At the offices of Dr. Steven Warnock MD, experts often encounter confusion surrounding two simple processes: fat loss and weight loss. While both involve a decrease in body mass, they are not the same. Weight loss refers to a reduction in the overall amount that the body weighs, encompassing losses from muscle, water, and fat. Fat loss, on the other hand, is a more specific term that refers to weight loss from fat only. Understanding the distinction between these two concepts is crucial for setting realistic fitness goals and achieving a healthier body composition.
Weight Loss: A General Overview
Weight loss is a decrease in your body weight from muscle, water, and fat loss. It's a broad term that doesn't specify the source of the reduction. Weight loss can occur due to various factors, including a decrease in bone mineral density or glycogen stores. Sometimes, people use the terms weight loss and fat loss interchangeably. However, they have different effects on the body and health.
Fat Loss: Targeting Excess Adipose Tissue
Fat loss refers to weight loss from fat only, and it’s a more specific and healthy goal than general weight loss. Each person is born with a finite number of fat cells, and these either expand or contract based on factors like diet, exercise, and genetics. Losing fat is more beneficial than losing water or muscle, so it is helpful to be aware of body composition and how it affects health.
As a basic example of the above, consider an athlete with a big event coming up. This athlete might be carrying small pockets of stubborn fat - they aren’t actually overweight, but these pockets are blocking the development of further muscle in that area that might help their performance. This athlete doesn’t need to lose weight; they simply need to shed some fat. Despite diet and healthy exercise, some people might still be unable to get rid of love handles or a bothersome muffin top. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to lose weight - you might just have to decrease fat.
Why Fat Loss Matters More Than Weight Loss
When people are trying to lose weight, they might typically weigh themselves on a scale. However, this only tells them how much weight they have lost - not how much fat. Sometimes when people lose weight, they decrease their muscle and fluid density as well as fat levels. This could result in a reduction in lean body mass and adverse health implications. According to a 2018 review, the negative health implications of a loss of lean body mass are as follows: lowered metabolism, fatigue, declines in neuromuscular function, potential effects on emotion and psychological states, increased risk of injury. Moreover, the authors note that the metabolic decline that occurs following a loss of lean body mass can regain fat mass and cause unfavorable changes in body composition. The researchers advise that sustainably losing fat mass while maintaining lean body mass is even more important than overall weight loss. Losing weight and fat can help a person to avoid obesity and its related adverse health effects. However, it is essential to maintain lean body mass and muscle mass for the body to function correctly.
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Water Weight and Its Role
On average, water can account for 50-60% of a person’s total body weight. The term “water weight” refers to any extra water the body is holding. However, drinking less water will not cause a person to lose water weight safely. Conversely, drinking more water can help a person lose weight more effectively. Water also helps transport carbohydrates and proteins in the bloodstream so the body can metabolize them. The first step to losing water weight involves reducing sodium intake. Excess sodium can make the body hold on to too much water in order to keep the correct salt-water ratio.
Assessing Fat Loss: Beyond the Scale
On a weight loss journey, you may track your weight loss progress using a scale. While this can be helpful, most scales don’t differentiate between fat loss and muscle loss. When someone loses weight, they may lose water and muscle, not just fat. Knowing whether you’re losing weight from fat or muscle can be difficult. Health professionals can measure someone’s body fat using anthropometric devices. Still, a 2021 review indicates that no single method is sufficiently adequate, and many measuring methods are either expensive, complicated, or inaccurate. There are several ways to measure fat loss:
- A body fat scale can provide a more accurate picture of your body composition by measuring your fat and muscle percentage. Body fat scales use bio-impedance to tell someone what their body fat percentage is, and a person can use the scales to track their fat loss.
- You can also use skinfold calipers to estimate your body fat percentage, but this takes practice to ensure accuracy. Callipers measure fat in specific areas by pinching the skin, such as the abdomen. However, they can be challenging to use accurately.
- A tape measure can track where someone is losing weight. However, it does not specifically show if the inches lost are fat. Other simple ways to assess fat loss include measuring inches or centimeters lost from your waist and hips and noting any changes in how your clothes fit around your waist.
- Body mass index (BMI) is an anthropometric measurement that health professionals recognize to classify someone’s weight. If BMI reduces, a person could be losing body fat and lean body mass.
- Waist-to-hip ratio or waist circumference are measurements that a person can obtain with a tape measure and may help monitor fat around the middle.
Losing weight in the form of fat rather than muscle should be the priority. A body fat scale or skinfold caliper is more useful for monitoring fat loss than tracking your body weight alone.
Strategies for Prioritizing Fat Loss and Maintaining Muscle
There are a few things you can do to try to lose weight in the form of fat and either maintain or gain muscle mass.
- Eat plenty of protein: It’s necessary to make enzymes that help with: digestion and energy production, regulating fluid balance, supporting immune health. Protein is also important for maintaining the muscle you have and supporting new muscle growth, especially when losing weight. Protein can also make you feel more full, which may reduce your overall food intake. While protein needs differ depending on your age, health, sex, and physical activity level, consuming around 0.8 g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day can support muscle mass retention and fat loss with dieting. 34-56 g per day for the average male, 34-46 g per day for the average female. It is important to talk with your doctor before significantly altering your protein intake or making other large dietary changes. According to a 2018 review, popular diets such as low carbohydrate, ketogenic, and high-fiber diets result in weight loss - as well as a reduction in lean body mass. However, a high-protein diet resulted in more fat loss and less lean mass loss.
- Exercise: Exercise is the most effective way to encourage fat loss rather than muscle loss. A review of 6 studies found that older adults with obesity who engaged in cardio and weight training at least three times per week while following a calorie-restricted diet retained 93% more of their muscle than those who did not exercise. Exercise alone is an effective strategy to maintain muscle mass with dieting, but combining exercise with a higher protein intake may help optimize your results. The CDC recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity and at least 2 days of muscle-strengthening exercise each week.
- Follow a reduced-calorie diet: To lose weight, you must create a calorie deficit. You can create a calorie deficit by eating fewer calories or exercising, but preferably doing both. However, cutting your calories too much may lead to a greater loss of muscle rather than fat. Aim to moderately reduce the number of calories you consume. You can reduce the number of calories you consume by eating more whole foods, such as: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, healthy fats. You can also cut back on ultra processed foods, such as: sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soda, processed meats, fried foods. It is important to talk with your doctor before starting a calorie deficit. Cutting your calories too much may not only lead to greater loss of muscle mass but also harm your physical and mental health.
The same review indicated that some dietary supplements, including chromium picolinate and green tea catechin, might preserve lean mass while losing fat. However, the authors concluded that the best approach includes a comprehensive strategy of evidence-guided calorie and macronutrient intake and resistance exercise. A person should include adequate protein, and do strength and resistance training, to maintain muscle mass while losing weight.
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Considerations for Older Adults
Losing fat and maintaining muscle can be particularly challenging as a person ages. Research suggests that as we get older, body fat increases, and lean mass and bone density decrease. In addition, older adults may develop sarcopenia, which is muscle loss due to aging. Moreover, these changes in body composition put someone at more risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis. The following factors can help a person reduce muscle loss as they age:
- Exercise: Older adults should participate in muscle-strengthening activities 2 or more days a week. The activities should work the legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms.
- Nutrition: Eating more protein can help maintain good levels of muscle. Research shows that adults should eat 30-35% of their total calories as protein.
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