Before we can begin, we need to grasp an understanding of the problem.  Two out of three Americans are overweight.  The primary cause is that we eat more and exercise less.  There is no doubt that the more advances we make that enhance our lifestyle the heavier we become. Wait a minute!  What about all those low-fat foods that we eat now?  How come I reduced fat in my diet but I’m still gaining weight?

It is a simple answer.  A few years ago we all became aware of the detrimental effects of fat in our diet.  What did we do?  We began to concentrate on lowering cholesterol and taking fat out of our diets.  This is a good thing.  However, The National Center for Health Statistics studied eating habits of 8,260 adult American between 1988 and 1991.  Their research showed that Americans had significantly reduced their fat intake but still packed on the pounds.

How can this happen?  There is no mystery.  In the process of counting fat grams, we stopped counting calories!  Many of us bought in to the theory that if it is low fat it will not make us fat.  Wrong.

You can not forget about counting calories.  If you eat more calories than you need the body will store them as fat.  It doesn’t matter whether the calories are from fat or carbohydrates.  One school of thought believes that eating small amounts of fat can actually keep you from over indulging on total calories.  The theory is that dietary fat causes our bodies to produce a hormone that tells the intestines to slow down the emptying process.  You feel full and therefore are less likely to overeat.  Adding a little peanut butter to your rice cake may satisfy your hunger for a longer period of time, thus preventing you from eating more than you need.

Here is more news that is surprising.  Tufts University scientists put 11 middle aged men and women volunteers on a variety of average, reduced and low- at diets.  The results?  Extremely low fat diets which provided only 15 percent fat from calories (this is a diet near impossible in real life) did have a positive effect on blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

However, a reduced fat diet (much more realistic) only affected those levels if accompanied by weight loss.  In fact, they concluded, cutting fat without losing weight actually increased triglyceride levels and decreased high density lipoproteins (HDLs), the good cholesterol that helps protect against heart disease. We can deduce, therefore, while excess fat is not healthy, fat is also not necessarily a bad thing.  Without some fat in our diet, the body will not make nerve cells and hormones or absorb some of the fat soluble vitamins.

Okay, so how can you determine your ideal weight?  Just how much fat and how many calories should you consume to reach and maintain a healthy weight?  One answer will not work for everybody.  So you need to do some figuring to determine how much fat and how many calories you can have. 

First, you need to determine your ideal weight.  Here is a simple method to determine what that weight should be:

For Women:-The ideal weight for a woman who is exactly 5 feet tall is 100 pounds.  For every additional inch above 5 feet, add five pounds.  If you are shorter than 5 feet tall, subtract five pounds for every inch you measure below 5 feet.

Next, determine whether you have a small, medium or large frame.  Using a measuring tape, measure your wrist.  If your wrist measures exactly 6 inches, you have a medium frame and the weight number you calculated above, does not need to be adjusted.  If your wrist measures less than 6 inches, subtract 10 percent from your ideal weight.  If your wrist measures more than 6 inches, add 10 percent to your ideal weight.

For Men:-The ideal weight for a man who is exactly 5 feet tall is 106 pounds.  For every additional inch above 5 feet, add 6 pounds.  To determine whether you have a small, medium or large frame, measure your wrist.  If your wrist measures exactly 7 inches, you have a medium frame and you do not need to adjust your ideal weight.  If your wrist is smaller than 7 inches, you have a small frame and should subtract 10 percent from your ideal weight.  If your wrist is larger than 7 inches, you have a small frame and should add 10 percent to your ideal weight.

Okay, now that you know what your ideal body weight should be, let’s take a look at how many calories your body needs each day.  Before we do this however, you need to take into account your level of activity.

*If you are totally inactive and usually get no exercise, multiply your adjusted ideal weight by 11.  *If you get regular exercise two or three times a week, multiply your adjusted ideal weight by 13.  *If you get regular exercise four to five times a week, multiple your adjusted ideal weight by 15.  *And finally, if you get regular exercise six to seven times a week, multiply your adjusted ideal weight by 18.

Now that you know your ideal weight and how many calories you need each day you can easily figure out how much fat you can eat.  Most nutritionists recommend that you limit daily intake of fat to 30 percent of your total calories.  However, if you want to lose weight or have a history of heart disease or cancer, limit your daily fat intake to 20 percent of your total calories.