Starting a Fat Loss Program? - Don't Try to Eat Fat Free

If you have decided to go on a fat loss program then there are some things you need to know about why fats are a requirement in your daily eating plan and how there going to spell success or failure in you meeting your goals.

There seems to be a myth out there that say's the first thing that you must avoid doing if you want to lose body fat is eating fat, well there is nothing further from the truth and it really makes me wonder where they could have come up with that type of nonsense if they really understood how the body works.

Assuming that we are going to keep our daily consumption at 30% or less of our total intake of calories at the end of the day, let's take a look at the type of fats available and determine how they work for the body and why they are so important for normal body functions.

All of the fats are equal when it comes to the amount of calories they contain in one gram, which is 9, but there is a difference in how each affects the body and your health. The body needs fats in order to stay healthy so we need to keep them in our eating regiment.

Monounsaturated fats are the healthiest type and have been shown to lower your LDL cholesterol which is the bad type and raise the good HDL cholesterol. Olive oil is one of the best sources of getting this healthy fat and I might point out that olive oil helps you feel full for a longer period of time. I also like to use natural peanut butter which contains nothing but peanuts and salt.

Polyunsaturated fats are known to lower LDL cholesterol, but also lower HDL. So you don't want as much of this fat as you would the monounsaturated. You must be somewhat careful when choosing this particular oil so read labels. Polyunsaturated fats are sometimes hydrogenated to make margarines and you don't want to eat anything that says partially hydrogenated on the label.

Saturated fats are at the bottom of the list as for daily intake but are still needed for proper bodily functions so you want to keep the amount that you consume to 10% or less of your total daily fat intake. Too much of this type of fat is known to raise your total cholesterol level and cause coronary heart disease but at the same time they are responsible for proper functioning of certain organs as well as improving the body's use of omega-3 fatty acids.

The omega-3 fatty acids which are found in fish help keep your heart healthy and lower your bad LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels. They have been shown to help protect you from diabetes and depression.

Your body does need fats in order to stay healthy. Fats supply the building blocks for the manufacturing of hormones and carry the fat soluble vitamins A, E, K and D throughout the body. To get all the benefit from our food we need a macronutrient mix of protein, carbohydrates and fat. You can play around with the ratio of each but it must contain all three if you want to reach your goal.

By: James R. Donaldson