Rewind to 9 years ago when I was competing in my first bodybuilding show and I can recall exactly how I felt....to put it nicely, not good!  I had literally starved myself for 16 weeks with very little dietary fat and low calories.  I was only 22 years old at the time, but I felt like I was an 80 year old man, despite how ripped and lean I looked on the outside.  Which brought me to my next big breakthrough....

You need fat and an ample amount of it in your diet.  I know you have probably heard all the low fat gurus out there, proclaiming the calorie cost of a gram of fat (9) and so on and so on.  But consider that as soon as the boom of 'low-fat' hit our nation, we became fatter than ever.  So without getting into all the reasons why that is, let me tell you why you need fat in your diet.

Reason number one: Fat and cholesterol are the precursor to all sex-hormones in the human body.  Without a good amount of good saturated fat, your hormonal profile will pay the price.  It is a long standing myth that saturated fat is bad for you.  Saturated fat from the right sources would include grass fed beef, cage free eggs, wild caught salmon, grass fed butter, coconut oil and nut butters.  And an optimal hormonal profile equals better body compositon and better health (immune system, libido, etc.)

Reason number two:  Fat is critical for healthy joints and one of the major complaints as people age is that their joints start to hurt more and more.  Fats contribute directly to the production of synovial fluid (our body's WD-40 for the joints).  And if you have health joints, you can train harder and recover better, which again, will equal faster and better results.

Reason number three:  Fats help to slow the release of insulin and they are very satiating.  I know I said I wouldn't get into why people are fatter now, but higher insulin levels are one of those reasons.  Fat doesn't cause nearly the same spike in insulin that carbs do and if eaten with a carb, will slow the release of the insulin response.

It is time to turn the corner and get back to eating optimally, which means having plenty of protein and healthy, saturated fats in your diet, with carbs placed at the right times.  Put it to use!