The Difference: Fat Loss vs. Weight Loss
One of the top New Year's resolutions people make is to lose weight.
It seems everyone claims they want to lose weight. But do you really want to lose weight?
Weight loss is a decrease in your overall body weight. This weight includes muscle, fat, and water in your body. That's what your regular scales show you: you've simply lost some pounds. Fat loss usually designates a reduction in body fat. A lot of us focus way too much effort on the number below our feet: our weight. That number can make or break your day! I can eat great, workout, drink my water and have an otherwise wonderful day, I get on that scale and if it doesn't tell me what I think I should weigh — my day is ruined. I think I am a complete failure!
Your Body Fat Percentage is a number that provides you with the amount of stored fatty tissue compared to the amount of lean tissue ( bones, muscle, organs etc..) in/on/and around your body. This number can be high or low; regardless if you are skinny, fat, or anywhere in between. Just because you have dropped below 120 lbs, your Body Fat Percentage may still be above 25, which can create a lot of problems in the long term, especially if you have to cut out a lot of calories to keep yourself at what has been marketed as a ‘healthy weight’. These people can be what trainers call "skinny fat" people. This explains why a "healthy body fat percentage" is so much healthier goal than a "healthy weight".
The ideal body composition–the ratio of lean muscle to fatty tissue in our bodies–is low in fat and high in lean muscle. We become unhealthy when our percentage of body fat is too high because of excess fat and muscle loss. Muscle naturally declines with age, unless we maintain it. Loss of muscle is linked to increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity, and high blood pressure. Muscle is more dense than fat, an important fact to consider when stepping on the scale. If your weight loss plan includes weight-lifting or resistance training (as it should), your best incentive is to judge your progress by the fit and feel of your clothes rather than your weight. The more muscle you have in your body, the more metabolically active you are. You’re less likely to develop joint problems, osteoarthritis, heart disease, diabetes and more.
Here are a few real reasons why you should focus on Fat Loss vs Weight Loss and aim for Fitness vs Skinniness for health:
Body Fat isn’t just on the outside, it’s on the inside too. Visceral fat is stored in a person’s abdominal cavity and is also known as ‘active fat’ as it influences how hormones function in the body. It is like an organ itself. (I know, hearing that is GROSS!)
Restricting Calories to Lessen Body Weight will diminish the body’s ability to fight illness and disease. Having a fit body means you are fueling it properly, and each of the body’s processes are operating to their maximum ability. It affects your immunity.
Often working on being ‘Skinny’ requires a severe deficit of calories, and Bone Density will begin to diminish right away; which if left over time can create issues with Osteoporosis – a condition where your bones are left brittle and easily breakable, and since you aren’t able to combat illness or disease as well, your chances of a full recovery are slighted. Having a fit body means your bone density will remain in the healthy zone, which will be resistant to breaks during most falls or collisions.
With less lean muscle-tone, your metabolism is going to be moving much slower. In addition, as our metabolisms slow naturally as we age, each day, your body will be more prone to easily put on weight and less able to take it off. Maintaining a fit body through exercise means the added muscle-tone provides for an increased metabolism 24/7. This also means that more of the foods you eat are used as fuel, while the extra is passed and not stored. And of course, continuing to exercise will aid in keeping your metabolism boosted so that you continue to feel younger and look your best.
Concentrate on being healthy and fit, not skinny! Make that your goal! You have to change your entire attitude towards wellness.
For ideal body fat percentages based on age, here are some guidelines for a healthy body fat percentage for men:
Age Percentage -
20-39 8-19%
40-59 11-21%
60-79 13-24%
For ideal body fat percentages based on age, here are some guidelines for a healthy body fat percentage for women:
Age Percentage-
20-39 21-32%
40-59 23-33%
60-79 24-35%
The whole point is to be able to measure your progress. It is a process.
Here are a few ways to check and improve your Body Fat Percentage:
Get tested: Skin fold calipers, body circumference measurements and body fat scales that use bioelectrical impedance are both methods you can do on your own or have a fitness professional test your body fat for you at your local gym.
[Other more expensive, fancier ways are Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA), Hydrostatic Weighing, Air Displacement Plethysmography (Bod Pod), Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), Bioimpedance Spectroscopy (BIS) and Electrical Impedance Myography (EIM)] Usually just elite athletes utilize these methods
Measure your waist : Another useful way to determine how much visceral fat a person is carrying is to measure the size of their waist. I have calibers in my office I can use to measure body fat, but this is by far the easiest and most simple way to do it. A woman whose waist measures 35 inches or more is likely to have excess visceral fat. This might increase her risk of developing some of the health problems linked to visceral fat. The same is true of a man whose waist measures 40 inches or more.The waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is a quick measure of fat distribution that may help indicate a person's overall health. People who carry more weight around their middle than their hips may be at a higher risk of developing certain health conditions.
Pump it up: Research shows that muscle strength declines by 15 percent per decade after age 50, and 30 percent per decade after age 70. As expected, along with this decline in muscle mass is a five percent decrease per decade in our metabolic rate. You should adopt a well-rounded exercise plan that incorporates strength training to maintain lean muscle mass and keep your metabolism running fast. Do not overdo cardiovascular exercise — it can damage the muscle fibers that you are working so hard to build and maintain.
Protein: Protein is the building block of muscle, and it is essential for repair after workouts. According to a recent study from the University of Illinois, a higher protein intake during weight loss can offset negative effects on muscle mass by maintaining more muscle relative to the amount of weight lost. Women who ate more protein lost 3.9 percent more weight and had a relative gain of 5.8 percent more thigh-muscle volume than woman who did not.
Practice stress management: Elevated levels of stress hormone (cortisol) can have a negative effect on body composition by increasing the breakdown of muscle mass and increasing the deposition of fat around the abdomen.
This post is not meant to say people shouldn’t lose weight. With the obesity epidemic, we do need to encourage our world to maintain a healthier weight. It is also not meant to critique anyone’s natural body size. Small, tall, curvy, and thin we all were made with a unique design. We are simply stating that it’s not weight, but your body composition that is important in assessing health and achieving wellness. It’s also meant to argue that cutting calories, excessive cardio, and ‘weekend juice cleanses’ aren’t the right solution; the right answer is a life of fitness — daily activities, a nutrition plan rich in natural & healthy food choices, and proper amounts of hydration. All of these things add up quickly to provide a healthier body composition and a happier picture of wellness in the long-term.
A balanced diet, regular exercise routine, and positive state of mental health will help you look and feel your best. It’s like the old adage–it’s what’s on the inside that counts. And that’s what I’m all about, lasting health from the inside out and enjoying this ONE life we are given — being the best we can be.
All material gathered and researched through my amazing fellowship program, The Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine.
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