On a gram-by-gram basis, fat has more calories than carbohydrates or protein. Therefore, eliminating fat or cutting down on the amount you eat helps you lose weight. However, if fat is replaced with carbohydrates, as it is in many fat-reduced and fat-free products, the total number of calories in a serving may not be reduced. Consequently, no weight loss occurs.
The following table shows you how reducing fat in a product doesn’t always mean that its calories are reduced, too.
| Food | Portion | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerated whipped topping | 2 tablespoons | 25 |
| Lite refrigerated whipped topping | 2 tablespoons | 25 |
| Canned turkey gravy | 1/4 cup | 30 |
| Canned fat-free turkey gravy | 1/4 cup | 30 |
| Fig bars | 2 | 110 |
| Fat free fig bars | 2 | 100 |
| Canned refried beans | 1/2 cup | 100 |
| Canned fat-free refried beans | 1/2 cup | 100 |
| Peanut butter | 2 tablespoons | 191 |
| Reduced-fat peanut butter | 2 tablespoons | 187 |
| Vanilla frozen yogurt | 1/2 cup | 104 |
| Nonfat vanilla frozen yogurt | 1/2 cup | 100 |
| Homemade caramel topping | 2 tablespoons | 103 |
| Fat-free caramel topping | 2 tablespoons | 103 |
But in some cases, a lower fat content does mean fewer calories, especially when it comes to dairy products. The following table gives a few examples.
| Food | Portion | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Cottage cheese, 4% milk fat | 1/2 cup | 110 |
| Cottage cheese, 1% milk fat | 1/2 cup | 82 |
| Whole milk | 8 ounces | 150 |
| Fat-free milk | 8 ounces | 85 |
| Yogurt, lowfat | 8 ounces | 155 |
| Yogurt, nonfat | 8 ounces | 135 |
| Vanilla ice cream | 1/2 cup | 135 |
| Vanilla ice milk | 1/2 cup | 90 |