A few years ago, while I was living in California, a member at a gym I worked at approached me and asked how she could get down to 90 lbs. Mind you, this woman worked out several hours a day and probably weighed a buck five. She actually needed to put ON weight. My knee jerk reaction was to roll my eyes, smack her upside the head and say, "Seriously Woman?!" But being a model of professionalism...haha, I didn't. To be honest with you, I don't remember what I said in response to her grossly overreaching request...though I do know how she could have gotten down to 90...or at least close to it.
simply...
- Strip down to your birthday suit, and you'll weigh less
- Don't eat for 12 straight hours, and you'll weigh less
- Don't drink water for a day, and you'll weigh less
- Cut off your right arm, and you'll weigh less, Guaranteed!
I'm confident most of you looking to lose weight aren't cutting off limbs or body parts. But, I do know many who try other popular methods: crash diets, endless hours of cardio, liquid only diets, and other starvation or restrictive tactics. Let me ask you this...do you think you're making progress even if the number on the scale is dropping?
I found this study online quite interesting and telling. This illustrates my point exactly!
Jane Jones (before diet)
- 160 lbs
- 30% body fat
- = 55 pounds of fat, 105 pounds of lean body mass
She decides to go on a super low calorie diet and doing only cardio three times a week. No strength training. After three months these are her new results:
Jane Jones (after diet)
- 140 pounds
- 28% body fat
- = 46.5 pounds of fat, 93.6 pounds of lean body mass
- 140 pounds
- 28% body fat
- = 46.5 pounds of fat, 93.6 pounds of lean body mass
What do you think? Was she successful? Many would say yes. In some ways I agree. But, if you're looking in the long term, or the big picture, I'm not so sure. She did drop 20 pounds, but at what cost? Her body fat didn't drop much. But the biggest red flag was that her lean muscle mass decreased significantly, leaving her metabolism compromised.
I'm guessing Jane was pretty happy with her results. (I would be too if I didn't know any better.) After all, she set out to lose weight, and she did. She probably didn't know that losing that much lean muscle, however, would sabotage her "weight loss" goals in future. In fact, that's exactly what happened. Jane lost the weight, saw no need to continue her extremely limiting and restrictive diet regiment, and eventually relapsed back into old eating habits. Now, flash forward three months...
Jane Jones (3 months later)
- 160 lbs
- 35% body fat
- = 62.5 pounds of fat, 97.5 pounds of lean body mass
I'm guessing Jane was pretty happy with her results. (I would be too if I didn't know any better.) After all, she set out to lose weight, and she did. She probably didn't know that losing that much lean muscle, however, would sabotage her "weight loss" goals in future. In fact, that's exactly what happened. Jane lost the weight, saw no need to continue her extremely limiting and restrictive diet regiment, and eventually relapsed back into old eating habits. Now, flash forward three months...
Jane Jones (3 months later)
- 160 lbs
- 35% body fat
- = 62.5 pounds of fat, 97.5 pounds of lean body mass
As you can see, Jane not only returned to her original weight, she also ended up with 5% more body fat and 8.5 pounds less muscle than when she started. This loss of muscle contributed to a slower metabolism thus making it harder to lose body fat and then even easier to gain more. This is why conventional "diets" rarely work.
What do you think about that? Through the years I've known many individuals who've actually become fatter because of dieting. I'm sure you've heard of the term "yo-yo" dieters. I used to be one, and I was getting fatter with each diet. Then I broke through the viscous cycle and never looked back. The number on the scale became rather obsolete as I focused more on total wellness...and perhaps doing 5 "big girl" pull-ups to measure my success and self worth instead of a stupid scale.
I tell my "weight loss" clients regularly that the scale number is actually a farce. Truth is, it doesn't accurately reflect the body's composition or weight distribution. It doesn’t take into account the ratio of fat
to lean muscle tissue. I'm sure you've heard the phrase, "muscle weighs more than fat." Really? How do you figure? A pound is a pound no matter what its constitution is. But, there is a difference in SIZE, at least in terms of muscle vs. fat. Take for example, 5 lbs of fat and 5 lbs of muscle. Which takes up more space? Which "5 lbs" would you rather have?
Still not convinced? Well, here's a few more interesting facts to stew over...
Body fat, adipose tissue, is metabolically inactive, which means its' primary function is to store calories, not consume them. A pound of fat burns about 2 calories a day to maintain itself. Muscle, on the other hand, burns about 6 calories per pound per day. When you exercise the muscle, (example, during weight training) you can burn more than 250 calories!
Also, unlike muscle, body fat isn't meant to be "active." Its' main purpose is to store energy (in the form of excess calories). Basically, fat just sits there waiting until it's needed. "This is an evolutionary adaptation based on the way we lived thousands of years ago, when the availability of food was spotty." Today, with the abundance of food (at least in the United States), we don't have to eat like it's our last meal. But, many of us do anyway. Consistently...consuming and storing more than enough calories to maintain the body's basic functions.
So, what do you think about all of this? Your comments and feedback are always welcome and encouraged. I'm wondering now, glancing back to the photo at the top, which "number" would you choose?
I would definitely choose the 5lbs of muscle. :) I totally agree with what you say here. But it drives me crazy when people will use the "muscle weighs more than fat" logic to explain why they've gained weight when they are trying to lose weight. For example, I gained weight while training for my first marathon. As in--I was pudgier by the end, flabbier, fatter--not more muscle. Why? I was exercising more but also eating too much to compensate for how hungry I felt. I gained the wrong kind of weight. But when I would mention that I had gained weight, people would say, "I'm sure it's just muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat." I think that's true for people who are doing serious weight training and really building up their muscle mass, but for the vast majority of people getting out there and just doing cardio to lose weight, this doesn't really apply. Is that right? I've never worked on building muscle until this year, but I always rolled my eyes at people who used that logic to explain failed weight loss because it seemed like an uninformed and incorrect explanation.
ReplyDeleteHa. I really do agree with what you're saying. Just sparked a slightly related pet peeve of mine. I hope it didn't sound like I was criticizing anything you wrote!
If you think about it, muscle doesn't really weigh more than fat. a pound is a pound, whether muscle or fat. Fat just takes up more space in your body. I gained weight training for my marathon too. I'm pretty sure it wasn't muscle. It was just the body's natural "fight or flight" system kicking in, which the body will either store calories/fat or expend them quickly...fight or flight. I've seen both scenarios when training for long distance races. It's an interesting phenomenon.
ReplyDeleteAs far as "dieting" or "weight loss" measures are concerned, often people who are trying to lose weight the healthier way, will in fact gain muscle at a faster rate than they are losing fat. So when they weigh themselves on a scale, they will see the weight gain and assume their "diet" failed or didn't work after all their hard work. What they don't understand is that in putting on more muscle they in fact have increased their metabolic rate, which will translate to more calories burned later and a greater fat loss. Some of my clients get a little discouraged because sometimes they don't see their scale number drop for a few weeks into the program. This is where they have to take a leap of faith and hold on. Because it goes against all the hype they hear in the media about "effective," "easy," "no brainer," weight loss tactics: like lose 30 pounds in 30 days, or 5 pounds in one week! But those methods only result in muscle lost, not gained, fat retained and metabolism drastically lowered....What's amazing for me to see is when these clients of mine hold a bit longer and see for themselves their transformation. They start to lose body fat/weight/inches quickly. They also turn a page in "their story." They see that I was in fact speaking truth. I see the shift in their mindset and it's extremely fulfilling for me as a fitness professional to see people make that switch of embracing overall health and wellness over just a "quick fix."
Anyway, I've probably rambled on a bit too much. But, I feel there needs to be a huge shift in thinking about what is a healthy way to lose weight, where in fact our thinking needs to be in terms of dropping weight...Fat loss, not weight loss. That is how I've been measuring my client's success.
I totally agree with this. I actually had someone give a lecture on this to me several years ago. I find that how my clothes fit is a good indicator of my fitness level, more than my weight. I also find that I can eat very little, lose some weight, but not feel good because I am low in energy. This first week in your program has been so good for me. I actually ate more, did more, and felt better than the week previously. I am very glad I decided to do this program. It is helping me to eat better and feel better. Ultimately it is not the number on the scale that counts but how you look and how you feel.
ReplyDeleteSusanne Price
Yes, yes. I find one of the hard parts about adjusting my eating pattern is the weight bump my body goes through as I change my food. I am one of those people who has a fear of eating all my allotted calories for the day. When I adjust from a calorie deficit to a healthy full count my body goes through a time of “hold on to everything because we don’t know when we will get fed again”. Once I hold steady with the right amount of calories for a time my body begins to trust that I will feed it regularly and starts to let go of the fat. It is a scary transition for me. It has taken a while for me to focus more on how I feel, function and look rather than the number on the scale. I appreciate the lift and shaping provide by my internal “girdle” when I build my core muscles. Yes Melissa, the waist does indeed go all the way around. I now strive for “big girl” pushups and a strong, flexible, fit body not just a number on the scale. It is a journey and my brain seems to come along in fits and starts. We are getting there.
ReplyDeleteYou are great! This is just what people need to see when they see the scale go up even though they have been kicking that gyms ass and eating a clean diet! I have been squatting with weights and sprinting up hill for the past month, I have already went up from 128lbs to 132lbs. I know it will start getting harder to gain that weight as I start packing on the muscle, but it definitely isn't a bad thing.
ReplyDelete