Fat Is Essential to Your Health and Wellness

With obesity rates soaring, there are surprisingly few overweight dieters who understand the metabolic process required to lose weight. The lungs are the primary excretory organ for weight loss with excess water excreted as urine, tears, sweat, breath, or feces. If you consume too many calories (or burn too few), you will gain weight because your body will store the unused calories as body fat. Normally, your body’s organs including the brain, lungs, heart, liver, and kidneys account for about 80% of your energy use each day. You have two kinds of fat cells. White fat cells are more common than brown fat cells, but both help regulate everything from your body weight to your metabolic rate for burning energy. It is important to consult with a weight loss specialist prior to starting your fat loss journey to prevent or limit the potential negative side effects commonly seen in failed diets.

Avoid Saturated Fat and Trans Fats

Even healthy fats are high in calories, so fat intake should be balanced with other foods to prevent weight gain. Nonetheless, try to avoid saturated fat and trans fats (fats that are solid at room temperature). Listed below are the most common types of dietary fats to be avoided or included in your personalized menu plan:

• Saturated Fat - Most dietary experts recommend eating saturated fats, like fatty cuts of meat, high-fat dairy foods and tropical oils, in moderation. These fats are guilty of the unhealthy side effects that all fats have been blamed for.
• Monounsaturated Fat - Monounsaturated fats are healthy dietary fats found in avocados, almonds, peanuts, and cooking oils made from plants, such as canola, olive, soybean, sesame or sunflower seeds.
• Unsaturated Fat - Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and come in two distinct forms: polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. Foods containing unsaturated fats include avocado, nuts, soybeans and olives. Meat products contain both saturated and unsaturated fats.
• Polyunsaturated Fat - Found in plant and animal foods, such as salmon, vegetable oils and some nuts or seeds, polyunsaturated fat may reduce your risk of heart disease, especially when used in substitute of saturated fats.
• Partially Hydrogenated Fat - According to the Food and Drug Administration, partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats) are no longer GRAS (generally recognized as safe). Trans fat is considered the worst type of fat to consume as it can increase your risk of heart disease.

In attempting to remove fat from your menu plan, avoid replacing fat with too many processed foods that claim to be fat-free or low-fat. Instead, enjoy healthy fats as part of your personalized menu plan that includes essential fatty acids.

A Gram of Fat Has Twice the Calories

In numerous weight loss studies, the group following a low-carb diet lost statistically significant more weight. Some dieters lost about three times more managing carbohydrate intake than those consuming a low-fat diet. If you prefer to follow a low-carbohydrate diet, replace the carbs with nutritious whole foods. You can lose weight by consuming nutritious menus with meats, fish, eggs, healthy fats and lots of vegetables. Since a gram of fat has twice as many calories as the same amount of carbs or proteins, for years dieters were told to avoid fats to control their weight. Nowadays, avoiding unhealthy fats is a good idea for any dieter. In contrast, consuming healthy fats is necessary for absorbing important nutrients. If you are trying to reach and maintain an optimal weight, consider the advantages of working with a weight loss specialist who understands what is needed when an individual is underweight, normal weight or overweight.