Food Choices
This may come as a shock to many of you, but the types of foods you eat affect fat loss far less than the amount of the foods you eat.
There are no such things as “clean” foods, since “clean” has no objective definition. Certain foods may have more benefits than others because they have more protein and fibre and therefore we will burn more calories consuming them. But even overeating on these foods can cause you to consume too many total calories for weight loss to occur.
There is no such thing as "free foods" (even though certain weight loss clubs promote this) if you at 5000kcal of veg or fruit per day you would still gain weight. Foods that may be higher in fat, sugars or even both aren't "bad". It just means that they may be more calorie dense and less satiating (feeling of fullness) than other foods.
It simply comes down to calorie management. Think of your daily allowance like a budget. Someone with a bigger budget (calories) can afford to eat say a Krispy Kreme every day. But, you must understand that eating this comes at a cost. Consuming that Krispy Kreme may taste great, but it’s not very filling and takes up a large amount of macro "budget" for the amount of food volume you get. Therefor people on a lower budget of calories would struggle to fit this into their day.
No foods are inherently “bad” or inherently “good” or contain special properties. Whether you should include them simply depends on your individual metabolism, goals, and macro “budget.”
The point is that you should give yourself the flexibility to consume foods you enjoy. You’ll still have to control portion size, but flexibility will improve adherence and help prevent post-diet weight relapses. Remember, the main focus is sustainability, because we want these changes to last for life.
If you can afford to eat it and still hit your targets (calories being the most important followed by protein and fibre) then eat it! As we always say the best diet is.... one you can stick to!