How Many Fat Grams to Eat Per Day to Lose Weight

Losing weight is no easy task and the best way to achieve success is being equipped with the right information. Weight loss involves a certain amount of arithmetic but it's nothing that requires more than a calculator and the best thing is that once you have figured out the numbers, you are set. Counting calories is a start but counting fat grams is also important in this endeavor.

The Facts

• To lose weight, you must reduce caloric intake, or burn more calories than you consume. A major factor of weight loss and calorie counting is fat grams. We need a certain amount of fat in our diet. The daily recommended amount of fat calories is 20 to 35 percent of your recommended daily caloric intake and your total fat grams should be no more than 7 percent from saturated fat, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Solutions

• How many fat grams you can have per day depends upon how many calories you are consuming on your weight loss regimen. For example, if you are on a 1,600-calorie-per-day diet, you shouldn't go more than 53 fat grams per day and your saturated fat should not exceed 18 grams.

Identifying Fat Grams

• Nutrition labels make it easy to see the number of fats in servings of food. Many also have saturated and trans fats listed as well. Foods that will have an unusually high number of saturated and trans fat are not recommended. Make note of the servings per package; some packaged items are two or three servings per package and this could add up fat grams quickly.

Considerations

• It's important to realize that not all fats are the same. Some fats are healthier than others. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are considered good fats because they can reduce health risks, such as heart disease and can improve cholesterol levels, as reported by the National Institutes of Health. Good sources of these types of fats can be found in olive and canola oil, nuts, avocados, salmon and omega-3 fish oils. Saturated and trans fats are unhealthy and can be found in high fat cuts of meat, high fat cheeses, butter, ice cream, coconut and palm oils.

Warnings

• While it might seem logical to eliminate fat when trying to lose weight, that is an unhealthy route to take. Some fat is necessary for the body to absorb many nutrients. Certain vitamins, including A, D, E, K and carotenoids need fatty acids to be absorbed into the body, according to the National Institutes of Health. Without fatty acids, these nutrients pass through the system undigested.