If I cut carbs and eat when I'm hungry, will the fat come off on its own?

Benjamin T. BikmanPhD · Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University; director of the Laboratory of Obesity and Metabolism

Yes. Get insulin down and the fat cell has no choice

What it rests onCell biology. Insulin is the signal that keeps fat inside the fat cell and suppresses its release, carbohydrate is the main driver of insulin, protein raises it slightly and fat not at all. He adds that chronically elevated insulin, rather than stored energy, is what drives insulin resistance in the first place, reasoning from the athlete's paradox and from diacylglycerol and ceramide accumulation. His practical rule is to control carbohydrate, prioritise protein at 1 to 1.5 g per kg, and not restrict fat.

Kevin D. HallPhD · metabolism researcher; formerly Section Chief, Integrative Physiology Section, NIDDK, National Institutes of Health

No. In a controlled test, people ate substantially more

What it rests onAn inpatient randomised crossover trial: 20 adults, two weeks on each diet, eating as much as they wanted, both diets minimally processed. A plant-based low-fat diet at 10.3% fat and 75.2% carbohydrate against an animal-based ketogenic diet at 75.8% fat and 10.0% carbohydrate. One participant withdrew with hypoglycemia. NCT03878108.