The Role of Fat In Your Fitness Nutrition Plan

Good nutrition is essential for fitness and health and it is important to understand the role of fat in your overall fitness nutrition plan.

Fat is a very necessary part of the daily diet and is important for maintaining tissue health and processing the fat soluble vitamins; A, D, E and K.

Fat is stored all around the body and it can be used to provide energy, but only under certain conditions.

During exercise, glycogen is the first source of energy and is more readily available than fat.

So for short bursts of aerobic exercise and most strength training sessions, the body's fuel of choice will be glycogen and not fat.

When you start to exercise, your body uses up its reserves of glycogen for fuel. It is only when glycogen supplies run out that fat may be mobilized as a fuel source, but that can only happen when enough oxygen is present.

Taking regular exercise, particularly aerobic exercise, improves the circulatory system, improving the transportation of oxygen around the body. This assists the breakdown of fat for use as energy.

The Types Of Fat In Food

There are three main types of fat in food: saturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated and it is important to know something about each of these.

Saturated fats are usually solid (at room temperature) and are mostly found in dairy products and meat.

Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are normally in the form of oils at room temperature and come from plant sources and oily fish.

Confusingly, some margarine products are high in poly and monounsaturated fats but are solid at room temperature because they have undergone "hydrogenation". This process changes their chemical structure and also produces trans-fats, which appear to be linked to an increased risk of coronary heart disease.

How Much Fat Should I Eat?

Fat is very high in calories and each gram of fat equates to 9 calories - more than twice the calories of a gram of protein or carbohydrate (at 4 calories per gram).

The amount of fat should be within 20% to 35% of the total calorie intake.

However, for strength training and bodybuilding, the lower limit of 20% is recommended to maintain leanness and definition. So if your daily calorie requirement is 2,750, then the amount of fat in your daily diet should not exceed 61.1 grams (equivalent to 550 calories).

It is important to remember that all fats are not all the same and most of your intake should be poly or monounsaturated fats, not saturated or trans-fats.

Maintaining a low fat diet is not difficult to do if you follow these simple rules:

- stick to low-fat alternatives where you can;

- choose the leanest cuts of meat;

- trim off visible fat; and

- keep processed foods to a minimum.

If you are serious about your training and fitness, it may be worth considering retaining a personal nutritionist or subscribing to a scientifically developed program like plan:one to make certain that your fat consumption and your fitness nutrition plan is tailored to suit your personal requirements exactly.


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Nick Williams is an expert in nutrition and human metabolism and holds a BSc Hons in Biochemistry. Combining his scientific training and a lifelong interest in fitness, he has designed and created plan:one, a powerful interactive fitness nutrition program that produces amazing results. With plan:one you can achieve the body you want in half the time. Try it out now with our Full Access 14 day Trial at: http://www.startplanone.com.