How Much Dietary Fat Should You Consume During Weight Loss?

Fat contains twice as much energy (calories or kilojoules) as carbohydrate and protein, so it makes sense to reduce the amount of fat in your diet if you want to lose weight. However you shouldn't eliminate all fat from your diet. Your body needs some fat for vitamin absorption, hormone regulation, the health of your heart and the protection of your vital organs. And you need some fat in your diet to enjoy the flavour and texture of your food.

How Much Dietary Fat Should I Consume During Weight Loss?

Females:

• Fairly healthy with normal cholesterol and triglycerides: 40g fat per day
• At risk of heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes: 30g fat per day

Males:

• Fairly healthy with normal cholesterol and triglycerides: 50g fat per day
• At risk of heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes: 40g fat per day

How Much Dietary Fat Should I Consume to Maintain a Healthy Weight?

Fats should not contribute to more than 30% of your daily energy intake, but many Australians consume more than 40% of their daily energy intake from fat. Assuming that you will remain fairly active when you reach your weight loss goal, you should consume the following levels of dietary fat:

Females:

• Fairly healthy with normal cholesterol and triglycerides: 65g fat per day
• At risk of heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes: 55g fat per day

Males:

• Fairly healthy with normal cholesterol and triglycerides: 85g fat per day
• At risk of heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes: 70g fat per day

To find out how much fat is in your favourite foods, visit the Calorie King website. In summary, it's important to moderate your intake of dietary fat but don't eliminate it completely. Choose foods that are high in healthy fats such as monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and omega-3 fats. And limit your intake of foods that contain unhealthy fats (saturated and trans fats) as they increase your blood cholesterol levels.