This is a great question because it opens the door to the real root of the issue which is what makes us gain weight?  Is it how much we are eating or Is it because we are eating too much fat or carbohydrate.

The 80’s and ’90’s Fat Free craze

In the 1980’s and 1990’s the diet industry and food manufacturer’s demonized fat and replaced it with Fat Free “foods”.  These food products were highly processed foods full of sugar and sodium.  What happened in the 1980’s and 1990’s?  The obesity epidemic took off so it’s pretty safe to say that fat was not the problem.

Will Fat make YOU fat?

Simply Eating fat will not make you fat and gain weight.  There are a whole host of factors that contribute to weight gain including: eating too much of everything, metabolic down regulation, hormone imbalances, food addiction, etc.  There is not ONE macro nutrient (protein, fat, or carbs) that will make you gain weight.  Protein is thought of as the magic nutrient, but if you eat too much protein then you will gain weight as well.  We tell people to focus on protein because it helps you to feel fuller longer and helps stabilize your blood sugar levels so that you don’t experience highs and lows.

To illustrate this concept, think about this.  What would be harder to eat?  3 Krispy Kreme donuts (low in protien and not much nutrient value) or 3 Chicken Breasts?  It would be harder to eat the chicken breasts because it is high in protein and nutrient dense.

Simply eating Fat will not make you fat. In fact eating too little fat is where portion control can go out of whack. When people eat too little fat, they are not satisfied and most often end up eating more carbohydrates and the carbohydrates that people in this situation choose are refined and high calorie.  Think about most “healthy” snack foods.  “What! They’re healthy!” you exclaim.  “only 150 calories.”

“Yeah but not so much.”

Again those “health food snacks” are highly processed and because they lack nutrients they are not filling.  Most people end up eating way more than the serving size

Should you eat fat?

Yes and that doesn’t mean go out and eat an abundance of Bacon Cheese Burgers and Cheese Fries. Those are high calorie foods It means that if you’re someone who has an issue with portion control, then you should make protein and healthy fat the focal point of your meals and snacks.  You will feel fuller longer and be less likely to reach for high calorie and nutrient poor food.

Examples of Healthy Fat Foods

Raw Nuts

Raw Nut Butters

Avocados

Oils such as Avocado, Olive, Coconut, Macadamia, etc

Salmon

Lower Fat Dairy(Some May disagree but I would rather this than overly processed meal replacement Bars)

5 Nutrition Principles

One of my 5 Nutrition principles is to eat a combination of fat, protein, and carbohydrates for your first meal of the day.  Starting off your day this way makes it less likely to snack and also prevents you from going for that next sugar fix.  Aim for 20-30g of protein for your first meal.