Daily fat intake: How many grams to eat for weight loss

For such a small word, fat sure has a big presence. When you’re on a weight loss journey, it can seem even larger.

Cutting all fat from your diet might feel like a logical step to lose weight — but it’s actually not the best plan. Your body needs some fat to function well, making it important that you understand which ones get the tick of approval.

Allow us to set the record straight when it comes to dietary fat. We’ll cover all the important questions — from the health benefits of fats to the different types to know, plus an estimate on how many grams to consume per day to lose weight.

Why do you need fats?

So many of us have been tricked into believing that fats are the number 1 enemy of a healthy lifestyle. They may not be the most important food group, but they still play a key role in your overall health.

 Some of the benefits of having fats in your diet include [2][3][5]:

• Adding flavour to food
• Giving you energy
• Helping your body absorb fat-soluble vitamins — like vitamins A, D, E and K
• Providing essential fatty acids that your body can’t make on its own
• Supporting your muscle movement
• Reducing inflammation and minimising blood clotting
• Some fats are linked to better brain function and mental health

Does this mean you can load up a plate full of butter, cheese, and baked goodies? We wouldn’t recommend it.

While fats can provide many benefits for your overall health, not all kinds of fat are good for you. It’s important that you understand the differences and which types of fat should be prioritised in your diet. 

Different types of fat

You might have heard the terms healthy and unhealthy fat before. But, what does this really mean? How can fats be healthy? And which ones should you be eating more often? Here’s what you need to know.

Saturated fats

They may be delicious, but saturated fats are not the best for your health. A diet high in saturated fat has been linked to health problems, particularly when it comes to heart health [1]. 

Examples of saturated fat include:

• Butter, cream, and milk
• Cheese
• Coconut milk
• Fatty cuts of meat such as beef, pork, and chicken skin
• Fried foods
• Cakes and sweet biscuits
• Potato chips and savoury crackers

 We know it’s hard to resist the temptation, but foods like these should stay on your ‘sometimes’ list.

Foods with very little nutritional benefits — think cakes, fried foods, and potato chips — are best kept on your ‘rarely’ list.

Unsaturated fats

We promise we weren’t lying about healthy fats — they do exist and these are the ones to look out for. 

There are 2 types of unsaturated fats to know: polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. Both of these are considered healthy fats which can help lower cholesterol levels [1].

Examples of polyunsaturated fats include [1][2]:

• Fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines
• Walnuts
• Canola oil
• Soy products
• Flaxseeds

Polyunsaturated fats provide your body with essential fatty acids known as omega-3 and omega-6.

Examples of monounsaturated fats include [1][2]: 

• Olive oil
• Canola oil
• Avocado
• Peanuts and peanut butter
• Almonds
• Cashews
• Hazelnuts

Many monounsaturated fats make great substitutes for saturated fats. For example, you can swap avocado for cheese in a sandwich or cook with olive oil instead of butter.

Trans fats

Most of the time, unsaturated fats are good for you. But, when they have been processed, they can become something known as trans fat [1].

This type of fat is unhealthy and should be a very small part of your diet.

Trans fats occur naturally in some foods; like butter, meat, and cheese. But, primarily they are found in packaged and processed foods, such as margarine [10].

Since we discovered the dangers of trans fats, many food manufacturers have changed their products to help minimise them. But, that doesn’t mean they won’t be present.

The best way to check for trans fats is to read food labels. If the ingredients mention hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, then this product includes trans fat.

The nutrition label will also commonly list the different types of fat in a product, including trans fats.

How many grams of fat should you eat for weight loss?

In general, a healthy diet includes mostly unsaturated fats, with fewer calories from saturated fat and trans fat.

We have to admit that calling some fats healthy and others unhealthy is simplifying things a bit. Any diet with too much fat, including the healthy kinds, can lead to weight gain. So, how much fat should you be eating each day?

Dietary guidelines from the World Health Organization state that adults should limit fats to 30% or less of their daily calories. Of this, less than 10% should be from saturated fats and no more than 1% from trans fats [7].

Percentages are great, but can we get these into grams? We can help with an estimate; here’s how it works.

The total calorie intake for an adult woman ranges from 1,600-2,400 per day — depending on age, activity levels, and metabolism [8].

If 30% of these can come from dietary fat, that is equal to around 480-720 calories per day.

We know that each gram of fat contains 9 calories. So, if we divide the calories from fat by 9 — you end up with your grams of fat per day.

For weight maintenance, this is somewhere from 53-80 grams of fat per day. Remember, you want most of these to be from the good unsaturated fats, with only a small amount of saturated fat or trans fats.

Since this estimate applies to weight maintenance, you might need to consider a lower figure for weight loss.

We highly recommend working with your doctor or a registered dietitian on a plan suited to your body type and calorie goals.

It can be exhausting working out your individual diet needs, especially if you don’t like math. If you are looking for extra support, you might want to try a holistic weight loss program.

Juniper’s Weight Reset Programme has all the support you need for sustainable weight loss. It combines weight loss medications with health coaching from a group of UK clinicians; giving you access to all the tools for lasting change.

Plus, the members-only app helps you track progress to stay motivated and includes health education from our weight experts.

Are low-fat diets good for weight loss?

If fats contribute to weight gain, then cutting them out is the obvious answer; right? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.

As we said earlier, a balanced diet will include some fats. There’s also a good amount of research that finds that low-fat diets are not more successful than high-fat diets for weight loss [4].

But, if a low-fat diet isn’t actually the secret ingredient — why are they so popular?

What made low-fat diets popular?

We can trace the rise of the low-fat diet all the way back to the 1970s. Around this time, there was a new health campaign aimed at older men at risk of heart problems [3]. 

What started as a targeted campaign ballooned into a misinformation circus; where all fat was now the enemy of good health.

The food industry jumped in to support, making scores of low-fat foods to give people easy ways to cut back.

But, studies from the last 10 years have given us a new perspective. This research has found that it’s actually the opposite kind of diet (high-fat and low-carb) that may be better for you. Specifically, a diet high in unsaturated fats is good for you.

In an interesting twist, there are even rumours that the sugar industry may have had a hand in the low-fat diet craze, by sponsoring studies with results pointing the finger firmly at fat as the problem [5].

Comparing high-fat diets

Remember how we said not all fats are good for you? Well, not all high-fat diets are either.

While some research has shown that high-fat diets are effective for weight loss, we have to be careful about what we mean when we say ‘high fat’. To give you an example, let’s compare 2 types of high-fat diets.

Mediterranean diet vs keto diet

The Mediterranean diet is a great example of a healthy, high-fat diet, and research shows its many health benefits [5]. 

Typical food in the Mediterranean diet includes [6]:

• Healthy fats like olive oil and nuts
• Focusing on fish, seafood, and lean meats
• Limiting red meat to twice a week
• Prioritising fruits, vegetables, and whole grains daily

Unlike a lot of diets that are focused solely on food, the Mediterranean diet is more like a lifestyle.

Alongside dietary recommendations, there are good habits to build like eating slowly over a long lunch and enjoying post-meal siestas.

Another example of a high-fat diet is the ketogenic diet, also known as keto. This diet is high in fat and low in carbs [9].

However, it’s not recommended for long-term weight loss. More commonly, it’s prescribed by health professionals to help with certain medical conditions. 

There are a few health risks to the keto diet including hypoglycaemia, headaches and dehydration. So, it’s best followed with the support of your doctor.

Sources of healthy fats

Now that you know fat is well and truly on the menu, here are 4 top sources of healthy fats to include in your diet.

Olive oil

Full of healthy monounsaturated fat, olive oil is a great choice for cooking and salad dressings. It's a simple substitute for butter and coconut oil too, helping you limit saturated fats in your diet [2].

Avocado 

Whether you love them smashed, sliced or blended in a smoothie, it’s hard to go wrong with avocado. They’re also a top source of monounsaturated fats [2].

Fatty fish 

There are plenty of delicious fatty fish to fill up your plate which also happen to be great sources of omega-3 fatty acids. A few we recommend include salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines [5].

Nuts and seeds

Craving a salty snack? Skip the chips and try out a handful of nuts instead. From almonds to hazelnuts, cashews, peanuts and walnuts, all of these are sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats [2].

Flaxseeds are another easy source of polyunsaturated fats which you can throw in almost any recipe. A small amount goes a long way, with most recipes using around 1 tablespoon.

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