But I eat "Fat Free"

We have all walked the aisles at the grocery store and seen the big labels screaming "FAT FREE" or "LOW FAT" next to our favorite products. Instantly we think to ourselves..."Great, I can have what I like without the guilt". Or is that really what you are getting?

The reason that many of your favorite foods can claim to be Fat-Free, is because in order to cut out the fat, they have added various chemicals, additives, and preservatives. So although your body may not be taking in the additional fat that you are worried about, it is taking in chemicals that are not easily digested like real foods are.

Also along with adding these additional chemicals, many times the products also have increased amounts of sugars added to the product to achieve the same enjoyable taste without the fat. The downside to this, is the body then needs to work harder to burn off the additional sugars it is taking in. So really the fat you are saving isn't as beneficial as it really seems.

Plus on top of the various chemicals you are putting into your body, studies have shown that our brain processes the consumption of these "Fat-Free" products differently and in turn allows us to easily over eat when we are eating what we feel is a 'healthier' option. We feel that because it is fat-free that we can splurge a little bit more, so we usually still consume the same amount of calories if we would have eaten the more natural, whole fat product in the first place. The worst part of this...is even when we do eat these products we feel that we haven't truly satisfied our cravings and feel guilty or eat additional servings to reach that satisfaction we wanted.

Something we also need to remember, our bodies need fat! I know that is not what people want to hear when they are trying to lose weight, but it is the truth! We need to have enough calories and fat to maintain our bodies needs in order to lose weight. If our body does not get what it needs to survive...it will shut down! The down side to this? No matter how hard you are working out, you will not be losing the weight you should be. Nor will you be building the muscle you need to keep your metabolism up and motivated all day long.

So what should you do? You should opt for the more whole product with the fat, and eat it according to the serving size. This way you can get the satisfaction you wanted, plus taken in a whole product that your body can easily digest and burn. If you are going to splurge, then do it right! Make it worth the calories, and set your body up to easily work it off!