Today I wanted to talk about one of the big debates I have with people almost on a weekly basis and this is Fat Loss vs Weight Loss.
When talking about weight loss, there is so much emphasis put on dropping kilos and what the scales say. When in actual fact there are so many other factors that need to be considered and the focus in my opinion should be on cm or body structure over the physical kilos one does or does not loose. The main reason for this is if you are doing any form of exercise either cardio or weights training to loose weight and not just a food based diet, you will build muscle as you exercise and put simply, although fat and muscle weigh the same physically, muscle take up alot less room in your body then fat. The other important thing to remember is that every person’s body is different and will react different to dieting and exercise.
The most common goal clients come to me with is ‘I want to loose 10kg’. My response is always along the lines of, that is great but lets break down what your true goal is, and more often then not its about fitting into a dress or trimming down for an event or wanting to get more fit or improve their general wellbeing. Once we have an idea of their end goal outside of a kg figure, I like to discuss the below points with them.
CM vs KG
Whenever you start any program record your cm, measure your bust, waist and butt along with your starting weight. Then when you weigh in each week record both your cm and kg. Over the first couple of weeks you will normally notice kg dropping then as you get further into the program and you start to build muscle you tend to notice cm dropping over kg. Recording both from day one allows you to see the overall picture on how your body has changed and not just how many kg you have lost.
BMI’s
This is a whole topic in itself but I want to touch on it briefly. I am not a huge believer in the BMI index, anyone that knows me knows that I love fitness, train daily and eat healthy. For my height and weight according to BMI I am obese and I am most defiantly not. This is due to muscle weight and a lot of other factors that don’t come into the BMI index rating which I will do a blog on in the future. But for the purpose of this when looking at your BMI it is essential to look at the overall picture if you are dropping cm and kg you are naturally going to be dropping fat regardless of what any scale will tell you. And any reduce in fat is better for your health overall.
Body Structure and Building Muscle
A combination of both cardio and weights training is ideal for loosing weight and getting fit. With this comes changes to your body structure overall. People hold and loose weight from different part of their body at different rates and in different orders.
You will notice this the most within your clothing. Pants are getting looser, tops sit differently, all of these are important things to consider as well when looking at weight loss as a whole. It is quite common for people to loose 5kg – 10kg but drop 3-4 dress sizes at the same time because of the way in which their overall body structure has changed and moved.
As you build muscle you will also notice you will burn more calories as muscle burns faster at rest then fat does.
How often to track your weight progress
You are fresh into a new diet and you are feeling great, we all want to jump on the scales everyday and see the kg going down. This is both physically and mentally not a good idea. Weight and cm will go up and down from day to day based off water intake, the exercise you have done that day, the food you have eaten etc. So my recommendation is to only track your weight and cm progress once per week. Keep the day consistent each week. Always do this at the same time of day as well, I like to do so before my morning shower but it is up to each individual on what they would like.
Focus and Goal Setting
The hardest thing when it comes to weight loss is stepping away from societies normal views and focusing on what works for you. Now I am not saying that you shouldn’t have a end weight goal in mind I am just saying that all goals should be realistic and made up of smaller goals to help you every step of the way. Focus on what you want and truly anything is possible, you would be amazed what your mind and body is capable of when you are willing to put in the effort. Set small and large goals while focusing on knocking them off one by one.
Above all of this the most important thing to remember is all progress is progress no matter how big or small, weather going for a walk, going to the gym or loosing cm or kg, each step you take in the right direction is progress.
