Weight Loss Vs. Fat Loss
When it comes to weight loss, there are a lot of myths that need busting. It’s a common misconception is that muscle weighs more than fat, but in reality weight is weight and a pound of fat weighs the same as a pound of muscle. The difference is that muscle takes up less space than fat does, so while the weight is the same, the size of each pound is significantly different. Toning your body and getting rid of excess fat will have an impact on how your body looks as opposed to weighs. Because fat takes up more space than muscle, the area becomes taught and more toned. We’re talking about losing a few dress sizes, being confident and comfortable at the beach and not worrying about muffin top or chicken wings.
Anyone who has walked into a gym has seen the 1lb replicas of fat and muscle that help trainers explain why ‘weight loss’ should often be called ‘fat loss’. It can be hard to see the forest for the trees when it comes to getting in shape, and it’s difficult to imagine yourself fitting into a smaller dress while the number on the scale remains close to its original reading. People aren’t concerned about being heavy in weight so much they’re concerned about appearing heavy aesthetically.
Healthy eating plays a large part in losing fat and shrinking your dimply areas. Replace ‘diet’ in your vocabulary with ‘healthy eating’. Fat is actually an important part of well balanced meal, but the type of fat is the key. ‘Good’ fats are the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated variety, while trans fats are the ‘Bad’ and saturated fats falling into a grey area. Dipping bread in olive oil, eating an avocado and grilling up some salmon will all give your body good fats, while eating fried foods or pastries will net you some bad. Apart from negatively impacting your cholesterol levels and causing inflammation that could lead to heart disease, stroke or diabetes, bad fats also lead to cellulite. While diet and exercise won’t rid your body of cellulite, it will stop it from forming and help diminish its appearance.
Staying hydrated is an important part of losing weight as well, and actually stops fat from being stored in the body. When you’re dehydrated, your body clings to the water it has because it perceives this as a threat to its water supply. As a result, your metabolizes less fat because its focusing on saving water. When you’re properly hydrated your metabolism goes back to moving fat through your body and flush it out as waste. Drinking more water will help improve muscle tone as well, and your body will feel better for it. If you notice your retaining more water than usual even after drinking more, try cutting down on the sodium or caffeine in your diet. A good indicator of dehydration is darker than usual urine and pain urinating.
Be smart about fat loss. Work at not only the fitness aspect of a healthy lifestyle, but the healthy eating side as well. What you put in your body makes a difference when it comes to getting fit, and you’re only making it easier on yourself by fueling your body with goodness.
