Even doctors blur the distinction between weighing too much and carrying too much fat. Imagine that you and your identical twin go to the doctor and the doctor tells you both that you need to lose 20 pounds. Your twin decides to concentrate on losing weight as fast as possible by going on one of the popular quick weight loss diets.
You decide on a different approach. You start eating healthier without going on any extreme diet, begin lifting weights, and start running. Your goal is fat loss and improved fitness instead of maximum weight loss.
Six months later, you and your twin go back to the doctor for a follow up visit. Your twin has lost the 20 pounds the doctor wanted them to, but you've only lost a few. Yet the doctor tells your twin that they need to lose 10 more pounds while telling you that you are in great shape and don't have to lose anything. Why the difference?
Fat Loss Not Weight Loss Is What Matters
The doctor gives you and your twin different instructions now because the numbers on the scale aren't the most important thing. Your twin has been on an extreme weight loss diet for six months. They've lost a good bit of body fat. But they've also lost a good amount of muscle. Their body fat percentage (the ratio of fat to lean tissue in their body) hasn't changed that much. And look at them. They look skinny, but they're still kind of flabby. They're also low on energy and don't look so good.
Now look at you. You've only lost a few pounds. But you've added some muscle to your frame and lost a good bit of body fat. Your body fat percentage has improved a lot. Your not flabby anymore. Plus you're full of energy. You're strong and fit. You look better than you have in years.
Your twin lost all the weight the doctor prescribed, and you didn't, but any doctor will be much happier with your results than with your twin's results. That's because your weight, that single number on the scale, isn't what's really important. But that single number on the scale is a whole lot easier to measure and keep track of than your body fat percentage.
Get It Right
You need to get this one right. Concentrating on weight loss instead of fat loss is a big mistake and a big reason why people fail so miserably. Concentrate on eating right, working out, and losing fat instead of your weight. Soon you'll see and feel the results and no one will care about the number you see on the scale.
