Hi...I know I should know this already, but can you be getting slower results in cutting body fat if you are not intaking enough fat? If so, how much fat grams should someone be getting a day? Someone told me I wasn't getting enough fat, and I just wanted to check if it was true, because it doesn't make sense to me to eat more fat if I want to lose fat.

I appreciate all the help. :)
Thanks.
Sarah

Yes, it makes perfect sense. If your body isn't getting fat in your diet, then it is less likely to let go of stored fat. Why should it? Fat is necessary for you to function, so if you starve yourself of fat, then your body must hoard what it has.

Fats help build cell membranes, they are responsible for hormone function, they regulate activities ... you definitely want your healthy fats.

You should get around 20 - 30 percent of your total calories from healthy fats.

Jeremy

Hi...I know I should know this already, but can you be getting slower results in cutting body fat if you are not intaking enough fat? If so, how much fat grams should someone be getting a day? Someone told me I wasn't getting enough fat, and I just wanted to check if it was true, because it doesn't make sense to me to eat more fat if I want to lose fat.

I appreciate all the help. :)
Thanks.
Sarah

Just to underline what Jeremy has said:

1. The figure of 20-30% of total calories from fat is agreed by most scientific researchers, and is also the official up-to-date recomendation of the US govt. The days of recomending very low fat diets are history.

2. The main reason (at least the one backed up by research) for not going beyond 30% is that when fat intake is high, there's a likelihood that SATURATED fat intake will also be high, simply because saturated and unsaturated fats tend to occur together in foods. However, foods vary in how much of each kind of fat that they have. So the trick is to choose foods that are rich in unsaturated fats, and don't have so much saturated fats.

3. You need some polyunsaturated fat in your diet, especially omega-3 fats (of which the kind most useful to your body is the kind found in fish oil). You also need a MODERATE amount of omega-6. These fats are ESSENTIAL to a number of importnat processes in your body, including the ones Jeremy listed. A deficiency of these fats causes health problems. These fats also help protect you from heart disease and some other diseases.

4. Too much saturated fats puts you at risk of heart disease. Research suggests that some types of saturated fats may be worse than others, but it's a good bet just to minimise overall saturated fats.

5. Trans fats are even worse for you, and you should try to keep their intake negligible.

6. A low fat intake (less than 20% of calories) combined with a high carbohydrate intake (above 65%) can lead to bad levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, and so put you at increased risk of coronary heart disease.

7. Monounsaturated fat - which you'll find tons of in olive oil, almonds, avocados, and many other foods - can be safely included in your diet in place of saturated fats and excessive carbohydrates. This is a great (and easy) way to keep your carbs / fat ratio from going too high, without the heart risks of saturated fat. This, combined with plenty of omega-3 fats from fish oil, has got to be a winner.

8. A low fat diet is often short of vitamin E. Moreover, fats are needed for you to absorb vitamins A, D, E and K.

Bear in mind that these things are what scientific researchers have concluded as a result of their studies, AND it is nowadays the official position of the US government and many other official organisation. So it should be taken seriously.