Many understand the concept that by consuming too much fat it will end up being stored on our body. The science underlying this concept and the natural benefits of a low-calorie diet is less well understood. To be successful in a weight loss program we need to understand the role fat plays in our diet and why it does indeed make us fat.

The energy obtainable from a particular food is dependant on the percentages of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins that make up that food. Energy is quantified in a measure called a calorie. This has been defined with reference to the energy required to heat one litre of water 1 degree centigrade when at sea level.

This is of course not a lot of use when trying to lose weight. In weight loss or exercise a calorie is a measure of energy expenditure and is more correctly a kilo-calorie (one thousand calories) and is calculated initially in a laboratory setting.

A guideline would be that a pound of fat (0.454 kg) stores 3500 calories of energy. To lose a pound a week on a low-calorie diet someone would have to reduce calorie consumption by approx. 500 calories per day (The maths behind this is the 500 calorie reduction is 3500 per week and that is equivalent to 1 lb of ugly fat).

The good news is that many foods purchased in the supermarket are well marked with the number of calories which can be used to make some estimates. How many calories that we use depends on a number of factors such as how active we are and how much muscle we have on our frame.

Women require a lower calorie intake than do men, mainly because of their lower muscle proportion. If they are sitting around they may use 1700 calories per day, an active man may use 2900 calories or higher with hard physical work. Normal walking could use around 100 calories per mile for a 150 pound (70kg) person. We would need to walk 5 miles every day to achieve a 500 calorie deficit if we did not move to a low-calorie diet.

The number of calories in our food depends on the relative percentages of fat, carbohydrates, and protein. A snack that has a high proportion of fat may have two times as many calories as a snack that consists of protein and carbohydrates. This is because fat has 9 calories per gram whereas protein and carbohydrate only have 4 calories per gram. The dairy food groups such as milk, cheese, and butter typically have a higher fat content and it is best to shop for a low fat alternative if you are looking for a low-calorie diet.

Investigations have often concluded that lean and and heavy men have a similar calorific intake. How-ever the obese men ate a higher proportion of fatty food which is more easily stored as fat than other food groups. Carbohydrates and protein require more calories to convert them to fat. Studies show they can consume as much as 25% of the calories in the food during this process.

If the proportion of fat in a diet is lowered, even with no reduction in total in the actual calories eaten, this can result in some weight loss. In spite of all the reduced fat choices that we have to eat, we still eat more fat than we need. It is found in a lot of those nice little additions we put on our food for taste such as dressing and sauces, and of course in a lot of those little treats such as deserts, cakes, and biscuits.

If a low-calorie diet is the aim reducing or eradicating these will be of great benefit. Reducing fat will give a good result even with a similar calorific intake. Remember that fat has just over twice the number of calories as the other food groups and is a very good area to target in a weight loss program.

In any weight loss program it is best to not be in a rush so that the body can adapt to the changes and a boom and bust cycle of dieting and weight gain is avoided. Find some new low calorie foods to use on a low-calorie diet that you can really enjoy and which can be used to replace the high fat snacks. We all find it can be a little tricky to drop that treat we save up for ourselves, but we need to if we are to have a long and healthy life.

For lots of other information on weight loss and building abs check out the articles on:-

http://www.lose-belly-now.com/low-calorie-diet.php