The best fat burning foods for weight loss. These foods are proven metabolism boosting, appetite reducing, craving curbing sidekicks to a weight loss plan.

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Let’s start at the beginning. In order to see meaningful and long lasting progress from a fat loss perspective, you must first establish a calorie deficit.

This is the first and most important rule to the weight loss game.

If you are struggling to lose weight, then it is likely that the first rule has been broken somehow. Whether intentionally or unintentionally. Thems the facts.

Now, once you’ve established that calorie deficit and it is working for you, the best ways to optimize that diet is by finding foods that can really compliment your lifestyle and make the fat loss diet phase a tad easier.

This is where those articles that list out all of the foods that make you skinny come into play. Run a Google search and you’ll likely see upwards of a million-plus different click bait headlines claiming to reveal the “best fat burning foods for weight loss” that want to lure you on to their sites to read trash about the best and worst foods to get abs.

This is not one of those articles––despite the catchy headline.

Instead, I’m going to dive a bit deeper into the foods that you might want to consider during your calorie deficit phase in order to help make things run a tad smoother.

But throughout all of it, I’m going to keep in mind and keep reminding you that in order to lose weight, that first rule of weight loss (calorie deficit) is the ultimate determinant of your results. The science is undefeated, my friend.

Alright, let’s get into it.

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The 10 Best Fat Burning Foods You Need to Eat in Order to Boost Your Metabolism and Lose Weight Forever

(it’s not gonna be what you think, but let’s get into it …)

1. Steak dinners

Wait. What? Really? Well, not quite …

Oftentimes, when you’ve gone on a diet in the past, you’ve likely spent your time opting for lower calorie options spread throughout your day.

Perhaps it was because of that myth that metabolism is optimal when you space eating through 5-6 meals per day. Yes, this is a myth and frankly it does not matter when or how often you eat. Total calories will always dictate the weight loss journey. 

Or maybe you’ve just been scared away from “fattening” foods so you instead try to eat as clean as possible. This ruined your ability to adhere to your diet because social situations where you’d normally like to enjoy a meal out with loved ones was a stressed-induced event that you’d rather avoid in order to lose a pound or two on the scale that week.

Avoiding foods is a recipe for disaster when dieting. Your job is to be able to eat your favorite foods in moderation and to do so while still eating as much as possible while losing weight with consistency.

Which finally gets me to the point of this one: You can absolutely enjoy that steak dinner out with friends and family and still see fantastic results.

No. You probably cannot do this multiple times per week and make it work, but that’s another story.

I’m talking about the big steak dinner that you and your husband have planned for Saturday night date night away from the kids.

You do not have to order the salad with grilled chicken and call it a day.

It’s all in how you space your day out to make those bigger meals work.

Now, we know that restaurant meals can jack those calories way up. Like, WAY UP. You should check out my guide to eating at restaurants while dieting where I break that down.

So your job on those days when you’ll have a restaurant meal is to think of your calories like a bank account and save the biggest chunk of your earnings for later in the evening (or whenever your feast will take place).

It can set up like this sample day:

• 1:30pm: Salad with lots of lean protein (think chicken breast here … and probably 2-3 times what you’d normally eat)
• 5:00pm: Protein shake + apple (or small serving of fruit)
• 8:00pm Enjoy your steak dinner guilt-free

Sure, the steak dinner will likely end up around 1,200(ish) calories. And if that does knock you out of a deficit, you’ll be covered for the most part because you’ve slammed a ton of protein and you don’t engage in this stuff often.

This takes just a few minutes to plan ahead. But, the key is that you do have to think and plan ahead.

If you do so, you’ll be able to actually enjoy life and enjoy dieting.

2. High volume foods

When you are in a caloric deficit, it’s imperative to find the best methods for mitigating hunger. Being hungry is the name of the game when you are eating fewer calories. And if you don’t combat that with some real strategies, it’ll make the diet suck hard.

If that diet is really sucking hard then you are not going to want to stick with the diet and then you continue the pattern of endless yo yo dieting.

One of the best ways to tamp down the effects of hunger pangs is through high volume, high fiber foods. Think fruit like berries over carb sources like pasta.

A huge bowl full of berries will carry more fiber, more nutrients and fewer calories than even a small bowl of regular pasta will deliver.

You can eat a ton of vegetables and fruit and still have room for more calories in your day than if you decided to focus on breads and processed cereals.

If you are serious about finally losing weight and keeping it off, this is one of the most important rules you’ll follow.

3. Foods that rank high on the satiety index 

This goes hand in hand with the previous rule. The higher volume foods will fill you up. And that’s the name of the game.

If you play your cards right, you can establish a moderate calorie deficit, focus mostly on nutrient-dense, high volume, higher fiber foods and end up feeling more satiated (that’s feeling like you have a full belly) than when you were overeating and overweight.

Somewhere in the ridiculous war against carbs, the potato got a bad rap. But, the spud is one of the most filling natural foods on the planet.

Boil a potato, smash it up a little bit and then stuff your face hole (watch the add-ons like the butter and sour cream and cheese and bacon, those calories add up quickly).

4. Hydrate (water over liquid calories)

Okay, so technically a food. But, hydration still plays a role here.

It is true that it takes about 20 minutes for the hunger and satiety hormones to battle it out and finally signal to the brain that you are satisfied and no longer hungry.

This is why eating slowly is such an important part of successful dieting. Coupled with that is the importance of hydration.

Oftentimes, our brain sends a signal that we’re hungry, when really we’re just really thirsty. So instead of reaching for a glass of water, in the past you might have started reaching for the salty snacks. The salty snack dehydrated you even further and then the dehydration worsened and you were in full on snack attack hunger pang mode.

Beat that cycle by committing to drinking more water. Actual water. Not a sports drink, or soda or any other random flavored beverage full of calories. Water.

5. Have your cake (and eat it, too)

Wait. How is cake on a list of the best fat burning foods for weight loss? Great question.

Look, weddings are going to happen. So are birthday parties and special occasions when you’ll be tempted by the nectar of the Gods or just some really tasty looking cake.

And that’s okay.

There’s this movement online in the fitness influencer population to convince people that eating “clean” is the only way to be healthy and lose weight for good. Whatever “eating clean” really means.

As a result, we’ve demonized any food or drink that is not 100 percent gluten free, non-GMO, all-organic and made from the finest of unicorn shit sprinkle dust. And you’ve likely been feeling guilty about enjoying a slice of cake ever since.

In order to improve your relationship with food, you should stop viewing foods as good or bad. And start just viewing food as … wait for it … just food.

Some food has more calories than others. A lot more calories. Let’s not be silly. Obviously a slice of cake has more empty calories than a chicken breast or an apple. I get that.

But the moral of this story is that you should be 100-percent okay with enjoying the random slice of cake or pizza or some fried chicken wings at the next occasion guilt-free. Even if they don’t specifically fit your macros and calories for the day.

Why? Because life is too short to restrict food altogether like that and you need to enjoy this stuff. Just do so in moderation and you’ll be okay.

Okay?

Okay.

6. Foods that make you work (allow me to explain)

My wife is from Houston where they love them some crawfish. I thought the little mud bugs were tasty, but there was so much work involved in peeling them before I could get to like two small bites of actual meat. It wasn’t worth it because it was a lot of work.

Food that makes you work for it is great for keeping calories on the lower end.

If you’ve got to peel, smash, claw and grab to get a little bit of food, chances are you won’t be doing this all day to get the majority of your sustenance.

Of course, the biggest problem with those “work for it” foods is that you traditionally need to soak them in oils and butters to derive any sort of meaningful taste out of them. Those oils and butters will jack up the calories for even the smallest of portion sizes, so you’ll need to sort that out to keep things within your deficit.

7. Lots of protein

Okay, so by “lots,” I still mean less than the bro mags would have you believe, but you need it in order to maintain lean muscle tissue)

In fact, here’s my guide for protein requirements while dieting.

If you are serious about realizing a successful long-term body transformation, then you’ll need to commit to a solid amount of daily protein intake.

The protein requirements you find from most trainers and magazines is substantially over exaggerated. But, you do need protein and likely more protein than what you’ve been told.

You do not need to eat an entire turkey every day, nor do you need to snack on horse heart in between meals in order to get upwards of 200 grams of protein per day.

My lowest protein recommendation is a range of 0.7 to 1.0 grams per pound of your current bodyweight.

More protein (up to about 1.2 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight) is okay and won’t cause any issues. Anything more than that is probably not really worth your time.

Protein is the most important macronutrient for fat loss purposes. It burns the most calories in digestion (which is key for an optimized metabolism). And protein preserves lean muscle tissue while dieting, which is how you get to that lean and toned look after a diet.

In other words, it’s super important to prioritize protein at every meal.

8. Eat your veggies

Mom was right, my friend. You need to eat your vegetables.

There are few things that nutrition coaches and experts all agree on. However there is one constant with every long term successful dietary plan: it is full of vegetables.

Veggies are full of nutrients which help the body run optimally. And they are full of fiber which can help keep you full during lower calorie intake. Finding ways to mitigate hunger pangs is a huge factor in your ability to keep up with a diet.

And veggies will power that charge. A good rule of thumb that I preach to my online coaching clients is to aim to fill half of your plate with vegetables at the main meal times. Doing so naturally cuts out on calories to help you stay in a deficit for sustainable weight loss.

Now, on the fruit side, they are convenient and tasty and low calorie. I’m not here for any random Instagram fitness influencer that says fruit makes you fat.

In fact, please find me one person that got fat eating a diet full of watermelon or strawberries. And if you do, I’ll provide 100-percent free online coaching for you for an entire month. Seriously.

It’s not going to happen.

Why? Because fruit is awesome and it doesn’t make you fat. You can, and should incorporate more fruits into your diet in place of salty and sweet and higher calorie options. While you’re stuffing your face with protein and veggies, toss in some fruit as a handy snack in between meals.

9. Convenient foods

It’s important to note that the calories and macros found in most restaurant settings will immediately blow up your deficit for the day.

Those seemingly innocent meals typically tip the scale at over 1200 calories and that’s not counting the appetizers or the desserts. So it is incredibly important that you find the time to prepare the majority of your foods at home.

The better you get at creating your own fat loss meal plan, the more progress you will be able to see and maintain for the long term.

That does not mean that all dining out is dead. There is room to enjoy a night out with friends and family, you just need to understand that it should be kept to a minimum of about one to maybe two times per week.

However, sometimes you just need to have a break from the kitchen. Or maybe you just don’t even have access to your kitchen. In which case, finding the most macro-friendly option to dine out is imperative.

Enter a fast casual chain like Chipotle, which is widely available and allows you to have a little control over what goes on your plate. Not to mention, it checks the boxes in terms of loading up your plate with protein and their macros are pretty accurate, as long as the server doesn’t overload your plate (pro tip: ask for a half scoop of rice to prevent getting a mountain of carbs).

Take control of your diet and your habits and your surroundings. Plan ahead for obstacles. Ensure you have staple convenient food items that you can pull out or whip up in a pinch. And if you do have to switch it up and eat out of the house, then think ahead to the most calorie-friendly options.

10. So what are the best fat burning foods for weight loss? Anything that fits your macros, basically.

When we get into this idea of tracking calories and preaching the first rule of fat loss that the No 1 most important factor is that all mighty calorie deficit, you start to find some folks that want to abuse that rule a bit.

I’m looking at you, If It Fits Your Macros fam.

The idea of “It doesn’t matter if you eat Pop Tarts and protein shakes as long it hits your macros and stays within your calories” is mostly true on the surface, but a flawed approach.

However, the point does remain that you are mostly fine as long as you can make it work within your calories. You just might not feel all that awesome with a stomach full of Pop Tarts and absolutely no fiber.

Which is why everything should be in moderation. Think 80 percent of whole, nutritious foods and then the other 20 percent can be utilized for your favorite options. Like, those damn Pop Tarts.

In other words, track your macros and calories and make sure everything single bite of food is accounted for and you’ll be fine.

Let me help you find the best fat burning foods for weight loss … 

I’m here to help you out. 

If you have any questions, reach out. I answer all of my emails at pete [at] petecataldo [.] com … Hit me up with the subject line “Best fat burning foods for weight loss” and I’ll answer any questions you have to make this work for you.

Or you can hit me up anytime on the socialz on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

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