Three things are important to know about fat:

	Fat provides a lot of calories, twice the calories (9 per gram) of either carbohydrate or protein, which is bad news for a person trying to lose weight.
	Fat calories are more easily converted to body fat than calories from other sources. Therefore, keeping fat intake under control can be enough to help you reduce your weight.
	The amount of fat you eat is associated with the risk of developing several serious diseases, so reducing fat intake can help with both weight and general health.

Xenical prevents 30% of the fat you eat from being absorbed in the body. The way Xenical works also reminds you if you have eaten too much fat. If you eat foods that are high in fat, your body does not absorb all of it and it passes through the intestine in the normal way. As a result, in the short-term you may notice changes in your bowel habit. Some of these you will have experienced before e.g. going to the toilet more often or a change in colour of the stools (more orange). Some you may have not experienced before e.g. passing oil. These are all an expected result of eating too much fat and should remind you to reduce the amount of fat you eat when taking Xenical. By changing your eating habits you can minimise or prevent these effects.

Sources of Fat
We generally don't realise how much fat we eat. About 60% of the fat we eat cannot be seen (hidden fat). Watch out for hidden fat in meat, sausages, cheese, nuts, and sweet breads. The visible fat is easier to track; for instance butter, margarine, and oils. When you're determining the amount of fat in your food, it's important to account for both visible and hidden fat.

How much Fat should I eat?
There are many tips available for lowering the amount of fat we eat every day. Most dietetic organisations recommend a daily fat intake of no more than 30% of calories coming from fat.

If you do not know how many calories you should eat per day, and if you want to lose weight, a target calorie level if you are a woman could be 1500 calories per day, and 1800 calories per day if you are a man. Click here to try the Calories a Day Calculator.

What foods should I avoid?
These foods contain a lot of fat. Try to minimise the use of them, and be conscious of the portion size.

	oils, butter, margarine
	fried foods, like french fries
	fatty cuts of salamis, sausages, bacon, poultry skin
	mayonnaise, oil-based salad dressings
	nuts and peanut butter
	chips, corn chips
	croissants, puff pastry, danish pastries
	take-away meals, pizza, fast food, hot chips
	cream sauces
	cream cheese and cheese spreads

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