How to Calculate Calories From Fat Grams

A calorie is the most common unit used to measure the amount of energy your food provides to your body. Whether you want to gain, maintain or lose weight, counting your caloric intake can help you determine the amount of food you should be taking in. Protein, carbohydrates and fat all require a different amount of energy to be burned by your body, therefore learning how to calculate calories from fat grams can help you with your diet goals.

Instructions

• 1

  Calculate calories from fat grams by multiplying each gram of fat by nine. The resulting number will be equal to the number of calories your body is taking in from fat grams. Calories in food are derived from protein and carbohydrates, which provide four calories each, and fat which provides more than double the calories of protein and carbohydrates with 9 calories.

• 2

  Calculate the percentage of fat calories in food, as most labels only include fat grams. The 2005 U.S. Dietary guidelines state that 20 to 30 percent of your calories should be provided by fat. To determine the percentage of calories from fat grams in any given food, first calculate the number of fat calories by multiplying fat grams by nine. Divide that number by the total number of calories and multiply by 100 for your final percentage.

• 3

  Decrease your intake of saturated and trans fats, as these modified products can increase your risk of heart disease. When calculating calories from fat grams, take into account how much of the fat is saturated and trans fat and how much is unsaturated fat. Try to take in no more than 10 percent of your fats from saturated or trans fats.

• 4

  Eat fats in moderation; however, do not eliminate them from your diet completely as your body needs them to breakdown fat soluble vitamins and minerals.