Losing Weight Vs Losing Fat: The Difference Most people claim that they want to lose weight. Yet is weight loss precisely what you mean? I...
Losing Weight Vs Losing Fat: The Difference
Most people claim that they want to lose weight. Yet is weight loss precisely what you mean? In fact, the majority wish to get rid of their fat, not weight.
What is the difference between losing weight vs losing fat?
Weight loss is a decrease in your overall body weight. This weight includes muscle, fat, and water in your body. That’s what your regular scales show you: you’ve simply lost some pounds. Fat loss usually designates a reduction in body fat. This might look like an unnecessary specification, but it is indispensable for understanding the failures and successes people face on their journey to slimmer and fitter body.
In so far as your weight consists of muscle, fat, and water, you can see your pounds disappear due to the shrinking of one of these elements. The point is: losing water weight is mostly useless, losing muscle weight is harmful. Only through shedding fat you can unlock the «beach body» achievement. You need to add lean muscle tissue and reduce the amount of body fat to achieve the defined, fit, toned look that you may be seeking.
Muscle Loss
One kg of muscle weighs exactly like one kg of fat. Yet they look entirely different. One kg of muscle is harder and denser than a kg of body fat. If you gain 6 kg of muscle and drop six kg of body fat, your scale weight will be absolutely the same. But you’ll definitely be dumbfounded by how much your body changed.
Muscle loss often happens if you focus solely on calorie decrease. Of course, reducing your calorie intake is a basic requirement for weight loss, but it shouldn’t be your only goal, or you risk losing your muscle mass.
If you’re fixing your attention on your diet or upping your cardio in order to burn fat, that focus probably comes at the expense of strength training. It this case, you’re most likely to lose tissue weight. That’s because calorie restriction often implies macronutrient restriction. Without enough protein in your diet, your body can’t rebuild the tissue even if you are strength training.
Also, the amount of muscles directly impacts your metabolism. Less muscle causes lower BMR which means a lower calorie burn throughout your day.
Muscle tissue also regulates your insulin sensitivity, which is a biological process that determines how well your body absorbs nutrients. If you lose muscle tissue due to incorrect dieting, the nutrients you eat are less likely to be partitioned to your muscle cells and more likely to be turned into fat cells
Water Loss
One of the fastest ways to lose weight in the short-term is to cut carbs—that’s because carbohydrates retain three times as much water as any other type of macronutrient (6). When you cut back on carbs, your body isn’t retaining as much water. However, in a few weeks your muscles will adapt to dehydration, and start shrinking.
The problem arrives when you drop below 50 to 75 grams of carbs on a consistent basis. You still need to eat some carbs—at least 5 grams per pound of your body weight for a low-carb diet or up to 1.5 grams per pound for a more balanced calorie-restricted diet. It will allow fat loss without loss of the intramuscular water.
Signs You’re Losing Water Or Muscles Instead Of Fat
You’re Losing Too Much Weight Too Fast
If you’ve lost five kg after just a week of an intense new diet and exercise plan, most of that is from water. It is usually recommended to cut about 500 calories per day to lose fat at a sustainable rate, which is about one or two pounds per week. Unless you are very overweight, you don’t have that much fat to lose.
Even if you don’t slash your carbs, cutting calories overall still forces your body to use stored glycogen for energy, and you release water while using it. That’s why many of us see significant changes on the scale those first few weeks of trying to lose weight.
You’re Not Using Your Muscles
Not using your muscles can cause them to disappear, so ensure you’ve incorporated strength training into your routine. Resistance exercises and high-intensity cardio are amazing for building muscle and cutting fat. You can opt for multi-joint compound exercises, such as squats, deadlift, bench press, pull-ups, and any high-intensity cardio.
Your Clothes Don’t Fit Any Better
Regardless of the story your scale tells, your clothes will always tell the truth about your weight loss. If you’re only losing water, you probably won’t notice much of a difference in how your clothes fit. On the contrary, if you’re losing fat and inches around your waist, for instance, your clothes will feel looser and you’ll know you’re losing body fat.
How To Measure Fat Loss
Your regular scales can tell you only a small part of the truth happening in your body, and can mislead you in some cases.
Here’s how you can rest assured that you’re definitely losing fat.
Take Your Measurements
Measuring your body helps you figure out if you are actually losing fat. Knowing that might motivate you to soldier on despite your slow progress or the stagnant number on the scale.
All it takes is buying a cheap tape measure at your local store. Make sure your measurements are taken under the same conditions each time. It is important not to take measurements every single day – you need to track your long-term progress.
Take a circumference measurement at each of these spots and write it down:
Neck.
Shoulders (both arms down at your side, at the widest point from shoulder to shoulder).
Chest Lift up your arms, wrap the tape measure around your chest, just above the nipple, and then lower your arms.
Bicep (either left or right, but stay consistent).
Waist (at the belly button for consistency).
Hips (measure the widest part of your hips).
Thigh (left or right, but pick the same spot on your thigh each week).
Set Performance Goals
Instead of worrying about whether you’re losing fat, focus on completing a certain number of workouts each week. See how many pull-ups you can do or how many days in a row you are able to exercise. These are noticeable, achievable goals that will give you much more satisfaction than hopping on the scale every hour will ever be able to.
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