Weight Loss vs Fat Loss

When someone says they want to lose weight, we say: “Fine, just don’t eat much, and you’ll lose a lot of weight quickly. But only for a while”.

Yet, that number on the scale will  do down. Off course!!

The reason for this rapid decline in numbers on the scale is that you’re losing both MUSCLE and FAT (so the numbers are going down at least 2 times faster). Since muscle is what burns calories, and fat is only burned in muscle, you’ve a real serious problem, because you’ve just lost a part of the machinery (muscle) you need to burn fat and to consume from the food you eat.

When your body loses enough of this machinery, it will need hardly any calories to maintain the new lowered weight. You will now have to live on extremely low calories if you want to keep this weight off. Eventually, after eating this low calorie diet, you are going to crave every food ever made, even foods you never liked before!! Does this answer the question of why 98% of everyone who loses weight gains it back, plus more??

SURE IT DOES! They have less muscle to burn calories and more cravings. If they add just slightly more food to their “bird seed” diet, they will start gaining the weight back. And guess what?? They only gain the weight back in fat. So now, they are worse off than they were before they started their diet.

The goal when trying to lose “weight” is to keep all of your existing muscle or build even more muscle so that you can burn more fat and eat more food.

Many times the first thing people say when they start the program is – I can’t eat all that food! However, it doesn’t take them long to start enjoying it. You have to fees the muscle to burn the fat. You can’t add more muscle without adding more calories. As you increase lean body mass, you have more working muscles to burn more fat.

Now back to weight loss versus fat loss.
Your only concern should be your body fat going down. The only reason we weigh someone is because we need something to measure the fat loss against and to make sure you are not losing muscle. Muscle puts the proper contours to your body, where fat is usually unsightly.

IT BOILS DOWN TO THIS:

More calories to build more muscle = more working muscle (exercise) to burn more fat

=

Less body fat + a whole new look!

We certainly understand some people do not want to gain muscle and that is fine. However, you certainly don’t want to diet it away or you are forever doomed to consume very little food with the probability (98%) of gaining the weight back.

BOTTOM LINE:

Be concerned with fat loss only!! The scale is strictly a measurement to be combined with your body fat percentage to give you a net figure of fat loss and muscle gain or retention. Never judge your progress by the scale alone.

Feed your muscle to burn more fat – obtain your ideal body by eating!!
Writer: Sevi Andrews, Personal trainer