can someone help me understand fat and calories

i googled it and i couldnt find the answer so i was hoping someone could explain it to me so i could understand
does it matter how many grams of fats ur food has in it if ur trying to lose weight? what if i eat a lot of fatty foods but stay in my calorie goal? i dont understand i want to still lose a little more weight but i still wanna eat those foods too

Replies

  • Old_Cat_Lady
    Old_Cat_Lady Posts: 1,193 Member
    edited August 2017
    U could eat bacon all day... as long as U stick to UR calorie daily goal, U would lose weight. Fat does not matter.
    U wud wanna focus on healthy though.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    There are three macro-nutrients. Carbohydrates, protein and fats. All food is made up of these three macros. Carbs and protein are 4 calories per gram. Fat is 9 calories per gram. The only thing that matter for weight loss is calories.

    However, for nutrition and satiety, you may want to pay attention to what macros you eat.
  • Treece68
    Treece68 Posts: 780 Member
    As long as you are in a calorie deficit you will lose weight there are a lot of people who eat high fat it is called keto.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    Eat at a calorie deficit and you will lose weight regardless of what you're eating. If you told MFP you want to lose 1lb/week and it gave you X calories for a daily budget, regardless of the specific foods you're eating, the weight is going to come off.

    Here are some things to keep in mind:

    1gr protein=4 calories
    1gr carbs=4 calories
    1gr fat=9 calories

    I am not saying that fat is 'bad' because gram-for-gram, it has more calories than the other macros. Fat is essential to proper body functioning. It help you absorb certain nutrients. Depending on how your body works, fatty foods may make you feel less-hungry overall (satiety varies a lot from person to person). However, because fatty foods are higher in calories, it's possible that eating too much of them could take up too much space in your daily calorie 'budget'.

    How much is too much? It depends. I'd recommend doing your best to hit the protein target MFP gave you. Once you've got adequate protein, go ahead and experiment until you've a mix of carbs and fat that has you feeling full.

    In any case, like the poster above me said, if you stick to your calorie goal, you're going to lose weight. Eat a balanced diet—which includes fat—for health.

    You might want to check out some of the keto threads/groups, too. A ketogenic diet is high-fat, low-carb and works for some people. If you aren't one of them, you may get a few tips along the way. (Sort of like someone who isn't vegetarian, but wants to increase their plant-based protein might check out some vegetarian threads for ideas.)