Hi, What's everyone's opinion on good fats? Things like olive oil, or avocados or fish oil from salmon? My Sister says she thinks it's important to eat them even if you're trying to lose weight, as they're good for your skin and hair and nails, and also they make you feel less deprives, but when I see a salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar on, I'm like 'Noooo! I can't eat that!'...but then I sometimes end up bingeing on rubbishy refined things like packets of biscuits...so am beginning to think that some good fat in moderation might be a good thing. What do people think?

Girls in france where my parents live seem to eat lots of salmon and good fats and they're beautifully slim and have lovely skin.

I eat lots of healthy fats. I take evening primrose oil every day, eat oily fish every day, eat salad with olive or rapeseed oil and eat about 2-3 avocados a week. I sprinkle sunflower seeds or walnuts on salads too. To make up for the calories I eat like this, I don't eat carbs very often (no bread with salads, no pasta etc). It is personal preference though, I'd rather have a salad that tastes nice and not have bread with it, than a manky plain salad (iceberg lettuce, my worst nightmare) with pasta/bread.

I will say though, I am not losing that much weight at the moment so take that how you will! I feel really healthy at the moment, even if I don't feel skinny.

I'm a big believer in getting fat into my daily food plan. I eat nut butters, avocado, olive oil . . . any of those. I also eat full fat cheese a few times a week, and whole eggs. That's not exactly a "healthy" fat, but my cholesterol numbers are great, so I'm not worried.

What I've noticed since incorporating fat so intentionally is that I am MUCH more satisfied after a meal. Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty much always going to be in the mood for chocolate cake , but the cake is easier to resist when I have protein AND fat in my belly.

As far as the amount goes, I loosely aim for 30% of my calories from fat, which works out to about 45-50 grams a day, and it's never impeded my weight loss.

I eat a lot of those abovementioned fats daily but just in moderation. Even though they are good for you, they are still fat so portion control is key.