What is the difference between ‘fat’ and ‘fattening’? What do ‘fattening’ and ‘fat’ mean?
Learn how they’re different here and how to use them. Check it out!
A lot of my students have had problems with the words “fat” and “fattening.”
So today, I’m going to try to clear this up for you.
I think we all know what “fat” means in the context of a person, such as a person who is overweight or obese.
However, “fat” has another meaning. Fat is also something that is in our food.
For example, meat usually has a lot of fat. Cooking oil has fat. Fat is high in calories.
Now, the word “fattening” means something that makes you fat or something that makes you gain weight.
Usually this is some type of food. So, the mistake that a lot of students make is they say “fat” when they should say “fattening.”
Let me give you some examples.
“I can’t eat any hamburgers, because they are fattening and I am on a diet.”
“Potato chips are too fattening.”
“The doctor said I shouldn’t eat any fattening foods.”
Okay, so remember, “fattening” means that it will usually make you fat or make you gain weight.
It does not necessarily mean that the food has fat in it – maybe, maybe not.
There are many foods that have a lot of calories or a lot of sugar and they are fattening but
they don’t necessarily have fat in them.
Now I want to give you some examples using the word, “fat.”
“Pizza is very high in fat.”
“Because I’m on a diet, I want to avoid fat.”
“Wow, these chocolates have a lot of fat in them.”
I hope it was useful and that it will help you understand the difference between “fat” and “fattening”.
So that you can use these words properly.
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