Weight loss is among the most popular goals for most of us today and the trend is only increasing year after year. Losing those extra pounds/kilos we have gained in time will not only improve our exterior appearance and self-esteem, but it can also boost our health and well-being, which will eventually lead to a happier and healthier life. However, losing a lot of weight and losing it too fast is actually not a good idea and we will see why. Losing a lot of weight will result in you losing lean mass (muscle), as well. For this reason, it is more advisable to focus more on losing fat instead of total weight. So, what is the difference between fat loss vs weight loss?
I lost a lot of weight fast. Is this good?
Weight loss is closely associated with losing some pounds/kilos. A lot of companies, gyms, and trainers focus on helping individuals develop a slimmer and more toned body. However, in a lot of cases, losing some of that weight will not make you feel more energetic nor will it change your body composition to a better one. In fact, tracking down the amount of weight you lose after following a certain diet or starting a new exercising plan can be quite deceiving. To start with, weight loss is usually accompanied by lean muscle loss. Muscle is denser than fat and for this reason, it is more quickly metabolised. That actually means that your body can lose more easily muscle compared to fat.
Moreover, weight loss can in some cases, appear too quickly. That may seem motivating and good for you, but you will soon understand that things are not that simple. When weight loss is fast, you will certainly suffer from a drastic deficit of calories. Appropriate calorie amounts are a really important part of our well-being and an abrupt reduction of the number of calories we receive daily may result in our suffering from both a bad mood and an unhealthy body. In addition, the majority of the weight you lost quickly, will come back in a couple of months because it is mainly coming from water weight as well as lean mass. This phenomenon is also often referenced as “the yoyo effect”.
Adopting a low fat diet
If you go on a low fat, high carb, high protein diet like we recommend here, the weight on the scale will not move so much, especially in the beginning. The reason for this is that you will be burning fat and building lean mass at the same time. This means that if you lose 4 kilos of fat and take 2,5 kilos of lean mass, you will have only lost 1,5 kilos on the scale. This can be discouraging, but if you understand how to properly track your fat loss, you will realise how important this is.
Focus on fat loss and not only weight loss!
That is why every new dietary plan should focus on fat loss mainly and not only on weight reduction. That type of loss will help improve your body’s composition and it will keep your physical structure and mental condition intact. When we wonder about how to lose fat not weight, then the answer is pretty simple. You need to build muscle at the same time as you lose fat. The result will be that you weigh almost as much as before, but you have more muscle and less fat.
Eating a sufficient amount of proteins is a key step to losing fat and gaining muscle but these should be eaten along with carbohydrates. Focus on lean protein, like eggs (especially the white), legumes in association with grains, fish and poultry. In addition to this, perform some form of exercise that can really help you lose fat. For example, cardio is an inseparable part of our fight against fat loss. Resistance training is another key type of exercise you need to follow. During those resistance sessions, you will focus on different muscle groups and the result will be more toned body and increase in lean mass.
When we consider fat loss vs weight loss then we definitely have a winner; fat loss! Focusing on decreasing the amount of fat in our body and increasing the daily uptake of proteins and carbs can really transform our body into a leaner, stronger, and firmer version of it. After all, we always need to put our health and well-being as first priority especially if we want to achieve long-term and long-lasting results.
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