02/18/2026
The Fat Loss Debate: Food Quality or Quantity?
If you’ve ever fallen deep into the clean eating world, trends like paleo, GF, DF, Veganism etc, you might have been sold the idea that calories don’t matter, it’s all about ingredients and how “clean” your food is. Take it from my experience, if a certain aesthetic is your goal, calories definitely matter.
When the IIFYM (if it fits your macros) movement first came out, there was a craze proving that one could eat all sorts of previously deemed “bad foods” and still lose weight, if you got it all to fit within your macros. The problem? People felt like crap. This trend didn’t last long for for a good reason.
We now know how important it is to focus on BOTH. The great thing about Whole Foods is that they are easy to batch cook, measure/track and will make you feel fuller for longer (WIN in a fat loss phase).
But we also need to live our lives, and we aren’t going to demonize the coffee creamer, the protein bars we keep in the car or that nightly scoop of ice cream after the kids go to bed.
If you can focus on trying to control and home cook as many meals as you can throughout your week, you leave more flexibility for the takeout nights, treats and conveniences along the way
8020lifestyle
