner.
10:54But remember, you gotta take things in moderation.
10:57It's okay to eat popcorn while watching a movie or watch my YouTube videos during the
11:01occasional lunch break.
11:02It's just not a great habit to eat every single one of your meals in front of a screen.
11:07So the strategies I've shared with you so far should help you get into a calorie deficit.
11:11But I don't know if you guys have ever seen the video where average people try to keep
11:15up with a professional marathon runner's pace and end up falling off after like 20 seconds.
11:20That's kind of like what it's like if you completely change your diet overnight.
11:23Sure, bodybuilders and hardcore fitness guys like myself have no problem losing fat fast
11:28if needed, but you'll make way more progress making just small changes at a time and aim
11:33it to lose even just half a pound of fat every single week consistently rather than losing
11:38a pound or two on some weeks and then gaining it all back again on other weeks.
11:42That was for how many calories is right for your body, you can head over to our custom
11:46calculator over at builtwithscience.com slash calculator, where we'll give you calories
11:51for faster fat loss or slower fat loss depending on what's more realistic for you.
11:56But just keep in mind that you will mess up at some point.
11:59Maybe you'll binge eat really bad one night or maybe you'll have a cheat meal gone wrong.
12:02And that's okay, it's happened to me countless times.
12:05One meal or even a whole day of eating junk won't ruin your progress.
12:09But if you find yourself cheating on your diet too often, then that's often a sign that
12:14you need to make it more enjoyable.
12:16For example, canned tuna is cheap, it's high protein, and it's low calorie, but I can't
12:20stand it, and excluding it from my diet hasn't affected my fat loss results at all.
12:25On the other hand, I love certain Filipino dishes like chicken adobo and kare-kare.
12:30So whenever my mom makes them, I always find a way to fit them in, or sometimes I'll just
12:34make healthier versions of them.
12:36Within our builtwithscience.com programs, we also give our members access to hundreds
12:40of easy, tasty, high protein recipes that make dieting so much easier.
12:45But look online and just get experimenting.
12:48Create a diet you actually enjoy because that's what you'll be more likely to stick to in
12:52the long run.
12:53While we've looked at how to structure your meals and what to put in them, creating a
12:57healthy fat loss diet doesn't have to be crazy expensive.
13:00In fact, I created one of the cheapest fat loss meal plans.
13:04It includes all the concepts we've discussed in this video, and it only costs around $5
13:09a day.
13:10So make sure to watch this video next to learn all about how to make the meals.
13:13But if you need more help and you want an all-in-one program that shows you exactly
13:17how to work out and what to eat every week to get in the best shape of your life, just
13:21head over to builtwithscience.com and take our quiz to create the best plan for you
13:25and your body.
13:26Thank you so much for watching, and I'll see you next time.
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