Are you still focused on losing weight? Here’s some tough news for you, weight loss is not the answer. This article goes over fat loss vs weight loss, why they aren’t the same, and what you should be focusing on instead of lowering the numbers on the scale.
What Is Weight Loss?
Weight loss is a total reduction in body mass that includes fat, muscle, and water. Remember the last time you were really sick? You lost a couple of pounds but felt weak after because you lost some muscle too: this is weight loss. Most people think this is what they want. Doctors even use this metric to tell people that they aren’t healthy. It’s been told to us countless times that weight is what we need to watch, lose, and manage. However, this is not the total truth.
What Is Fat Loss?
Fat loss is a reduction in body fat percentage. This is what we want. And, the good news is that it is possible to lose fat while staying the same weight (or even gaining weight) if you’re also building muscle. Although Knowing how to calculate body fat percentage can be tricky, you’ll be able to notice body composition changes just by building muscle.
Fat Loss vs Weight Loss: Why They Aren’t The Same
Weight loss means the scale goes down, however, so might hydration levels, muscle mass, and possibly fat. Fat loss is ultimately targeting body recomposition, which most of us want. But, using the scale isn’t a good way to measure progress when you’re aiming for fat loss. This is because you can be the same weight or heavier and completely change your body composition.
In general, building muscle helps you get leaner and change your body composition. Simply put, more muscle mass increases your resting metabolism because muscle tissue requires more energy to maintain, so you burn slightly more calories at rest compared to if you had less muscle. Even if you stay the same weight, or gain weight, gaining muscle makes you look leaner because muscle is denser and gives your body a firmer, more defined appearance.
However, building muscle doesn’t guarantee fat loss. If your calorie intake remains above what you burn, you can still gain fat while gaining muscle. However, strength training combined with a nutrition plan that supports your goals will result in the body composition changes you want to see.
What Does Real Health Mean?
Simply put, real health doesn’t have a weight requirement, and there is no magic number on the scale to meet. True health is about energy, strength, and resilience, which may or may not involve weighing less. It’s time to adopt a holistic view that considers physical, mental, emotional, and hormonal health. All of these factors contribute to your overall well-being and body composition, and relying on your weight as a metric, which fluctuates daily, isn’t an accurate measure of success.
The Dangers of Chasing Weight Loss at Any Cost
Having a mindset of losing weight at any cost can have some serious health consequences that can affect your relationship with food and be detrimental to aging well. The most serious health consequence is sarcopenia: age and time-related loss of muscle mass and strength. If you aren’t strength training, sarcopenia starts in your 30s and accelerates as you age. Sarcopenia is not only directly related to earlier mortality, it increases your risk of falls, fractures, loss of independence, and is detrimental to metabolic health. The good news is, strength training and adequate protein intake can slow down or reverse sarcopenia. It’s important to note that sarcopenia is a natural part of aging, but can be prevented or reversed until the later years of your life.
Losing weight at any cost can increase your risk of osteoporosis, worsen your body composition (you weigh less but have a higher body fat percentage), damage your relationship with food, and wreck your metabolism—especially if you’re cutting more than 300 calories a day or partaking in fad diets for extended periods.
With these health risks in mind, chasing weight loss as your main goal is outdated. Focusing only on the scale can lead to losing the wrong kind of weight—your muscle—when muscle is exactly what keeps you strong, mobile, and healthy. Shifting your focus to building and maintaining muscle is one of the best things you can do to support a longer, healthier life.
How to Focus on Fat Loss (Without Obsessing Over the Scale)
Anyone can lose fat and shift their body composition. There is no secret, no quick fix, or pill you can take. It requires working out consistently (strength training is ideal), eating plenty of protein, hydrating, cutting down on alcohol, walking, and most importantly: time. It will take years to get the body you want, so it’s important to incorporate habits that are healthy and sustainable.
If fat loss is your goal, it’s important to understand your maintenance calories and what you need in order to stay the same weight or lose weight. There is tracking involved, however, just macro tracking and focusing on protein intake is good enough. The only sure way to know how to lose weight slowly and safely is to understand what’s going in and how to manage it.
Fat Loss vs Weight Loss vs Health: The Bottom Line
If you want to change your body composition, reframe your thinking to focus on health first and foremost. Weight loss is antiquated, but building more muscle is what science shows again and again as the major contributor to having less body fat. Remember, this will take time. Focus on good habits, building muscle mass and your body will change, and so will your health.
Want to learn more about the difference between fat loss and weight loss? Listen to episode 241 of the Stronger Than Your Boyfriend Podcast: Weight Loss vs. Fat Loss: What does Health ACTUALLY Look Like?
Want our free 3 week guide to dialing in your nutrition and finding your maintenance calories? CLICK HERE
