How Much Fat Do You Need During Weight Loss?

Understanding how much fat you need to eat every day in order to achieve the best rate of weight loss can feel like a confusing task. After all, we’ve all heard the outdated recommendations suggesting that a low fat diet is our best path to losing bodyweight. At the same time, we’ve all heard that we should be eating more “good fats” and that this can help us to better manage our weights.

But when we haven’t been paying much attention to how much fat we’ve been eating, it can seem difficult to find the answer. If you based your understanding on the weight loss products you see at the supermarket every week, it would be easy to think that less is more when it comes to dietary fats. However, recent studies have indicated that as long as you’re eating the right foods in the proper quantities, the fats you consume can give you an advantage for losing body mass.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that fasts should comprise 20 to 35 percent of our total daily calorie intake. Technically, when compared to how much fat the average American typically eats, consuming that amount is considered to be a low fat diet. That said it is important not to overeat or under eat this macronutrient in order to ensure optimal health.

Of course, whether you’re balancing your diet for health or weight loss, it is also important to consider the quality of the food being consumed. For instance, no more than 10 percent of daily fat intake should come from saturated fat. That is the main type found in animal products. Moreover, trans fats should make up less than 1 percent of daily intake. Ideally, no trans fats should be consumed.

On the other hand, it’s important to focus on healthy fats such as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. They are among the polyunsaturated fats. Omega-6 should comprise around 5 to 10 percent of total caloric intake (found in nuts and certain vegetables), while omega-3 should make up another 1 percent (found in oily fish and flaxeed). The rest of a daily intake of fat should come from monounsaturated sources such as form certain nuts, avocados or olive oil.

For a 2,000 calorie diet, this means that you will want between 44 and 78 grams of fat. That said, your overall daily calorie intake is based on your height, weight, gender, goal weight, activity level and other factors. Your total fat intake in grams will change depending on your actual calorie goal.