There’s a common misconception that a low fat diet means no fat. In reality, fat is needed to transport nutrients and other valuable materials through the body. Therefore, it’s good to ingest some fat, but most overweight people wind up taking in double the amount of fat they need.

As a general rule, your total fat intake should not exceed 20% of your daily calories. To break it down, less than 7% should come from saturated fat, 1% or less from trans fat and cholesterol should not be more than 300mg.

Let’s talk a minute about “good fats.” It’s true than low fat diets are important to maintaining a healthy heart and general fitness; however, “good fat” and “good cholesterol” (HDL) can be found in foods like salmon, vegetable oil, nuts, olives and avocados. Good fat is essential in transporting vitamins like A, K, E and D throughout the body, in addition to cushioning the vital organs and providing energy. When cooking, try using extra virgin olive oil.

For salads, add a few tablespoons of flax seed, a handful of walnuts or a salad dressing made of vinegar and olive oil. Try to include more salmon, tuna and mackerel into your diet, either literally or through a fish oil supplement, which is packed with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

“Bad fats” are trans fats: margarines, shortening, deep fried chips, fast food, baked goods, hydrogenated vegetable oil. The reason they have such a bad wrap is that they’re known for lowering HDL cholesterol, which is the kind your body needs to function, as well as increasing triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, which is the bad cholesterol that leads to heart disease and diabetes.

Saturated fats found in whole milk, butter, cheese, ice cream, red meat, coconuts and chocolate should also be limited for the same reasons. Fat from these sources should be 16 grams or less for a 2,000 calorie diet. For those looking to actually lose weight, the saturated fats should be less than 12 grams.

A low fat diet doesn’t have to taste gross. Think of your new diet as a “detox” program for the heart and body. Like with alcoholism or drug abuse, you’ll experience some initial discomfort as you attempt to wean yourself off the sugar, the salt, the cholesterol and the calories your body was so accustomed to getting.

With such an abundance of junk food and “convenience” foods on the market, it’s understandable how many Americans can fall into this trap. However, you’ve made the right decision to control your eating before it kills you!

Many people turn to low carb diets in an attempt to lose fat fast. It is true that this type of diet can make it possible for you to start seeing a decline in the fat on your body rather quickly. You can lose weight in a short amount of time. Talk to your primary care physician before starting any new diet method including a diet of low carbohydrates.

Do not forget that carbohydrates are a necessary part of your diet. You should not eliminate carbohydrates from your diet for too long. It is better to cut down on “bad” carbohydrates and those with little nutritional value. If you want to lose fat fast, you can always look for natural products that will help you to lose fat quickly and with few health risks.

A low carb diet is a type of diet in which you are to drastically reduce your intake of carbohydrates. This means you will not be eating foods with sugar. You also will not be eating too much pasta or bread products. Your body is designed to burn off carbohydrates first and then fats. If you reduce the number of carbohydrates you consume, your body can then start to burn off fat. This is one of the reasons you can start to lose fat so quickly with this type of diet.

You should also know that a lot of pounds that you drop in the early stages of a low carb diet will be from water weight. It is important to realize that if you revert back to a diet high in sugars and fat, you will gain that weight back very quickly.

A low carb diet can be used as a way to start losing some fat and weight fast. After you start to lose weight, you should then convert to healthy eating habits with a good balance of healthy carbohydrates, fats and proteins. If you need help planning eating habits that will help you continue to lose weight and then to maintain a healthy weight (and to keep your body “low fat”), you can ask your doctor to refer you to a nutritionist.

I’ve seen the Fat Loss 4 Idiots advertisements and banners for a couple years but was always very skeptical because of their claim to lose 7 pounds every 11 days. I know from being in the fitness world for 25 years that it just isn’t possible and that is just overblown marketing and sales hype. I still had to know what it was all about though because it is a best selling system with thousands of great reviews.

Why So Popular

I bought the system just for the sake of doing a Fat Loss 4 Idiots review. I took an hour to read the book and try the diet generator. I loved the cartoon book style and pictures which makes it very entertaining and a quick and easy read. The rules for dieting are laid out for anyone to understand and follow. To top it off it comes with a meal plan generator where you simply check off the foods you love and it creates an 11 day meal plan. What do you do after 11 days You eat whatever you want for 3 days and then start the cycle all over again. It’s a great system for beginners that don’t have much time and need something really simple that is proven to work. It’s not the right system for athletes or bodybuilders though because with the intensive exercise the macronutrient ratios would not be optimal for maintaining muscle mass. It is great for busy moms and dads because the exercise it requires is just a couple short walks a day which anyone can do.

Does it Work

It actually does if you follow it. Just about any diet will work for a period of time if you just follow it. I had a friend try it for 11 days and she actually lost 7 pounds. That first 11 days will result in some water weight loss from cleaning up your diet so the claim of losing 7 pounds is true but it is impossible to continue at this pace for more than a few weeks so expect it to slow down after a month. Fat Loss 4 Idiots is guaranteed to work so you have nothing to lose but lots of fat!