The Difference Between Weight Loss & Fat Loss

Today, everyone is going crazy about "losing weight" but it just gets me confused on whether it is losing weight or fat that they actually want to achieve. Which is which?

These two terms are being used interchangeably by many, making it difficult for them to really identify what it is that they want. Today I am going to let you in on the difference between the two and which one is more advisable and advocated.

The difference

Weight loss means lowering the sum weight of your bones, organs, body fat, muscles etc. On the other hand, fat loss is lowering your body fat while preserving the muscle mass. I look at weight loss as just losing a little bit of everything which is far from necessary--that is why you need to put your focus on losing fat.

Fat loss means not losing your muscle. This translates to keeping your metabolism elevated and burning more calories. The muscle is metabolically active thanks to its little powerhouses (the mitochondria) that increasingly help in burning that fat around the clock, even when you are sleeping!

How do you ensure that you lose fat and not muscle?

Healthy eating. Check on your diet, make it balanced and make a point of eating whole, unprocessed foods and less starchy carbohydrates. and sugars.

Strength training. This will build your muscle and keep you from any muscle loss. It is also assists you in sticking to your diet.   

Your weight on the scale should never worry you! Instead, your body composition should be the worrying factor. That number on the scale can be very deceiving as it indicates nothing about the change in your body fat. In fact, if you're losing fat correctly, you may even see the scale number GO UP, indicating you have added muscle mass while dropping body fat (the ultimate goal and achievment!)

The take home message is not to be concerned with lowering the number on the scale. Instead, use the mirror as your guide and watch the fat melt off!