Over the years, working with my clients for a healthy and fit body, I have seen most of them are obsessed with just moving the weight numbers .While its fine to do that to some extent but one must understand that high levels of exercise to burn fat also tends to boost muscle gain and obviously the weight number doesn’t move as much as one desires.

This brings me to the underlying message of this blog – “Losing weight may not be equal to losing fat.”

So, Friends recalibrate your fitness goals and remember your goal should never be to lose weight, but instead should always be to lose fat. When you lose weight, you lose a little bit of everything – fat, muscle, fluids. You want the majority of your weight loss to come from fat, not the other stuff. If you are only concerned with seeing a smaller number on the scale, you may be losing valuable muscle instead. So, now we know as to why two people with same weight and height still have different body appearance!!! The differentiator is Body Fat Percentage. If one has a lower fat percentage with higher muscle mass compared to the other, then he or she will look fitter, despite having the same weight.

So what is Body Fat Percentage??

The body fat percentage (BFP) is the total mass of fat divided by total body mass; body fat includes both the essential body fat as well as the stored body fat. “Essential fat” is the minimum amount of fat necessary for basic physical and physiological health. So if you have to put it in an equation –

Fat loss = Reduction of “Stored body fat”.

Stored body fat consists of fat accumulation in adipose tissue, part of which protects internal organs in the chest and the abdomen. This percentage varies in men and women because the percentage of essential body fat for women is greater than that for men due to the demands of childbearing and other hormonal functions. The Body Fat Percentage is also a measure of one’s fitness level, since it is the only body measurement which directly calculates a person’s relative body composition regardless of height or weight. The following American Council on Exercise table shows how average BFP differs according to the specified groups and categories:

Description                              Women                   Men

Essential fat                            10–13%                   2–5%

Athletes BFP                           14–20%                   6–13%

Fitness enthusiast BFP            21–24%                   14-17%

Average person’s BFP             25–31%                    18-24%

Obese person’s BFP                32% and higher       25% and higher

When one undergoes a weight loss diet along with an exercise program, there is a sudden drop in the body weight. This is usually a result of water loss. However, after two or three weeks, the weight loss slows down considerably and then the gradual weight loss is the real loss of fat.

Our body loses weight in three essential ways. Namely,

• Water loss( dehydration)
• Muscle loss(lean weight loss),
• Fat loss

Water Loss

During the initial stages of weight loss, it’s the low carb diet that results in loss of water in the body because food rich in carb supports water retention in the body. For every gram of carbohydrate consumed, approx.  2.6 grams of water is stored in the body. So when stored carbs are consumed by the body for energy, it’s essentially the stored water that is shed away.

Another reason for water loss can be the reduced intake of processed food. These foods are often packed with sodium. Excessive sodium (salt) retains water in the body. When you replace the processed foods with natural, unprocessed foods and increase your water intake, your kidneys begin to flush out the excess sodium and also the water that accompanies it, resulting in a sudden loss of water weight.

Muscle loss (lean weight loss)

Lean weight loss can result on account of – excessive cutting back on the calories, losing weight too fast ,not consuming the proper proportions of macronutrients, following crash diets and not exercising properly. Losing muscle mass during weight loss also results in making your metabolism slow, which in turn means that the weight you lose, comes back as soon as you go off a diet plan.

Fat Loss

Fat loss occurs as a result of burning more calories than your intake. This process is a byproduct of a healthy combination of a sound diet plan and a scientific workout. Numerically, about 450 grams of body fat is equivalent to 3,500 calories. It generally takes about 6-7 days to lose 450 to 900 grams of fat. Losing more than this in a week usually means that you are losing water weight and lean muscle mass instead of losing excess fat, and you will most likely gain it back. Following a customized weight loss diet plan with daily planned exercises keeps up the metabolic rate, maintains or increases the muscle mass and boosts the fat burning enzyme levels.

Therefore , the essence of healthy weight loss is Fat Loss !

Abrupt loss of weight can slow down your metabolism, reduce muscle mass and decrease body strength and fitness levels .And if its just the water loss you are going through , chances are that you will quickly gain the lost weight again. This, however, DOES NOT mean that you shouldn’t lose weight. If you’re overweight, some water loss and muscle loss is also required to restructure your body, but for long term weight loss, agility and higher metabolic activity remember to focus majorly on Fat Loss.

Here are some handy tips to work on Fat Loss:

• Resort to a healthy combination of customized diet plan and scientific weight training & cardio exercises
• Liberal dose of strength training in your exercise regime is essential because it helps you to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time.
• Diet is a major contributor in burning fat. Just think you exercise for only one hour out of your day, it’s the food and drink you consume for the other 23 , that holds the vital key. So focus on fuelling your body with the right foods as per your body type.
• Finally, never forget to lead a balanced lifestyle that includes good nutrition, appropriate stress management, adequate sleep and healthy lifestyle habits.

Friends, hope you found this edition of my blog useful. Don’t forget to share your comments and feedback with me and once again, don’t forget to ‘Lose your Fat and not your Muscle’…..

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