Dietary Fat: Friend or Foe for Losing Weight?

Undoubtedly, one the most important things to our well-being is what we put in our mouths. It's something we do several times a day, often without even giving it any thought at all. Get your mind out of the gutter, of course I'm talking about food!

In the last post we looked at how much we should eat a day based on our body and activity levels. Now, I want to impart some of my wisdom on what we should and shouldn't eat. The topic for this post will be dietary fat: how important is it to our diet, how much is a good amount to eat, the good and bad types of fat as well as whether it's a good idea to cut it out from out diets.

Carb/fat/protein ratios of food

We'll start by looking at what the protein, fat and carb ratio is. Everything we eat is grouped into one of these macronutrients.  We all get a certain proportion of carbs, fats and protein in their diet. Let's look at an avocado as an example. This nutritional facts label is from a handy website nutritiondata.self.com

What I want to point out is the caloric ratio pyramid on the right. The avocado is 19% carbohydrates, 77% fats and 4% protein. Fiber of course passes through your system undigested. Riddle me this: would eating an avocado be a diet disaster for you?

What is the right protein/carb/fat ratio?

This might is an answer you will hate: it depends on your individual needs. In all honesty, I personally don't strive for a perfect ratio. If you have very specific goals you might want to aim for particular ratios. 

If your goal is weight loss this study showed that a high protein diet didn't make a measurable difference in terms of weight loss. What was most important for weight loss was always cutting the total energy intake. And an important aspect of this is your consumption of fat.

On the other hand, if you want to gain muscle you will need to consume enough protein to rebuild your muscles properly. Having said this, you need to eat enough fat and carbs to gain muscle! If you don't, your body could very well just convert whatever protein you consumed to glucose for energy. This is both a waste of a workout as well as a waste of protein.

I personally aim for a 30/50/20 ratio: out of the 2500 calories I consume a day, I get:

750 calories from protein (750 calories / 4 = 187.5 g of protein)
1250 calories from carbs (1250 calories / 4 = 312.5 g of carbs)
500 calories from fat (500 calories / 9 = 55.6 g of fat)

(There are 4 calories/gram for carbs or protein and 9 calories/gram for fat).

Of course I can't keep these ratios in perfect check every day, but what is most important for me is to get at least 25% (156g) of my caloric intake from protein.

 

Do we get fat by eating fat?

Is the fat we find in food public enemy number one? I have to tell you that the "fat is bad" message we heard so often has largely been debunked. For years the key was cutting the fat out of your diet. But is it really necessary? 

The simple answer is that saturated fats – found in a wide range of foods including fatty meats, full cream dairy products, pastries and cakes – raise our risk of heart attacks and strokes by increasing blood cholesterol levels. 

Trans fats are even more important to stay away from - these are found in many snack foods, processed foods, commercially prepared fried foods. They have an even worse effect on our cardiovascular system. On the other hand unsaturated fats are 'good' fats and have help unclog blood vessels blocked by cholesterol.  

Should we cut out fat from our diet?

Besides cutting out the 'bad' fats from our diet, another reason is because a gram of fat contains much more energy than carbs and protein (4 calories per gram of carbs or protein versus 9 per gram of fat). 

But don't be seduced by low-fat labels on food: make sure to keep the unsaturated fats which have good effects on your cardiovascular system. These include unsaturated oils used for frying foods and in salad dressings as well as in foods like avocados and nuts. 

Avoiding these heart-healthy foods can leave you lacking in substances your body actually needs. As well many of these foods are also important sources of other nutrients. You need at least a small amount every time you eat a meal rich in vitamins and minerals for your body to properly absorb them. 

The short answer: cut out only the 'bad' fats from your diet to reduce your calorie intake and keep the good fats to maintain cardiovascular health.

Do you ALWAYS have to eat healthy?

I think it's important to enjoy yourself every once in awhile. Have a cheat meal or snack from time to time. If you maintain a healthy and active lifestyle, you can still indulge yourself. It'll help to maintain your sanity, and it's also a good reward for a job well done!

If you are aiming for a crazy ripped physique like this guy, you might think that you have little room for error when it come to what you can and can't eat.

(Do you want a body like this? Are you willing to work that hard for it? Most of us aren't; admittedly I don't know if I am willing to either. And that's okay!)

You might wonder: Does he ever eat anything unhealthy? I bet he does: since he has so much muscle and probably has to do pretty intense workouts, he needs a lot of energy to "keep his furnace going".

But this doesn't mean he can make a pig of himself whenever he'd like although he does have to get enough protein to maintain (and build) whatever muscle he has as well as enough energy to help build and maintain his body.

But even for a ripped guy like this, the equation remains the same: energy in, energy out. If he wants to maintain his shredded physique, he has to balance how many calories he consumes with how much he burns. 

The energy in, energy out law applies to everything you eat whether it be protein, fat, or carbohydrates. This means that it's not only fat that can make you fat, anything that provides your body energy can make you fat.

Keep in mind that to pack on the muscle he has, he needs a LOT of energy. The easiest way to get enough dietary energy for your body to recover during rest periods is to consume more fat. Eating enough carbohydrates for readily absorbed energy is also very important.

Next time we'll talk about the importance of protein, the best and cheapest sources as well as the pitfalls of a high protein diet.