While most of us know that consuming excessive amounts
of fat will make us fat, we don't all understand exactly why this
is true. To implement a successful weight management program,
you need a good understanding of fat and why this nutrient makes
us fat.
The amount of energy a particular food has depends
on the quantity of fat, carbohydrates, and protein it contains.
Food energy, both in its consumption and expenditure, is measured
in terms of calories. Foods are either made up of fats, protein,
carbohydrates, or a combination. A food that contains mostly fat
will contain more than twice the calories than a food containing
mostly carbohydrates and/or protein. For example, compare a serving
of low-fat yogurt to a serving of nonfat yogurt--the low-fat yogurt
has quite a few more calories than the nonfat variety because
every gram of fat has more than twice the calories of a gram of
protein or carbohydrate. Fat contains 9 calories per gram; protein
and carbohydrates yield only four calories per gram. Therefore,
it is important that you move towards replacing foods high in
fat with foods higher in protein and complex carbohydrates.
No more than 25 percent of your total calories should
come from fat, fewer than 10 percent from saturated fat, the most
damaging form. A recent study of 23 lean men and 23 obese men
found little difference in the total number of calories each group
consumed. But the obese men consumed, on average, more than 33
percent of their total calories from fat, compared with 29 percent
for the lean men. Because the body converts dietary fat into body
fat more easily than it converts protein and carbohydrates into
body fat, the obese men were storing more fat even though both
groups consumed the same total number of calories.
During the process of converting protein and carbohydrates
to fat, your body uses them as energy and burns more than a quarter
of their calories; it takes more energy (calories "burned") to
convert carbohydrates and protein into body fat than it does to
convert dietary fat into body fat. Thus, more carbohydrate and
protein calories are used and fewer are stored as fat. Dietary
fat, on the other hand, goes straight into storage, with very
few calories being used. For example, John consumes 2,000 calories
a day of which 40 percent come from fat. If John replaces half
of the fat calories (20 percent of total calories) with calories
coming from complex carbohydrates, less food will be converted
to body fat even though the total number of calories consumed
has not changed.
It is important to note that when that 20 percent
of the 2,000 calories from fat now comes from carbohydrates (or
protein), you consume a lot more food, since each gram of carbohydrate
or protein contains less than half as many calories per gram.
Therefore, when you begin to decrease the amount of fat in your
diet and replace it with carbohydrates and protein, even if you
still consume the same amount of food as before, you will be consuming
a lot fewer calories.
If dietary fat were easy to control, most "diets"
would probably succeed. Even with the recent explosion of low-fat
and nonfat products, people generally still eat too much fat.
The reason is simple: We have grown up loving fat, and we are
accustomed to its taste and texture. Although most people do not
usually crave fat as they do sugar or salty foods, we do have
a strong taste preference for fat. Fat is responsible for the
flavor and texture of many of our favorite foods: meats, cheese,
dressings, sauces, creams, desserts, etc.
Because a high-fat diet increases fat storage and
yields more than twice the amount of calories, the most effective
way to reduce body fat is to concentrate on reducing your daily
fat intake. Even if you do not consciously lower your total caloric
intake, making the switch to a low-fat diet will most likely result
in fat loss. However, attempts to suddenly restrict high-fat foods
when you still have a strong preference for them causes feelings
of deprivation which may, in turn, cause a higher intake of fat
than normal. Deprivation is part of the "diet" process, and one
of the main reasons it is doomed to fail. It is very important
to make gradual, healthier changes to the foods you enjoy. Drastic
changes backfire. When people base their food choices on the number
of calories consumed and a "foods allowed/not allowed" list, the
focus is on numbers rather than satiety and enjoyment of the foods'
taste and texture. This often negates any positive effect the
original focus on choosing low-fat foods may have had. Simply
counting calories and grams of fat does not make for a permanent
healthy lifestyle change. If tastes do not shift to enjoying foods
lower in fat, this quickly becomes too restrictive and normal
eating habits resume.
I'm not saying that you should avoid counting grams
of fat altogether. The way to lower fat in your diet is to become
a fat-conscious eater--and this requires that you know the amount
of fat in each food. However, instead of counting fat grams and
deciding if it is a "good food" or a "bad food," try to balance
the foods you are eating so that you average 25 percent or less
of your total calories from fat each day. It's okay to have a
piece or two of high-fat pizza (pizza can be low-fat) if you are
truly hungry and craving it, as long as you balance that out with
low-fat foods at other meals soon after. What's crucial is to
learn how to make small healthier changes. Consume fat in moderation
by balancing higher fat foods with lower fat foods.
You should now have a better understanding of fat
and why excess consumption of this nutrient makes us fat. Your
greatest challenge, however, is not learning new low-fat shopping
or cooking techniques. Nor is it remembering how to calculate
fat percentages or what to say to the waiter to reduce the fat
in your restaurant meal. The greatest challenge facing you at
this moment is deciding whether you are willing to make a change--to
make small, gradual changes to the foods you love.
Sure, there is plenty of work to be done, but it
really doesn't matter how long this new process takes. If you
allow changes to take place over several years, your body will
adjust comfortably, and you will be more likely to maintain the
healthy lifestyle permanently. When you begin achieving improvements
in energy and physical and psychological performance, the fun
and excitement you experience will make the change well worth
the effort. Action creates motivation! Good luck: I hope you enjoy
all the wonderful benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle.
