WTF?!?!

Low-fat diets. Yes, they're still out there, and the American Dietetics Association probably still thinks they're great (but then so do the corn lobbyists. And I can't for the life of me understand how the USDA can put olive oil in the same group as donuts, but I digress). Let's start off with some fundamental nutritional info that too many people don't know.

Protein and carbohydrates each contain 4 calories/gram. Fat contains 9calories/gram. By looking at this one might say, "Oh, fat is more calorie-dense, I shouldn't eat too much." The logic here is not flawed, but it's based on the notion that fat-loss is based on calories-in vs. calories-out. That's where the mistake occurs. The gross simplification that fat-loss is just a matter of expending more energy than you take in (calories = energy) is a big problem. Certainly the "calories-in vs. calories-out" model works well for weight-loss, but weight-loss and fat-loss are not interchangeable terms. The weight you lose could be just as much muscle and/or water as it is adipose tissue(fat). Maybe the number on the scale got lower, but if you still look like crap and your body performs like crap, have you really made an improvement?

So the focus should obviously be on losing fat, not weight. Unfortunately throughout the decades, the myth has been perpetuated that eating fat will make a person gain fat. Once again, this is a prime example of a gross over-simplification that does not take into account the myriad of complex metabolic processes and pathways contained within the body. To explain in detail all of these processes and pathways is far beyond the scope of this article, so I'll focus more on the practical side of things rather than the scientific.

It is true that carbohydrates are the body's main source of energy and that fat is not as readily used to fuel the body. This could lead one to think, "Okay, carbs are my fuel source, so I should eat them more often than fat, because the fat I eat won't be burned for energy." Again, the logic doesn't seem bad on the surface, but yet again we see a lack of understanding. The importance of the role of fats is often understated in the information to which most Americans have access. I'll list a few of the key functions of fats that we consume:

- hormone production
- combating inflammation
- slowing digestion
- mobilizing stored fat

It's very difficult for the body to produce hormones that aid in fat loss and muscle gain when it's deprived of the raw materials to do so. Moreover, it's tough to perform grueling workouts and lift heavy(2 essentials for losing fat while retaining muscle) if a person's joints are so inflamed that pain-free lifting has become a foreign concept. Insulin spikes (excluding post-workout) make it easy for the body to store fat. Consuming fat helps to reduce the glycemic impact of meals because of the extra time needed in the digestive system to break down the fat. Lastly, certain fats will actually trigger your body to free up some of the fat already stored within it. On top of this, if your body isn't taking in any fat, and knows that it can fulfill all of its energy needs from the carbs and protein you would be ingesting while on a low-fat diet, it sees no need to unbind these stored fats and burn them for energy.

These are just some reasons for not depriving your body of the vital fats it needs to thrive. Of course, I would be at fault if I didn't point out that not all fats are created equal. For instance, no good can come of consuming trans fat. It can be stored directly as adipose tissue and is incredibly unhealthy for the heart. Saturated fats have gotten a bad name, but actually some are quite healthy. Coconut Oil, for instance, is a saturated fat, but its health benefits are numerous. And by now almost everyone has been convinced of the healthiness of Omega-3 fats. Basically, things are not just black and white. Generalizations about whether fats are good or bad, or about what types of fats are good and bad are being refuted more and more often these days. This just goes to show the complexity of the human body and the way it processes the nutrients we give to it. This article wasn't intended to show the best diet plan or eating routine, etc... It is just meant to show that low-fat diets are dumb and generally are not the healthiest route to take in achieving a great physique or in achieving a healthy-functioning body. Always remember that fat-loss and weight-loss are not the same thing and that the goal of any fat-loss diet and exercise program should be to burn bodyfat, not lose the muscle you've worked hard to gain.

I hope you've enjoyed reading this and perhaps gained a bit of insight. Like I mentioned earlier, much of the science is outside the scope of the article, as is my recommendations for a proper fat-loss diet(that would be a whole series of articles I'm sure). But if you enjoyed this, feel free to drop a comment below about fat-loss or health myths. Also, let me know what you would like me to cover in upcoming articles. Topics could be diet or training related, or even a "WTF?!?!" occurrence that you have witnessed or would like me to rant about. Enjoy the weekend and KICK ASS!