Weight Loss Series: Entry IV; Weight Loss vs Fat Loss
Today let's discuss the difference between weight loss and fat loss. As similar as these may sound, they are both very exclusive in their own right. Today's school of thought is that if you eat less and exercise more, you will lose the desired weight. There are many problems with this approach. Not only does this harm your body in the long run, it has been statistically shown that most people who partake in such diets have a much harder time keeping the weight off for the long term.
Weight Loss
General weight loss is a very broad term and is associated in the total number you see on the scale. As mentioned above, when someone wants to lose weight, the first thing that is normally mentioned is the eat less do more mentality. We see this through diets that require crazy calorie deficits (eat 500-1000 calories per day while performing heavy exercise and cardiovascular activity). You will absolutely see the scale move and technically achieve "weight loss" but you will most likely not get the desired results you have been looking for.
Destroys natural metabolism. Nine times out of ten, you want to see the scale move, but more importantly, you want to see the changes in the mirror. What happens when you don't eat enough food to support your activity level? First, it destroys your metabolism. Your metabolism is responsible for how efficiently you burn calories, hunger, and ultimately, healthy fat loss. If you go without eating, you body becomes catabolic, which means your body will use your muscle mass for an energy source since there is not enough present calories or macro-nutrients to derive it from.
Soft body? Next, the desired look of weight loss is a tight and firm body. When you take the previous approach and eat away at your muscle mass, you will lose weight but your body will become soft and you may not see any real change in shape. This is discouraging for many people because you feel like you have been working hard on your "diet" and haven't gained the results you wanted. The then try to implement more resistance training exercises but keep the eating the same. Once you figure out that it is very difficult to maintain muscle mass with extreme calorie deficits, you are forced to eat more food again. You never developed healthy eating habits and patterns so you gain the weight back and still never get the desired look that you first sought after. This is the yo-yo effect that is so common to today's world. DON'T FALL INTO THE TRAP! Weight loss and fat loss are not equal! Learn how to get your desired body without the trial and error!
Fat Loss
Chances are, this is the desired result that you want for you weight loss. You want to lose the excess weight while toning and firming your body. You want to build lean muscle mass and increase energy levels. You want a long term solution for weight loss. You will accomplish all of these because you developed the healthy habits you needed in the beginning and truly understand what it takes for long term weight loss.
Fat loss is more of a hormonal and metabolic thing. You need to eat to support your activity level. By having a sound diet and resistance training program, you will maximize all your weight loss efforts. When you build lean muscle, your metabolism increases and assists in burning off the extra fat pounds your body has been storing. The acronym here to remember is HEC. A healthy metabolism keeps your HEC in check. The acronym means: hunger, energy, and cravings. When you eat properly, your hunger should be decreased, energy levels should be stable, and cravings should be reduced to minimal.
Exercise and energy! Naturally as your metabolism increases or your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), so will your energy levels. You will naturally feel more ready to do your every day tasks without the mid afternoon crash. A great tip for boosting your metabolism is to exercise early in the day and drink lots of water. By exercising earlier, your heart rate and surface temperature elevates and puts your metabolism to work, increasing your natural "burning" potential for the day. In simple terms, your body will burn more calories during the day just doing what you normally do! The hydration portion is just as important because when you promote the fat loss, the get the solid and toned feel you desire, it is necessary to not carry too much water weight. By consuming the appropriate amount of water, you allow you body to "release" excess water weight while keeping the right balance in your body. This also boosts your metabolism.
Long Term Solution
At the end of the day, the one fact that still remains true is that you will need to consume less than you burn. To not take this to extreme, you should try to not have a calorie deficit of more than 500 calories on a daily basis. At a 500 calorie deficit, you should lose at least a pound per week, not counting water weight and the excess fat loss as you build more lean muscle. The best way to figure out your caloric needs is to download a calorie counting app. I recommend MyFitnessPal because it is very user friendly and straight forward with a massive food database. This will give you a rough idea of where you need to stay calorie wise on a daily basis, then you can plan your diet accordingly. Refer back to entry 1 and 2 when it comes to this aspect of your dieting plan.
Take-away:
- Weight loss and fat loss are two different things
- Don't buy into the eat less do more approach
- This will eat muscle and give you a soft body
- Develop healthy habits
- Support your activity levels with your dieting
- Your metabolism is everything
- Build lean muscle to burn more fat
- Exercise early and drink water
- Healthy calorie deficit = 500cal per day
Let me coach and train you to reach your goals!
Enjoy your own real life NEWave Training personal trainer and health coach to help you reach for your goals!
We are fitness made affordable. Join today and save 20% using code "NEW20OFF"
Ready to take your results to the next level? Receive a FREE 30 Day Weight Loss Transformation program now! No obligations, just results!
@NEWAVETRAINING INSTAGRAM FEED:
