Jolie Q & A“Isn’t the prevailing idea that you have to eat a lot less—to lose weight?”

It’s a fair question. And the answer is not so simple - if you are under 40 and not perimenopausal that can work.  The farther you are from 40 the less this will work for you - especially as a woman.  
At this point you need a mild calorie deficit and food combinations that hormonally program your body to burn fat.  Your body as you get older is less and less a simple calorie calculator and more and more a hormonal system that decides whether you are storing fat… or burning it.
When you get older, drastic caloric restriction prompts a metabolic shift to preserving fat and letting go of muscle.  Muscle is expensive - meaning it is calorie hungry, so if there is a slashing your body liquidates muscle.
The way you prevent significant muscle loss and the way you provoke fat loss is in the macro balance.  Protein, fats, and carbohydrates are not equal in how they communicate with your body. Triggering fat loss is best achieved the way we do in the 5 in 10 and Optimized.  Protein and fat for building, preserving, and satiety; carbohydrates through vegetables chosen for how they lower inflammation, support the microbiome, and provide an array of micronutrients.

Q: Do I still need a calorie deficit to lose weight?
Yes—but how you create that deficit matters.
If you create it by simply eating less, you risk losing a disproportionate amount of muscle.
If you create it through macro intelligence, your body is far more likely to:

• preserve muscle
  
• burn fat
  
• and maintain metabolic strength
  

And this is critical—because muscle is what keeps the weight off post weight and keeps your immune system strong. 

Q: Can you lose only fat and not muscle?
In most cases, when you’re in a deficit, some muscle loss will occur.
But there are two ways to dramatically minimize it:

1. Eat in a macro structure that protects muscle (the Jolie way)
   
2. Stimulate the muscle.
   

If you want to gain muscle or next to zero muscle loss you must train the muscle intensely (at least 5 times per week) and time your meals to bookend your strength sessions. When those two things are combined, the body gets a very clear message: keep the muscle, burn the fat.

Q: So how does this apply to Jolie programs like 5 in 10?
This is exactly why the 5 in 10 works. The program is designed to shift your body hormonally into fat-burning mode; provide enough protein and fat to keep you satisfied; allow you to continue training (not shut your body down).  It is the only way to kickstart rapid fat loss that prioritizes the keys to longevity and aging backwards.