Fat Intake for Weight Loss

For decades, fatty foods have taken the heat for obesity, heart disease, and elevated cholesterol. According to Helpguide.org, which offers healthy diet and wellness guidelines, in the 1960s, Americans received 45% of their caloric intake from fat and 13% of the population was obese. Fast forward to the 21st century. Ironically, obesity rates have more than doubled in the past forty years. The diet conscious have cut their fat intake by 12%; however, more than 30% of people are tipping the scales and considered obese.

Know Your Fats

• Not all fats are created equal. Based on their composition, some are monounsaturated, some are polyunsaturated, and some are just plain saturated. Unsaturated equals good. Saturated equals bad. The monounsaturated and polyunsaturated varieties are typically liquids and, for most, tend to reduce blood cholesterol and the potential for heart disease.

  Vegetable and fish oils are abundant in polyunsaturated fat, as well as essential fatty acids such as Omega-3 and Omega-6. Saturated fats are typically solids and have proven to raise the red flag on blood cholesterol levels and heart disease risk. Red meat, whole milk, and tropical oils, such as coconut and palm, are a few of the culprits delivering saturated fats. Trans fats are the ugliest of them all and are found in processed foods created by partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Trans fat lowers good cholesterol while raising bad cholesterol responsible for the likelihood of heart disease, high blood pressure, and cancer. Fried foods, packaged snack foods, stick margarine, and vegetable shortening, along with baked goods, are all sources of trans fats.

USDA Recommendations

• Depending on age, weight, body type, and metabolism, as well as activity level, the USDA suggests that, in a 2000-calorie daily diet, total fat intake should be limited to less than 30% of calories. Saturated fats should make up less than 200 calories, or 10% of your caloric menu, and trans fats less than 1%, or two grams, per day. The American Heart Association encourages a similar plan, but recommends limiting saturated fats to less than 7% or 140 calories.

Do The Math

• When reading nutrition fact labels, notice the number of calories from fat. Fat contains 9 calories per gram. If a cookie has 6 grams of fat and 130 calories, multiply grams of fat by 9 and you'll determine your total fat calories (6 grams of fat x 9 = 54 fat calories).

  Divide fat calories by total calories, then multiply by 100 to arrive at your percentage of fat (54 fat calories divided by 130 and multiplied by 100 would equal 41.5% total fat calories). Try the handy table, listed in the resources below and courtesy of Penn Medicine, to figure out how much fat intake is right for you according to your lifestyle.