How important is eating fat?

Hi, I'm kind of new to the forums thing, so I apologize if this is an obvious question.

I've read a lot tonight that suggests if you are eating too few calories (under 1200) then it may negatively affect your metabolism and ultimately slow down your weight loss, but I haven't really found much on eating enough fat. According to MFP it says you should have 40 grams per day. If you're far below that, will it also affect your rate of weight loss?

It seemed logical that drastically cutting back fat consumption would help you lose weight, but I thought the same would be true with calories, so now I'm unsure...

Also, I don't really understand these good and bad fats. Would good fats be listed on the nutrition label simply as "fat" and bad fats be listed as "saturated, polyunstaurated, etc" or do you just basically remember avocados are good and butter is bad?

First, fats are an essential nutrient. You NEED fats, period.

Second, your best fats are those from natural sources. That INCLUDES butter, ghee, cream and even animal fats. Saturated fats are NOT bad ... the "science" suggesting so was bad, and not everybody has gotten off the "saturated fat is bad" bandwagon.

Avoid trans-fats (except those that occur naturally - many meats do have limited amounts ... what you want to avoid is anything that says "partially hydrogenated") and avoid refined oils. A good rule of thumb: if you can squeeze a food item and get oil (ie: almonds, olives, coconut/palm, etc.), it's likely reasonably healthy. If you need to refine it - such as corn, cottonseed, soybean oil ... you should avoid it.

As for amounts ... most people are quite healthy on a minimum of 25-35% of their calories from fat. But there is nothing wrong with eating more healthy fats if it fits into your caloric goals. For example, I regularly eat anywhere from 65 to 75% of my calories from fat, as do many other people following a ketogenic diet. Whether you eat 30, 40, 50 or more percent of your calories from fat is up to you, and should be based on your own medical history/conditions, etc., and some decent research and a good goal.

Your body does need a certain amount of fat - going too low might not affect weight loss, but it will affect body function. Your brain needs it to function properly, for one thing. I'm sure someone will jump in here with a list of the many reasons you need it (it's just too late at night for me to remember, ahha!)


One advantage of not going too low on fat while dieting - fat helps keep you feeling full longer, so it makes it easier to stay within your calories.

Do you like losing hair ? Brittle nails? Dry skin? Abnormal periods? If you answered yes to any of those questions than sure, don't bother eating fats.

Yes, they are important. The healthily ones have already been named. I like nut butters, avocados, and oily fish as good fats. I also get a lot of fat from meat and cheeses, which may not be the healthiest but they sure are tasty.

Lipids are essential to your body's functions. Hair and skin aren't the only things that will suffer if you do not get enough fat in your diet.

You should set your fat intake based on your body's mass, not as a percentage of your calorie intake. I think something like a minimum of 0.4 g times your weight in lb is what's recommended. That is, if you weighed 200 lb, you would need 80 g a day. Someone please correct me if I'm way off here. (I do not restrict my fat intake so I honestly can't remember. I have better things to worry about, like getting enough protein.)

ETA: I was close, some recommend 0.35 g * weight in lb

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

Fat does not make you fat. :-) Fats are a good thing- they are absolutely necessary. They are essential because the human body cannot synthesize them. While PP is correct (though butter, ghee (which is just clarified butter and cream ARE animal fats so not sure what that little thing is about) that animal fats will not hurt you, try to focus on more nutritious fats from fish and plant sources- think: nuts, nut butters, olives/olive oil, AVOCADO, fats from fish, and yes, from meats/eggs.

Foods rich in omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (fatty fish like tuna, some in eggs and lean red meat) are GREAT- and omega 6 (another polyunsaturated fatty acid- PUFA) is an important one too. Omega 6 comes from more meat sources, nuts, eggs...

In general, Americans' intake is averaged at 15:1 ratio of omega 6:omega 3 PUFAS, when it should be closer to 2:1, so try to get some fatty fish in there a few days each week!

ETA: I eat a lot of fat (about 30%) and have steadily dropped fat (close to 50lbs over the last 7 months). It absolutely helps with satiety!

Actually most of the n:6's are coming from cereal grains and refined vegetable oils, not animal proteins. Animal protein is generally low in polyunsaturated fats comparatively speaking and poly fats are not easy to find in nature. Again, generally speaking most greens and vegetables are omega 3's sources with grains omega 6 sources, Basically ditch the refined veg oils and use olive, avocado, duck fat, coconut oil where possible and increase consumption of omega 3's with fish, flax and chia.