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It is easy to think that weight loss and fat loss are interchangeable–either way, the end result we are reaching for is a healthy change and an improvement in our well-being. While fat loss is a part and parcel of weight loss, it’s not the only way to lose weight.
What does this mean for you and your goals in terms of health? Fat loss is the ultimate goal for most people. To achieve the best results, you must take a focused, deliberate approach. Continue reading to learn the differences between fat loss and weight loss, and how to optimize your fat loss efforts.
Fat loss refers to a decrease in body weight. Weight loss is an overall loss of body weight. Weight loss is more than losing body fat. It’s about making improvements to every aspect of your life. Your body composition- Body fat, Lean Body Mass and Hydration for the Body. The same applies to weight gain. While you cannot control the amount of each that you lose, you can influence how much you lose.
How can weight loss be achieved? There are many diet and exercise plans that can help you lose weight, some better than others. But the best ones all do the same thing: reduce energy intake from food and increase energy output through exercise/activity (a caloric surplus). This combination causes your body to use the energy it lacks by destroying your body tissues, including muscle and body fat.
It would be amazing if your body could get all of its energy from body fat. But that is not the case. You will lose some muscle as you lose weight.
Body fat, in general terms, is a combination of your essential fat, which plays a vital functional role, and storage fat. The adipose tissue which has been stored as energy reserves is called storage fat. As you change your diet and exercise routine, this type of fat will be visible change. To improve your overall health, you need to reduce the amount of stored fat. A fat loss regimen at our clinics in Long Island is a great way to kick-start this part of your lifestyle change!
Weight is a subject that has a stigma. There is a strong link between obesity and chronic disease. However, weight loss goals can have unintended consequences such as disordered eating. Because of this, a focus on fat reduction and healthy body composition is a better option. It encourages people to exercise more and eat healthier.
The best indicator of your health is body fat percentage, rather than weight. Weight is made up of body fat, lean body mass, and water. Any changes can cause weight gain or loss.
The link between excess body fat and chronic diseases, particularly storage fat, is much stronger than the one for:
A healthy body fat percentage can reduce your chances of developing these diseases. It can also improve your mental and physical well-being.
You will need to keep track of your body composition in order to track body fat loss. There are many methods and devices that can be used to determine your body composition. To get accurate results, you should always have your body examined by a skilled professional who uses a medical-grade tool such as our FIT3D scanner here at Invigorate Health in Long Island weight-loss clinics. This is a state-of-the-art machine that gets a full 3D body composite scan and is the starting point for your fat loss journey. At-home scales and plastic that cost $10 are not the best options.
Did you remember when we said that weight loss is more than just fat? One of the losses can be from Lean Body Mass, which is critical because the amount of Lean Body Mass that you have directly influences your Basal Metabolic Rate (or what you may refer to as your metabolism). Your Basal Metabolic Ratio (BMR) is the number of calories that your body burns naturally at rest. If you place emphasis on weight loss and don’t make any changes to reduce lean body mass, you will decrease your metabolism.
You could be at risk of weight gain if you continue to eat the same way.
An individual that has a high body weight and body fat measurements can naturally gain muscles from carrying their body weight. This means that obese people have a large metabolism.
One example of this would be the contestants on The Biggest Loser. Participants were determined to lose extreme weight in a very short time. A study of past Biggest Loser contestants revealed that participants lost an average of 128.5 pounds over 30 weeks at a rate of about 4.3 pounds each week.
The contestants lost all their weight. However, they lost a lot more Lean Body Mass. On average, 24.5 pounds. That’s 19% of the total weight loss. The muscle loss led to a decrease in BMR, from 2,607 calories down to 1,996 calories. This is a loss of 600 calories per day, which is almost equivalent to a meal.
Dramatic changes in Lean Body Mass or metabolism are not ideal, especially if the goal is to maintain a healthy weight. Six years later, the Biggest Loser contestants had regained an astonishing 83.6% of their weight loss. Their metabolisms never recovered to their original levels. This is a large reason for their success. It is therefore important to focus on body re-composition and not just weight loss.
Although the body fat and weight bars are much higher than average, the Skeletal Muscle Mass bars is also high. This is common in obese people. An obese person, however, has this muscle because they are overweight. Because of the weight of an obese person, large amounts of muscle are required to move heavy bodies around. This means that obese people have large metabolisms.
There will be some Lean Body Mass losses with any weight loss. Unregulated eating habits and low metabolism are surefire ways to gain the weight back.
If you don’t further develop Lean Body Mass or skeletal muscle to increase metabolism, weight regain is still possible. It is important to work on your body composition, build muscle, and change your eating habits, even after you have reached your goal weight through the fat loss program from our Long Island clinics.
These are the three areas you should focus on in order to improve your body composition and overall health.
Stop tracking weight loss. Instead, track changes to your body composition. This will allow you to optimize your weight loss program in our Long Island clinic while minimizing Lean Body Mass. This is not impossible. Research has shown that weight loss can be reduced and fat loss increased if combined with good nutrition and strength training.
The Body Composition Analyzers can be used to quickly and easily test your body composition and track your progress.
It is important to remember that fat loss can take more time than weight loss. You can lose a lot of weight quickly with weight loss plans like the Biggest Loser contest. It takes just 4 pounds per week. You saw the results: almost half of their weight loss was due to Lean Body Mass and their metabolisms plummeted.
A good diet plan, such as one that is given with your fat loss program at Invigorate Health in Long Island, will help you lose 1/2 to 1 pound per week. This is a realistic goal that can be achieved and won’t have any negative effects on your metabolism. Slow and steady is better and will result in long-lasting improvements.
Many still believe that weightlifting/strength training is for athletes only. It is a false belief. Increased muscle has a whole host of benefits ranging from an increased ability to recover from disease, reducing insulin resistance, helping you remain mobile as you age, and, of course, helping with your fat loss goals, by increasing your BMR and metabolism.
We have already covered that fat loss is more important than weight loss. It will result in long-term improvements. You can get fitter and keep the fat off by working out and eating smarter.
It might take longer than you expected but would it be better to lose 30 pounds in a year and regain it all or to spend time making small, lasting changes that will lead to good health for the rest of your life?
Give us a call here at Invigorate Health in Long Island area to have your weight loss journey take its first steps! We always start with a FREE Fit3D body composition scan followed by a comprehensive blood panel.
