In what way does fat affect weight loss/gain ?

[mal3volent]

To be clear, I mean the amount of fat grams found on nutrition fact labels.

Is weight fluctuation really as simple as calories in/calories out, and in what way does FAT enter in to this process?

Thanks.

 

[Perpetual Indulgence]

output>input for weight loss
1 gram of fat is 9 calories

eating fat doesn't make you fat as long as you are burning off more calories than you eat
stick to the "good fats" http://www.healthcastle.com/goodfats-badfats.shtml because our bodies need them

 

[thujone]

Yeah, fats are complicated. Follow the FDA RDI guidelines to get an idea of the ratio and figure out the optimal amount you should get in relation to the carbs and proteins you eat. Maintaining a good HDL:LDL ratio is known to improve metabolism overall so a righteous spoonful of olive oil at lunchtime (goes really well on brown rice, imho) may help you drop fat pounds even quicker.

 

[Foreigner]

After med school, the term "weight loss" stopped making sense to me. It's not about weight loss but going from low density to high density. Kilo per kilo, muscle weighs more than fat, yet a muscular person looks leaner than a "fat" person.

Consuming a good ratio of saturated and unsaturated fat is healthy, but if that's all you consume, or you don't have proper body movement in your life, you're going to have unfavourable gains.

 

[mal3volent]

Yeah I suppose weight loss really is not the right thing to say at all when I think about it. I want to lose some fat is all, not necessarily weight. The whole "fat is not bad" thing really surprised me too, I always assumed things like peanut butter, cream, oils, etc were horrible because of the fat content. My mom told me once though that one summer she ate peanut butter on a piece of bread every morning and she lost more weight during that period than she ever has because she didnt get as hungry. Ate fruit and vegetables through the day and then dinner.

 

[Joeof1]

You need MUF's. Mono-Unsaturated Fats. That is what your hormone and metabolic system requires to function properly. Without them, you will never burn the fat that is already on your body. If you are a dude, Testosterone comes from MUF's. So eat that natural peanut butter and real butter. Stay away from soy based oils. Olive Oil is another good one.

If you want to get lean start by cutting carbs and increasing your activity level gradually to meet the needs of your cutting. You should really start measuring your food and keeping track if you want to get serious about it, but you can muddle your way through it though it will take longer.

 

[Dare21]

output>input for weight loss
1 gram of fat is 9 calories

eating fat doesn't make you fat as long as you are burning off more calories than you eat
stick to the "good fats" http://www.healthcastle.com/goodfats-badfats.shtml because our bodies need them

Agreed. Also your body has a higher tendency to store bad fats, and a tendency to convert good fats (like coconut oil) into energy.

 

[ilikestims]

Fats are not the problem. Indeed, they are the solution.

Quality of caloric nutrition is what is important.

http://chriskresser.com/the-diet-heart-myth-cholesterol-and-saturated-fat-are-not-the-enemy