It has become the absolution cliche to say that one is dieting or is on a diet. And what most people mean when they say that they are dieting is that they are reducing body fat or are avoiding any fat intake into their bodies. Losing and avoiding fats has become the 'in thing' in today's society. Fat has therefore gained the reputation of an evil monster that must be avoided at all costs.

Such a negative connotation of body fat is misplaced and actually wrong. Cutting fat intake so as to loose weight is only advisable when the body has extra fats that are in unhealthy levels. Not all body fat should be eliminated. Sometimes fat, especially for a body builder, is crucial and very essential.

A recent research in Penn State University established that the fastest way to loose weight is not by avoiding fat but by eating less fat than that which is needed by the body as calories. This research provides two essential truths about body fats.

First, body fat is good in the body because it's the very raw material whose combustion yields the fuel to drive bodily activities and processes. Body builders extinguish a lot of calories during workouts some of which can not be metabolically produced without the combustion of fats. Lac of fats when the energy demands are placed in the body by working muscles may cause the body to turn carnivorous. The body may actually digest the proteins and muscle tissues in the body just to turn them into energy. If this happens, body building workouts become negatively impacting rather than positively contributing to muscle mass accumulation.

Secondly, the study shows that if the body is commissioned to undertake rigorous workouts such that the energy expended exceeds the calories provided, the accumulated body fats are burnt to fill the gap. That is why fat eating but exercising dieters loose weight faster than those non-fat eaters who don't accompany their strict diets with exercise. Exercises are the route to weight loss, not abstinence from fats. Eating non-concentrated fats is not a crime, the crime is accumulating them in the body through inactivity. In our ordinary world, fats make food to be more satisfying. A meal is more tasty and fulfilling if it has a considerable amount of fats. Small and frequent meals are made more appetizing and satisfying if they contain a regulated amount of fat, meaning that the body builder maintains a regular source of nutrients. Loss of appetite usually occurs after a few boiled, steamed or baked foods. This can endanger the life and success of an active body builder.

Finally, such natural sources of unsaturated fats like nuts, salads, yogurt, vegetables, olive oil among others, carry with them additional nutrients very essential to a body builder. In fact studies have proved that such natural fats as vegetable and olive oils help to lower cholesterol levels in the body. Most monounsaturated fats like avocados, nut butters and canola oils are packed with dynamic advantages when incorporated in a body builder's diet. It's a sin borne out of ignorance and misinformation that fats are a danger to a body building or weight loss program. Sometimes however, fats are friends of a serious body builder and if controlled and maintained at optimal points, they can amplify the gains of a body building program.