Fat Calories

Fat calories are basically calories that come from fat. For example, one gram of fat has roughly 8 calories, so if you were to eat two grams of butter on your pancakes, you'd have consumed about 16 fat calories. Butter is made up of fat, so it most certainly should be a limited part of your overall diet.

It's not unusual to hear about fat calories, carb calories, and protein calories when you are dieting and trying to make smart food choices. Essentially, these words apply to where you are getting your calories, either from carbs, protein, fat, or a combination of all three. Most foods include a combo of carbs, protein, and fat, while some do not. If you are looking to lose weight, than you should realize that your total caloric intake needs to be reduced, not just calories from carbs or fats or protein.

Restricting Fat Calories

While we all need some fat in our diets, it is important to try to limit the amount of fat calories consumed on a daily basis. Too much fat is not good for your cholesterol levels, neither is it good for your cardiovascular system. Fat contains very little nutritional value, so it is not necessary to load up on foods that are high in fat, like desserts, marbled red meats, butter, and oils. However, the fat calories you get from olive and safflower oil are better for you than soybean oil, as they contain less saturated fat.

One pitfall that many people fall into when they are dieting is that they restrict all fat consumption, thinking this will facilitate weight loss. But when you deprive yourself of certain foods, it just makes you want them more. The key is to eat everything in moderation, and to exercise regularly, which should help you to lose weight and keep it off.

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