Is Weight Loss Overrated?
Weight loss? How big is it?
I went on Google and typed in the phrase "weight loss" and got
back 56,100,000 different sites. With that statistic it's safe
to say that it's pretty important isn't it?
When I typed in the phrase "fat loss" though there was just
about 10 million sites with that keyword according to Google.
Now why am I mentioning this? Because people have always
determined the success of their workout programs by referring
to a scale. They also judge the success of a program by how much
pounds they've lost, according to the scale.
What's wrong with that?
Well there's many ways you can see a drop of weight on the scale.
You can drop water weight, you can lose muscle, and you can lose
fat. You might say who cares what I lose, as long as the scale reads
a number lower than what you saw previously.
I'm here to tell you that you should care. Let's go one by one to
see why.
Number one, water weight. Water weight is the greatest isn't it?
You workout, you put your 2-3 sweatsuits on, the sweat is dripping,
you don't drink your water because you fear water retention and
the scale at the end of the week says 10 lbs lost, great isn't it?
I mean who wouldn't want that. 10 lbs gone in just 7 days. That's
amazing. But what about when you suddenly feel sluggish from
dehydration, from the lack of nutrients in your body? Well you
drink water again and magically the 10 lbs come back don't they?
Something to think about...
Then you have weight loss via muscle loss. You all have done it,
and I have too in the past. We starve ourselves eating only
rice cakes and lettuce or chewing on celery sticks 24/7. A week
later we step on the scale and YES, we see a loss of 5-7 lbs.
Just what you wanted right, weight loss.
BUT, when you look in the mirror, your waist hasn't changed,
your body hasn't changed, nothing has really changed except
your bodyfat %. Now we all want to change bodyfat % but
in this example it's changed against our favor. Your bodyfat
% is simply how much of your weight is fat.
Now you must remember that every tissue in your body weighs
a given amount. (That includes things like your spleen, bones,
bodyfat, muscle, etc....).
But when you lose muscle here's what happens. Your
metabolism slows down! In a recent seminar I heard
the great Barbara Thompson mention this...
"Muscle Dictates Metabolism". When I heard that
I was just pushed back out my seat. And why? Because it
was absolutely true. The lack of muscle will lead you
to have a higher percentage of bodyfat, leaving you
flabbier and not firmer.
Now to cut this short because I do realize how valuable
your time is. What you want is fat loss. The cellulite,
the flabbiness that's fat. In some cases it can be loose
skin, but generally it's fat. And when you hear
those talk about oh how can I get firm abs, or
how can I have a toned looking body, it's all relative
to fat.
If your body fat is low, then you'll have a toned body.
Notice I didn't say if you lost "weight" per say that you
would be more toned. The key is FAT LOSS!!!
The takeaway note is fat loss is what you should
be after. It's not that you don't want to lose weight,
but what type is the key. Start searching for
fat loss and believe me you will be beach bod ready
than if you focused on solely fat loss.
I don't believe the scale is your enemy but I do believe
the lack of understanding in regards to what your
body fat is can lead to the scale also not being your
friend.
I went on Google and typed in the phrase "weight loss" and got
back 56,100,000 different sites. With that statistic it's safe
to say that it's pretty important isn't it?
When I typed in the phrase "fat loss" though there was just
about 10 million sites with that keyword according to Google.
Now why am I mentioning this? Because people have always
determined the success of their workout programs by referring
to a scale. They also judge the success of a program by how much
pounds they've lost, according to the scale.
What's wrong with that?
Well there's many ways you can see a drop of weight on the scale.
You can drop water weight, you can lose muscle, and you can lose
fat. You might say who cares what I lose, as long as the scale reads
a number lower than what you saw previously.
I'm here to tell you that you should care. Let's go one by one to
see why.
Number one, water weight. Water weight is the greatest isn't it?
You workout, you put your 2-3 sweatsuits on, the sweat is dripping,
you don't drink your water because you fear water retention and
the scale at the end of the week says 10 lbs lost, great isn't it?
I mean who wouldn't want that. 10 lbs gone in just 7 days. That's
amazing. But what about when you suddenly feel sluggish from
dehydration, from the lack of nutrients in your body? Well you
drink water again and magically the 10 lbs come back don't they?
Something to think about...
Then you have weight loss via muscle loss. You all have done it,
and I have too in the past. We starve ourselves eating only
rice cakes and lettuce or chewing on celery sticks 24/7. A week
later we step on the scale and YES, we see a loss of 5-7 lbs.
Just what you wanted right, weight loss.
BUT, when you look in the mirror, your waist hasn't changed,
your body hasn't changed, nothing has really changed except
your bodyfat %. Now we all want to change bodyfat % but
in this example it's changed against our favor. Your bodyfat
% is simply how much of your weight is fat.
Now you must remember that every tissue in your body weighs
a given amount. (That includes things like your spleen, bones,
bodyfat, muscle, etc....).
But when you lose muscle here's what happens. Your
metabolism slows down! In a recent seminar I heard
the great Barbara Thompson mention this...
"Muscle Dictates Metabolism". When I heard that
I was just pushed back out my seat. And why? Because it
was absolutely true. The lack of muscle will lead you
to have a higher percentage of bodyfat, leaving you
flabbier and not firmer.
Now to cut this short because I do realize how valuable
your time is. What you want is fat loss. The cellulite,
the flabbiness that's fat. In some cases it can be loose
skin, but generally it's fat. And when you hear
those talk about oh how can I get firm abs, or
how can I have a toned looking body, it's all relative
to fat.
If your body fat is low, then you'll have a toned body.
Notice I didn't say if you lost "weight" per say that you
would be more toned. The key is FAT LOSS!!!
The takeaway note is fat loss is what you should
be after. It's not that you don't want to lose weight,
but what type is the key. Start searching for
fat loss and believe me you will be beach bod ready
than if you focused on solely fat loss.
I don't believe the scale is your enemy but I do believe
the lack of understanding in regards to what your
body fat is can lead to the scale also not being your
friend.
