THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WEIGHT LOSS AND FAT LOSS
Introduction
Did you know that approximately 2 out of 5 people from the UK and Ireland attempt to lose weight in a given year? Research tells us that the basic weighing scale, a very familiar instrument to many people keeping an eye on their waistline, is the tool most often used to indicate changes in body mass. While this may seem like an appropriate measure, for most people it can actually be quite problematic and misleading.
Studies examining the relationship between self-weighing and mood-related variables found evidence of negative outcomes. That is, upon weighing oneself, it was common to see decreases in aspects such as self-esteem and body dissatisfaction.
Does this sound like you? If so, have you ever thought about what bodyweight actually means?
What is Body Composition?
To begin, the number you see on the scale (i.e. your body weight) is made up of several components.
Those components are:
Fat
Water
Bone
Other tissues and organs
Why is this Important to Know?
The scale measures everything.
Every glass of water or wine, every bowl of salad or plate of pasta. From your bones to your organs, its extremely difficult to distinguish where the weight is coming from by simply looking at a number on a scale.
Also, weight does not accurately reflect changes happening to your body.
Whenever you begin your fitness journey, whether you’re aiming to become physically healthier, or fit into that pair of jeans that’s been waiting patiently in your closet, looking beyond the scale to measure your health and fitness goals may be beneficial.
Note: It’s important to mention that when one says…. “I would like to lose weight”
what they really mean more than often is… “they would like to lose FAT”
and although this sounds intuitive, many people will fixate on the number on the scale, leading them to feel frustrated and demotivated if the number isn’t dropping.
So, let’s take a look at…
What other ways can you gauge fat loss and fitness progress?
1. Tape Measurements
Measuring your body to track inches lost is an easy and reliable method to determine if you are, in fact, losing fat. This indicator of change may help motivate you to continue reaping the rewards by staying consistent with your workouts and making improvements in diet.
Article of Interest: How To Start Eating Healthy
Also… Did you know:
Studies continuously demonstrate that larger waist circumference (i.e. the distance around your abdomen) is correlated with a stronger prevalence of chronic disease and a decrease in life expectancy. So I think it’s safe to say that measuring can be a great tool if done properly.
Here is a guide on where you should be placing the measuring tape…
Arms: Relax your arm and find the midpoint between your shoulder and elbow of your arm.
Chest: Stand with feet together and neutral spine and find the widest part around your bust.
Waist: Find your natural waist or the narrowest part of the torso.
Hips: If helpful stand sideways and find the widest part of your glutes. Make sure the tape is parallel to the floor.
Thighs: Look for the midpoint between the lower part of the glutes and the back of the knee, or the widest part of the thigh.
Calves: Measure halfway between the knee and the ankle.
*Adapted from ACSM's Guidelines For Exercise Testing And Prescription
A few tips to get started:
Aim to take your measurements in the morning before the consumption of food or drink
Ensure you are consistently taking your measurements at the same time of day
Have the tape rest on your skin gently so that there is no compression
Wear fitted clothing or no clothing if possible
Stand with your feet together
2. Subjective Feelings and Performance Goals
You know your body best! It’s great to have access to unlimited resources and fancy equipment to monitor your fitness levels and fat loss. Despite having this apparatus, you can still use other simple methods to track your health and fitness progress.
Simple ways to start:
Activity Journals
Activity journals are a great way to keep track of the amount of physical activity and (or) exercise that you engage in a day. Also, having a calendar dedicated specifically to your health and fitness goals will keep you accountable and motivated.
Setting Goals:
Setting SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-specific) goals such as: being able to do 5 consecutive push-ups or 20 burpees in less than two minutes are real tangible goals that you can set for yourself and keep track of your progress.
Rated Perceived Exertion (RPE)
Put simply, RPE is the subjective feeling of how difficult an exercise or workout feels to a given individual on a particular day.
So, some important questions you need to ask yourself throughout your health journey are…How do I feel? Do I have more energy? Can I climb up a set of stairs without losing my breath? Are my clothes fitting a bit looser? Can I lift my grocery bags effortlessly?
Although these questions are simple in nature, they are great indicators of your overall fitness and have been linked to greater levels of independence long term.
3. Composition Scales
Now, we know that more often when someone says “I would like to lose weight”, what they really mean is they would like to lose fat. If you’re one of those people, then using a scale that measures body fat to muscle ratio may be helpful.
How and What?
Since our body weight is made up of several components like muscle, fat, and water just to name a few, scales such as Tanita and DEXA have been developed in order to take these elements into consideration. They focus on determining the ratio of fat to muscle that you have in your body. This ratio is determined through the use of something known as Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis.
Put simply, this non-invasive tool sends electrical currents through your body (don’t worry, it doesn’t cause pain!) and depending on how resistant the flow of the current is (i.e. fast or slow), it provides an estimate of how much fat versus muscle you have in your body.
Keep in mind, electrical currents move quicker in water in comparison to fat. Since body fat contains approximately 10% water, whereas muscle contains approximately 75% water, the more muscle you have, the faster the current!
With that said…the validity of these tools has at times been shown to be inconclusive in research, so try your best not to get too hung up on the numbers, and take the holistic approach instead of gathering information about your fitness and health-related progress.
Be patient with yourself. Feeling and noticing improvements in your health and fitness takes time and is a lifelong process, so the keyword to remember here is CONSISTENCY!
Looking for more help?
Here’s a good resource if considering additional help to get started:
The Benefits of Having a Personal Trainer At Home.
DON’T FORGET!
Stay Healthy and Happy!
References:
ACSM: Guidelines For Exercise Testing And Prescription
National Library Of Public Medicine: Self-Weighing: Helpful or Harmful for Psychological Well-Being? A Review of the Literature
National Library Of Public Medicine: A Pooled Analysis of Waist Circumference and Mortality in 650,000 Adults
Research Gate: Waist-to-Height Ratio Is More Predictive of Years of Life Lost than Body Mass Index