Weight Loss vs Fat Loss

When it comes to weight loss vs fat loss, you need to know the difference between the two.

Many people who want to lose weight go on some sort of crash diet hoping to lose as much weight as possible in the shortest amount of time. They drastically reduce calories and become fixated on what weight the scale shows.

As their weight decreases, they assume that all or most of the weight being lost is body fat. They oftentimes couldn't be more wrong.

The reality is that when you go on a very low calorie diet, you often end up losing more water and lean muscle mass than you do body fat.

Very low calorie diets cause you to lose water because when calories are drastically reduced your body gets needed energy by burning glycogen (stored glucose in the liver and muscles). Glycogen holds on to water, so when it's burned for energy it releases water, which is expelled via urination.

Very low calorie diets cause you to lose lean muscle mass because when you drastically reduce calories in order to starve away body fat, you also starve away lean muscle mass.

Between the loss of water and lean muscle mass, as much as 75% of the weight you lose on a very low calorie diet might not be body fat. This is why the weight loss on very low calorie diets can be so deceiving.

Losing weight needs to be all about losing body fat. It's excess body fat that makes you look and feel bad, and excess body fat is what increases your risk for a variety of health problems such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer.

The most effective way to lose body fat is to combine a fat loss nutrition plan with a fat loss exercise routine.

A fat loss nutrition plan is based on cutting back on calories, not on drastically reducing them. It's also based on you as an individual - your body type, your metabolism, and what mix of protein, carbohydrate and fat works best for you. A fat loss nutrition plan is not a temporary way of eating like a diet is, it's a healthy way of eating that can be followed for a lifetime.

A fat loss exercise routine that includes aerobic exercise and strength training enables you to lose body fat without losing lean muscle mass. There are also plenty of health and fitness benefits associated with aerobic exercise and strength training.

A great resource that shows you how to create a fat loss nutrition plan and a fat loss exercise routine is Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle. It's an excellent program and I highly recommend it.