Another way to count calories part five – what is fat and how much is one block.

Fat is the last of the three macronutrients that our bodies need daily. Fat is important to give your body long-lasting energy. Think about fat like a burning candle, the flame is small but lasts for several hours. There are two normal types of fat. Saturated fat which is from most animal products like meat, cheese, and butter. Unsaturated fat is found in nuts and seeds, as well as avocado and fish. Eating fats is essential for keeping our meals balanced which keeps our metabolism in homeostasis. These different fats are linked to regulating hormones involved with body composition and hunger, as well as cholesterol levels especially related to immune system strength. Like with proteins and carbohydrates, its always better to avoid versions of fat that are processed, like vegetable oils. Eating foods that naturally contain or produce fat is always a healthier choice. For the most part we want to eat fat in a balanced portion compared to our carbs and protein.

We can determine how much fat to eat per day after our protein amount has been established using the Zone calculations. This amount is measured in “blocks.” We should not alter overall protein much because protein is directly related to recovering muscles. We can, however, play with carbohydrates and fat because both carbohydrates and fat are directly related to energy expenditure. Fat is the preferred fuel for longer more endurance-like workouts.  

In every block of food there is 3 grams of fat. Since many proteins also contain fat, we must measure it in two different scenarios. If you are eating a lean meat like chicken, turkey, or fish, you will need to add 3 grams of fat per block to your meal. If you are eating a fatty meat like pork or beef, you will only add 1.5 grams of fat per block to your meal. Try looking at some nutrition labels and see how many blocks of fat you are eating per day. There is a new variation of the “Block Prescription Based on Sex and Body Type” chart at the bottom of this post showing how many grams of fat you should be eating daily based on sex and body type. 

Small female: 30g fat per day (10 blocks of fat)
Medium female: 33g pr fat per day (11 blocks of fat)
Large female: 39g fat per day (13 blocks of fat)
Athletic, well muscled female: 42g fat per day (14 blocks of fat)
Small male: 48g fat per day (16 blocks of fat)
Medium male: 51g fat per day (17 blocks of fat)
Large male: 57g fat per day (19 blocks of fat)
X-Large male: 60g fat per day (20 blocks of fat)
Large hard gainer: 63g fat per day (21 blocks of fat)
Athletic, well muscled male: 75g fat per day (25 blocks of fat)

Sources:
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/types-of-fat/
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/6/6/e010401

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