Weight Loss and Fat Loss

The million dollar industry of weight loss has people trying all different methods to lose weight but many do not realize their is a difference between weight loss and fat loss. Knowing the difference can make your weight loss program more successful at what we really want, fat loss.

Many people in search of weight loss should also understand what they are really trying to achieve, that is fat loss. When you lose weight it doesn’t always mean you are also getting the fat loss we need for a healthier, leaner body. Yes, we must burn more calories then we take in for weight loss, but it is also crucial to have enough calories for energy.

When you consume food, the body mainly uses the calories for energy. If you end up eating more calories than your body will use, then it is stored as fat. If you burn up more calories then you consume, then you lose weight, but you also may be losing your energy. If you do not have enough calories(energy), your body will find energy sources to use.

Unfortunately, the energy sources that are used are not the stored fatthat you have. The body will use protein and carbohydrates as the main source of energy, leaving a small percentage for stored fat. Your body takes the protein and carbohydrates from the muscle cells, which will eventually cause you to lose muscle mass and the tone body you have worked hard for. This in turn will also cause your metabolism to be lower, which means slower or no fat loss at all. When this all happens, your body will now need less energy to maintain the lower weight(the lower weight happened because of the loss of muscle), and this is why your body will save energy by making your metabolism slower. What this means is your body will adapt to lower calorie(energy) intake which means an end to your weight loss.

Beginning Weight Loss: Fat Loss or Water Weight

When we first reduce calories, your body will use carbohydrates and protein already in the body as the energy source as stated before. When these two sources are used for energy, your body will mainly lose water weight as proteins and carbs hold water in their cells. What you really are doing is dehydrating yourself for the weight loss. If you get on the scale it will be down but there was not much fat loss in the weight loss, as about 75% of the weight loss was water not fat. Now image adding exercise into the mix. The more you exercise the more energy you will need to feed your muscles, so it is crucial to eat food. Also, cutting down on your caloric intake does not always lead to fat loss but it will cause your body to store calories, in fear of not knowing when you will eat again. These calories that are stored away are stored as fat which will eventually make weight loss that more difficult. You would have to maintain the lower caloric intake the rest of your life or gain your weight back because you are sick of starving yourself!

The most effective way for fat loss is increasing your metabolism. Weight training and aerobic activities and taken in enough nutritious calories each day for energy all while having enough protein to maintain muscle mass, which in turn will lead to fat loss. Building muscle will increase your weight but will decrease your body fat because it will increase your metabolism. Muscles will weigh more, but take up less space then fat. This is why the measuring of body fat cannot be done on a scale and has to be done with some type of body fat analyzer. Measuring tape or just looking in the mirror can also see the fat loss results.

Conclusion

It is important to focus on fat loss and not just weight loss. It is about healthy weight loss for the long term. Having your weight loss program focusing on burning fat and increasing metabolsim will give you the lean results better than the caloric deficient diets that eventually lead to gaining the weight and more back.

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