So, you've been cutting back a little, and you've lost, what, 10 pounds now? Hey, that's great!
But wait a minute. Exactly WHAT did you lose? Was it 10 pounds of FAT? Or was it just "weight?"
Quality of weight loss matters -- a lot. You want to lose FAT, not just "weight," because the latter can be: fat, water, muscle. You want to lose the former, and little or none of the latter. (We all lose a little water initially; that's normal.)
The truth is, diet without exercise (weightlifting, especially), as well as extreme calorie-cutting, can lead to significant loss of muscle mass. As muscle helps drive your metabolic engine, you want to keep it -- and even increase it if you can -- and lose fat. What you weigh, in fact, is not as important as your body composition. And who better to tell you about that than fitness expert Covert Bailey?
I have always enjoyed Bailey's "Fit or Fat?" series of books -- he tells you the science behind metabolism and fat loss, and makes it highly entertaining. I re-read and refer to them frequently. Bailey's enduring theme is that "weight" loss is not important -- FAT loss is! Your ultimate weight goal should be dictated by your percentage of body fat, not by what your best friend weighs, or by what you weighed in high school.
Here is an excerpt from "The Ultimate Fit or Fat" . . . Bailey says this so much better than I ever could, I'll just let him do the talking today!
* * * * *
Plant firmly in your head the fact that the problem is not excess fat; fat is only the outer symptom. The real problem is the lack of fat-burning muscle underneath the fat. As muscle gives way to fat, not only does the muscle decrease, thereby lessening the need for calories, but also the chemistry of the remaining muscle changes in such a way as to require fewer calories.
Dieting may decrease fat, but it cannot increase the amount of muscle or reverse the badly altered chemistry of the muscles. Additionally, dieting does nothing to improve body shape. If a person was fat and pear-shaped before a diet, he'll be skinny and pear-shaped afterward.
Dieting attacks subcutaneous fat first; intramuscular fat is lost only under the most severe prison-camp conditions. Even if you were willing to undergo such rigor, the results would be disappointing, because you wouldn't have done anything to keep from getting fat all over again. Furthermore, your situation might actually be worse; radical dieting, unbalanced dieting, shots and fasting have been shown to decrease muscle mass while a person loses fat.
We have developed such a mania for losing weight that we overlook what the lost weight consists of. Suppose I were to call you on the telephone with the exciting news that the local supermarket was selling twelve pounds for only $1.29! Your reaction would be, "Twelve pounds of what?" Well, that's what I ask when someone tells me of a terrific diet that guarantees you will lose twelve pounds in no time at all -- twelve pounds of what? Unfortunately, while losing fat, you may also lose muscle, which decreases the need for calories and makes the problem worse.
All of us can think of someone we know who has gone on a diet only to end up looking gaunt and haggard. We admonish the person that she would really look better with a little more fat. But it isn't the loss of fat that gives her a wasted appearance, it's the loss of muscle! No, dieting isn't the cure for excess fat.
While many people diet to get ride of fat, a handful of people do just the opposite. They look skinny, so they overeat to gain weight. But when one does this, the added weight is only fat. The waistline disappears, the arms get flabby, the thighs and buttocks fatten up, and a double chin may even develop. Overeating to gain weight will add fat and put it in places where you need it the least.
Compare these overeaters and undereaters to the many people who have exercised their bodies to low fat levels. They are full-bodied, healthy individuals who lead active lives without being constantly concerned about the number of calories they eat.
Exercise increases muscle, tones it, alters its chemistry, and increases the metabolic rate. All of these effects mean that you burn more calories even when you're asleep.
* * * * *
Bailey has retired now, but his books are still available. I highly recommend them.
* * * * *
If you enjoyed this essay, please send it on!
Want to subscribe? Check the top of the page . . . on the right. And if you'd like me to link to your (noncommercial) weight loss blog, just drop me a comment; it goes right to my e-mail. All I ask is a link in return.
