Why Fat Is Not the Enemy

If you are starting your fitness journey, you have probably heard this:

“If I want to lose fat, I should stop eating fat.”

It sounds logical.
It is also wrong.

Healthy fats are essential for your energy, hormones, recovery, and long term success. Removing them often makes progress harder, not easier.

Let’s break it down.

1. What Fat Does in Your Body

Fat is not just something your body stores. It is a vital nutrient that supports many systems.

Healthy fats help your body:

• Regulate hormones
• Support brain and nervous system function
• Protect organs
• Maintain healthy cells
• Support skin and joints
• Provide steady energy

Without enough healthy fats, your body can't keep hormones, energy and recovery in check; especially during training and stress.

2. How Fat Helps You Feel Full

One of the biggest challenges for beginners is constant hunger.

Healthy fats slow digestion, which means food stays in your stomach longer and enters your bloodstream more gradually.

This helps:

• Increase fullness
• Reduce cravings
• Prevent energy crashes
• Support appetite control

Fat also works with protein to regulate hunger hormones, making meals more satisfying and easier to stick with. This is why balanced meals beat restrictive diets.

3. Fat and Vitamin Absorption

Some of your most important vitamins are fat soluble. They require fat to be absorbed.

These include:

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin K

These vitamins support vision, immunity, bone health, and recovery. They are stored in body fat and the liver so your body can use them over time. Without enough dietary fat, absorption and storage are reduced, even if your diet looks “healthy.”

4. Fat, Hormones, and Fat Loss

Fat plays a major role in hormone production and metabolism.

Your body uses fat to help produce key hormones that regulate energy, mood, recovery, and fat loss.

When fat intake is too low, this can lead to:

• Low energy
• Increased cravings
• Poor sleep
• Mood changes
• Training plateaus

For fat loss, what matters most is overall energy balance, not eliminating fat. Healthy fats support fat loss by helping you stay full, consistent, and hormonally balanced.

5. Choosing and Using Healthy Fats

Not all fats are the same.

Focus on whole food sources such as:

• Avocados
• Nuts and seeds
• Olive oil
• Fatty fish
• Egg yolks

Limit heavily processed and fried foods.

A simple guide:

• Women: About one thumb sized portion per meal
• Men: About two thumb sized portions per meal

This usually equals about 20 to 35 percent of daily calories, which fits within healthy guidelines for most people.

The Bottom Line

Healthy fats help you:

• Feel satisfied after meals
• Absorb essential vitamins
• Balance hormones
• Support energy and recovery
• Stay consistent with your goals

This is just one piece of the foundation. If you’d like support building strength, confidence, and sustainable habits, I invite you to book a free movement assessment so we can explore the right programming options for you.