LGfit on Weight Loss v Fat Loss
Given the time of year I thought this would be an appropriate topic to write a blog on! Lets start with the definition of Weight Loss.
Weight loss in the context of medicine, health, or physical fitness, refers to the reduction of total body mass, due to a mean loss of fluid, body fat and lean mass, namely bone mineral deposits, muscle tendon and other connective tissue.
The above definition should already have you thinking about what the numbers on the dreaded scales represent. From a body composition perspective the ONLY loss you should be striving for is fat loss. Unless of course you're proud that your diet is causing a loss in muscle and bone mass and water! So how do we ensure we lose the right stuff? It's easier than you think! The problem is it takes a little longer to give itself up than the other stuff so requires a little more patience and rational and the numbers aren't so impressive to shout about. Personally I think you'd be mad not to exercise these qualities.
When you embark on a diet to 'lose weight' you generally put your body into a calorie deficit by eating less calories than your body burns. This can be done by a combination of eating less, moving more, or both, the later being most successful. In a deficit your body will give up whatever mass it needs to survive. The more severe the diet, the greater the 'weight loss', and the greater the loss of important stuff including muscle!! Muscle is highly metabolic and has a huge impact on the rate at which we burn calories, i.e. we NEED to preserve it not sacrifice it! It also takes up less space so you WILL look better for it. The more gradual the deficit, the less likely we are to lose it.. This can furthermore be prevented by adding resistance training to the mix. Although you're unlikely to build muscle during this phase you will be able to reduce it's loss by using it.....and I don't mean by doing cardio......I mean lifting heavy stuff again and again until you feel like your doing cardio!
My take home message is that if you're still aiming for more than 2lb off per week then you need to reed this article again and again until you wake up and smell the coffee! The ONLY loss that you you strive for is FAT LOSS. At 3500 calories in a pound of fat its pretty much impossible under normal circumstances to lose more than 2lb per week. 6lb of fat is 21,000 calories.......do you really believe you created that much of a deficit in a week????
I hope you enjoyed this or at very least learned something. For information on Coaching and Personal Training please contact me from the contact page or lyndsaygallacher@gmail.com.
