July 28th, 2015

Weight Loss vs. Fat Loss: What You Need to Know

Everyone wants to lose weight these days – and that can be a problem. Are you surprised to hear that? Hear us out.

“Weight loss” is not universally a good thing. When you lose weight, you lose a combination of water, fat, and muscle. This is inevitable – nobody loses pure fat – but the goal is to lose as much fat as possible, and as little water and muscle. In fact, you should work at adding muscle, while losing fat – but we’ll get to that in a minute.

Unfortunately, most weight loss programs, products, and diets ignore the distinction between weight loss and fat loss, and focus solely on the number on the scale. The end result is a loss of muscle – to the tune of about 50% – and a really messed up metabolism.

Focus on Fat Loss

To help illustrate the difference between weight loss and healthy fat loss, here’s a comparison.

Person A is focused solely on the number on the scale. They’re following a program that limits calories and doesn’t distinguish between good calories and bad, and focusing their exercise on cardio. They will lose weight, but about 50% of it will be muscle. It’s stressful on the body to lose all that vital tissue, and will depress their metabolism for months (MONTHS!). They’ll likely end up in a yo-yo dieting cycle because of it.

Meanwhile, Person B (a Nielsen Fitness client, perhaps!), is focused on fat loss. They choose healthy, whole, protein-rich foods that stimulate their metabolism. They will eat well but make choices that prevent the storage of fat (ie: not eating within three hours of going to sleep). They drink lots of water, engage in resistance training, and focus less on cardio. They will experience fat loss in combination with gains in muscle. The number on the scale won’t be as low, but this is a good thing. Their clothes fit great, they look and feel strong, and they are setting themselves up for a strong metabolism in the long-term.

Trust us, you want to be Person B.

(Image courtesy of bamboocorefitness.com)

Ditch the Scale

We always tell people that the way your clothes fit is a better indicator of success than what the scale says. In some cases we weigh our clients, but that’s so we can figure out body fat percentages. We primarily track success through physical measurement using good old-fashioned tape measures, and with fat calipers. When we report back to clients, we tell them how much fat they’ve lost and also how much muscle they’ve gained.

Need Some hELP?

In virtually all cases, people feel their best when they’ve not only lost fat but also gained muscle. If you’ve been unsuccessful in the past, it’s time to get educated and re-think the plan. It’s the only way out of the unhealthy and vicious cycle that so many people are caught in.

Our team of professionally certified trainers know how to help your health and fitness goals. We train clients in-home in the GTA and we also offer virtual personal training for clients living elsewhere. Contact us to book your complimentary assessment and workout to get started with reaching your goals.

Updated on September 7, 2022.