For many, excess weight is a frustrating issue. In fact, obesity is a worldwide disease affecting many countries. Perhaps, the main reason is that people do not really understand how their body works.
The body has its own logic to function, and we should create a framework of training and nutrition to either lose weight or lose fat. These are two fundamental aspects that we need to be clear about.
When we lose weight, it implies, in many cases, the loss of muscle mass, fat, and water, which means a decrease in total body weight. In the other case, fat loss is the reduction of body fat.
The difference between losing weight vs. losing fat is a fundamental point if you want to reach your ideal weight. This post will discuss how body fat is measured and the difference between these two concepts.
How is Body Fat Measured?
Body fat is part of our body’s components. We need it to cover joints, protect organs, store vitamins, and control temperature, which is your body’s energy source.
There are two types of body fat, essential and non-essential. To measure the fat’s thickness, specialists use an instrument called a skinfold calliper.
The formula used to calculate the body fat percentage is to measure the hip circumference between the height by the square root of the height minus 18. If women get a number greater than 33 and men to 25, there is an excess of body fat, which is detrimental to health.
Difference Between Losing Weight and Losing Fat
Losing weight involves losing any of these three components, fat, muscle, and water, so if you lose any of them, you will see your pounds disappear. Ideally, you will lower your fat percentage instead of losing weight because if you lose muscle weight, it will be detrimental to your health.
Fat loss is the reduction of body fat, which is much more beneficial to having a slim body. Remember that during a diet, it will always be essential to reduce the amount of body fat and add more muscle tissue, so our appearance will be much more defined, look fit, and be toned.
To avoid losing muscle mass, try not to focus only on reducing calories. Of course, reducing calories will always be an indispensable requirement when we want to lose weight, but it is not the only one; we need to do things in a balanced way.
All this becomes basic to understand because if you gain 1 pound of muscle and lose 1 kilo of body fat when you weigh yourself, you will see that your weight is the same. However, when you look in the mirror, you will notice a radical change in your body.
So, losing weight is the sum of the components we have already mentioned, while fat is only one of those components.
To get what you want, focus on losing fat. Our personal trainer can help you achieve this without hurting yourself. With a proper diet and the right exercises, you can lose weight while preserving muscle tissues; you will not restrict macronutrients.
By incorporating enough protein into your diet, the body rebuilds muscle tissue, even if your training is based on a strength approach. Therefore, be aware of the primary signs of muscle or water loss (weakness and dehydration) instead of fat loss.