Will Cottage Cheese Cause Weight Loss?

Weight loss has more to do with obtaining a caloric deficit, or a state in which you burn more calories through exercise than you take in through food, than it does the specific types of food you eat. Cottage cheese's ability to help you lose weight is only as effective as how it fits into your overall diet plan. Cottage cheese's biggest contribution to weight loss is as a substitute for higher-calorie sources of food with similar nutrients, specifically protein and fat.

Caloric Deficit

You need to obtain a caloric deficit of 3,500 calories to lose 1 lb. of body fat. It doesn't matter if you consume most of your calories through vegetables, cottage cheese, meat or candy; if you burn 3,500 more calories than you take in through food, you will lose weight. To lose 1 lb. a week, you need a 500-calorie deficit each day.

Milk Group Substitute

You need about 3 cups of dairy products each day and cottage cheese can help you meet this nutritional need. One serving of cottage cheese contains 110 calories. Whole milk, on the other hand, contains 149 calories per serving. If you substitute a serving of cottage cheese for whole milk each day, you can help cut over 270 calories from your diet each week. If you substitute three servings of cottage cheese for three servings of milk each day, you can cut over 800 extra calories from your diet.

Protein Substitute

Most adults need at least 50 g of protein each day, and a serving of cottage cheese contains 14 g of this nutrient. A serving of chuck steak, containing about 17 g of protein, has 220 calories. Therefore, if you substitute cottage cheese for steak as one of your protein servings each day, you can cut nearly 800 calories from your diet each week and obtain almost as much protein. One large egg contains 6 g of protein and 70 calories. To get the amount of protein from eggs as you would from cottage cheese, you would need to consume more than 200 extra calories each week.

Fat Substitute

Adults generally need between 44 and 78 g of fat each day. A serving of cottage cheese contains 5 g of this nutrient. A serving of lean red meat, such as sirloin tip, also contains about 5 g of fat. Sirloin steak, however, contains about 140 calories per serving. If you substitute a serving of cottage cheese for sirloin steak as a source of fat, you can cut 30 calories from your diet each day and over 200 calories each week.