UFC fighter Miesha Tate said she ate 'a lot of goat cheese' to lose weight during 'Celebrity Big Brother'

• UFC fighter Miesha Tate relied on her athletic prowess to help her win "Celebrity Big Brother."
• While trying to drop a weight class ahead of a fight, she followed a strict diet, including lots of goat cheese.

In February, UFC fighter Miesha Tate won a match unlike any other she'd competed in before when she won "Celebrity Big Brother," a game that forces stars to manipulate and outlast each other in the hopes of being the last contestant (or "houseguest") standing.

Tate, who won the $250,000 grand prize by a vote of 7-1, relied on her ally Todrick Hall's social game (or lack thereof) to help her navigate the gossipy part of the game.

But the athlete told Insider during her post-finale interview in February that she had to "embrace" the fact that her castmates saw her as a "force to be reckoned with" during the physical challenges.

Her physical strategy, combined with the fact that she is moving down to a lower weight class for her upcoming UFC fights, meant that she followed a "strict diet" and exercise regimen while in the "Celebrity Big Brother" house.

Goat cheese was a staple for Tate in the 'Celebrity Big Brother' house, but a nutritionist told Insider it's not a 'miracle' for weight loss

Tate named egg whites, a good source of protein, as one of her go-to foods during the game. But she also ate a lot of one type of cheese as part of her weight-loss regimen.

"I was eating a lot of goat cheese," she said, noting that it provides a lot of "bang with your buck" compared to other cheeses.

"It's less calories for an ounce of goat cheese than cheddar cheese for instance," she said, adding that she had blueberry goat cheese when she wanted a "treat."

Registered nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert told Insider that goat cheese is lower in saturated fat than cheddar, and if Tate was previously eating a lot of cheddar and then switched to goat cheese, that could be beneficial health-wise, but for weight loss, overall energy balance is what matters and the calorie difference per portion is small.

Whether it can help you lose weight depends on what your diet was previously and how much goat cheese you're eating, Lambert said: "Just swapping a bit of cheese in your diet isn't going to make up for the rest of the diet."

It's not that goat cheese is "a miracle," she said, but if you enjoy it, it could help you stick to an energy-restricted diet, which Lambert only recommends people do short-term and in a way that ensures they get all the nutrients required for health.

Goat cheese doesn't contain lactose so it can be a preferable choice for people who are intolerant, but nutritionally, the differences between goat cheese and cheddar are minimal, Lambert said. "Cow's cheese like cheddar has a little bit more vitamin B12, but there are other B vitamins like thiamin that goat cheese is higher in."

Goat cheese is also a good source of calcium, phosphorous, and protein, and is slightly lower in salt than cheddar, but Lambert says when it comes to weight loss, the calorie difference is small: 30g of cheddar cheese contains around 120 calories, compared to 87 calories in 30g of goat cheese.

Often, Tate said she would cook "egg whites, spinach, a little bit of goat cheese on almond flour tortillas" for herself during the game, naming Whole Foods 365 almond flour tortillas as her favorite brand.

"But you do have to cook them a little bit. So put them on a pan and wait till they turn nice and fluffy white and they are delectable," she advised.

The athlete also cuts down on cooking oils while in training

Tate, who told Shape magazine in 2016 that she was ingests two servings of coconut oil a day, told Insider that while she still uses coconut oil in her cooking sometimes, she'll forgo it now when she's training for a fight — especially when attempting to drop a weight class.

"When I'm so strict on my calories, a lot of times I just don't get to add any oils," she said. "So I would rather add something like cheese that has a nutritional benefit as opposed to an oil, because I have to balance everything."

While coconut oil is high in saturated fat and calories, fat is important in a well-balanced diet and is a good source of energy.

She said she loves using coconut oil while cooking food for her kids or for herself when she's not diligently preparing for a fight.

Tate suggests staying hydrated, time-restricted eating, and some fasted workouts, though studies show whether you eat before a workout or not is irrelevant

In the "Celebrity Big Brother" house, Tate could often be found strategizing with allies or even just having a laugh with someone who thought they were her ally while on an exercise bike.

While she didn't go into too many details about her own exercise routine when speaking with Insider, she did provide a few helpful tips that anyone can follow, even if they don't regularly get into a fighting ring.

Tate named three specific tips: "Drink more water, maybe think about intermittent fasting — so stop eating three hours before you go to sleep — and then every once in a while, maybe try to get a workout in before you eat breakfast."

Studies show time-restricted eating can lead to health benefits such as lowering blood pressure and reducing diabetes risk, and it can result in weight loss too — however, experts say weight loss only occurs because it helps people stick to a calorie deficit, which can be achieved without fasting too.

Tate suggested that fitting a workout in before your first meal of the day gets your body "ahead of the curve in your calorie burn" and added that these are three tips she follows "on a regular basis" in her own life.

While Tate does fasted workouts, studies show that whether you eat before a morning workout or not is irrelevant — what matters is staying in a calorie deficit overall. Most experts recommend eating before training as it helps you perform better and recover faster.