Why Fat Loss Not Weight Loss

When people talk about wanting to lose weight, what they really mean is they want to lose body fat.

Whether it is the love handles, back fat, bingo wings, man boobs, whatever it is, those bits people don’t like are bits of excess body fat. People think if I lose some ‘weight’ these bits I don’t like will start to go, which as a basic principle is fine. As you decrease body fat that will start to happen.

However, people measure this progress using solely weight, using the scales. Measuring a decrease in body fat by using just the scales can be very inaccurate. Your weight can fluctuate dramatically, on a daily basis, for a number of reasons.

We are talking by 5/6/7 lbs, easily. Mainly due to water retention.

Things like Increased carbohydrate, salt and alcohol intake can cause water retention, things like your bowel movements. A tough workout can cause your body to retain water, for women the time of the month.

These fluctuations cause a lot of confusion for people if they are not aware of these factors because sometimes their weight may not be what they expect.

This is why it’s not only important to be aware of and understand the things that can affect the number on the scales, but also not to use weight, as the only measure of your fat loss.

There are a number of measures we will use alongside your weight to more accurately assess whether or not you’re making progress. By

- taking progress pictures
- your body measurements
- assessing how your clothes fit
- looking at your progress with your training,

as well as looking at your weight, you can more accurately determine if you are losing fat or not.

I am sure you will have been there before, where you’ve had a “perfect week”, and somehow your weights gone up. Which is highly demoralising and can lead to people quitting, giving up on their goals because they don’t always see the progress they expect or feel they deserve.

By using all these other tools alongside weight, to measure your fat loss, it will give you more reliable feedback on the progress you are making.