Weight loss vs Fat loss

Weight loss – It’s the top reasons people join gyms, start dieting, or get into some other type of fitness program. For being such a big issue there is much confusion about exactly how to get to the desired goal of a body that you are happy with, one that looks great and performs great.

Lets start at square one. What is “weight”? Basically, it is the amount of gravitational pull on an object measured by grams, kilograms, pounds or some other unit. In terms of your body, weight is the cumulative total of bones, organs, tissue, blood, teeth, fluids etc.

So I ask again…Should you be trying to lose weight?
Many people have tried restrictive calorie diets, low carb/no carb diets and the like. They are filled with excitement when they step onto the scale after a week or a month on the diet to see that the scale has moved down a few notches. You lost weight, but what was really lost?  Most likely these dieters are losing water, fat, and muscle. What they don’t know is that in losing muscle they have inadvertently slowed their metabolism, as muscle is the most metabolically active tissue in the body. Think of it as the place where calories are burned. Any time you move, you are burning calories…blinking, breathing, driving, and yes, reading this article.

This means that your body’s ability to burn calories has been compromised, and the chances of gaining your lost weight back are almost certain.  What I am suggesting is that you change your focus from weight loss to fat loss. In other words, you have to consider body composition.

I’m suggesting that you give the scale a rest, and use the mirror, your energy level, and how you fit into your clothes as a gauge of progress.  The scale makes no distinction. So if you lose 2 pounds of water weight, 2 pounds of fat and 2 pounds of muscle the scale show that you’re down 6 pounds.  Now the dieter is under the false illusion that you are headed in the right direction, that the diet is “working.”

Quick weight loss is going to result in residual weight gain nearly 100% of the time, meaning you’ll gain it back and then some.  Take a look in the mirror can you see tone and definition? That is a good indicator that fat has been lost and muscle is developing. How do your clothes fit? That’s another good judge. Look, the scale is really stupid, it has no clue whether there is a lean person, an overweight person, tall or short, muscular or not.

I trained a woman who gained 12 pounds of muscle and lost 8 pounds of fat within a couple of months.  Each of her measurements went down (waist, hips, thighs, arms, etc.), but the scale told her she gained 4 pounds.  Can you see the problem?

Stop giving the scale so much power over how you feel about your self. Better yet, go out to your tool shed, get a sledgehammer, and destroy that thing once and for all (kidding).

All jokes aside, the scale is only a piece of the picture.  You must consider body composition (muscle mass, body fat) to accurately determine your progress. Each client I work with receives regular body composition assessment.  Using that information, we are able to accurately determine progress and what changes the client may or may not need to make.

My challenge to you is to think unconventional.  Conventional thinking says “eat less to weigh less.”  Think “fat loss” instead of “weight loss”.  Think “eat to support metabolism, burn fat without starving”.