Weight Loss vs. Fat Loss - What’s the Difference?
Losing fat and losing weight is NOT the same thing. Learn the difference plus how you can track progress when fat loss is your goal.
Often when we discuss losing weight, we are really discussing fat. The problem is that they are not a one-to-one thing but we emotionally think they are.
Too often we are dictated by the tyranny of what the scale says, we think it’s telling us exactly how “fat” we are in a given moment. It goes up, it goes down, and at times it seems to have a mind of its own.
It can really mess with your mind when you’ve been working out, are feeling good, and visually look better, but STILL, the scale weight either stays the same, barely changes, or even (God forbid) goes up! Many times, as a trainer, I have to talk folks off the ledge when this happens. What gives!
Unfortunately, the scale is often the ONLY tool folks use to track whether or not they are losing body fat and the scale number comes to define whether they are being successful or not.
What does the number on the scale really mean?
Truthfully, for a fat loss goal, the scale by itself is a fairly crappy measuring tool. It will tell you your weight but it can’t differentiate WHAT that weight is composed of. Items such as fat, muscle, water, waste, and so on. Your scale weight is simply your current relationship to gravity. That’s it. We all (me included) attach too much emotion to what that number sometimes signifies.
Our body weight is constantly changing a little bit up and down every day. The scale can’t tell us what percentage of our weight is water at a given moment (more or less dehydrated), whether we have gained muscle from training, lost some body fat, what one’s current hormonal state (ie. where someone could be in their menstrual cycle), what current waste is being held in our bowels or bladder, or whether we have been having more (or less) carbohydrates in our diet.
For example, for every 1g of carb you take in, your body also holds onto about 3g of water. So if you consume, say, an extra 200g of carbs on a given day, that’s an extra 600g of water right there. 1lb = approx 454g so that 200 grams of carbs you just ate represents almost 2 more lbs right there between food and water in your system.
Losing fat and losing weight are NOT the same thing.
They have a relationship but they are not one in the same. It’s important to try and emotionally understand that, as hard as it is sometimes. What you SHOULD focus on most when thinking about losing WEIGHT is actually losing body fat, gaining muscle, and, in turn, changing the SHAPE of your body.
Really, in the end, that is what we mean by losing weight. We really want to feel a certain way or look a certain way. 1lb of fat takes up a lot more space in the body than 1lb of muscle.
For example, if you lost 5lbs of body fat BUT also GAINED 5lbs of muscle, you would weigh the same on the scale but would look much different and your body would have a different shape.
Here are 4 tips for measuring your progress:
First things first. If you are trying to lose body fat, focus on making a plan, following a reasonable, balanced nutrition and fitness plan and stick to it. When you track anything, scale weight or not, it should be measured against how your plan is working out or not.
1) Reduce your frequency of getting on the scale
If you are a chronic weight scale checker I encourage you to reduce the frequency you get on it and torture yourself. I have absolutely no problem with checking body weight but anything more than 1x a week or every other week is plenty. Remember that the scale weight doesn’t give you the whole story, it won’t take into account other factors such as fat, muscle, water weight, waste, food, bloat, etc.
2) Take circumference measurements
In addition to checking your body weight, another tool you should be using is a tape measure to take circumference measurements. You can buy a very inexpensive tape measure for under $4 and take them at home. Remember that when your goal is to change your waistline or body shape, a tape measure is going to be a much better tool to use than a scale to measure and track changes in your body.
3) Measure with a piece of clothing
One of our favorite measuring tools with clients in our programs besides photos and circumference measurements is using a piece of clothing to measure progress. usually, a pair of tighter pants or jeans works well. You can check progress every 2-4 weeks and see if they start to become looser on you.
4) Take pictures to track your progress
It can be very easy to forget what your body looked like before you started on your fat loss journey. Even if you are noticing changes, they most likely are subtle changes over days, weeks, or months and you are not going to really remember precisely where you started. As much as we all hate taking pictures of our bodies when we are not in our best shape, just DO IT! We have had clients tell us that they don’t think they’ve made much progress with the way their body looks, only to find out later that they actually made HUGE progress in their body composition when looking at their before and after photos side-by-side. It’s easy to forget where you started once you’ve already made progress and only see the way your new body looks.
Once you take your “before” photos just set them aside and forget about them for the moment. Don’t sit there and judge them. If you are making changes you WILL look differently as you go and really what the end product looks like is much more important than where you started. We recommend taking updated progress photos every 2-4 weeks and throwing them into that same folder to look at down the road when you are ready or entering the photos into a fitness app that will allow you to see your progress shots side-by-side. When taking your photos, try taking them at the same time of day, morning is usually best, and if possible, in the same outfit or swimsuit. Again, If you are serious about making a healthy lifestyle change, and staying consistent with your workout and nutrition plan, you WILL see major changes in your body!
Whatever you choose to do to track your progress, just remember, that body weight and body fat are not the same thing and that the scale is mostly just telling you your relationship to gravity in a given moment. Change doesn’t happen overnight so just keep focusing on making positive changes for your body through good nutrition and fitness habits. Your hard work WILL pay off in the end!
Want to reduce inflammation and lose fat for good? Start by downloading our free guide: 5 Easy Steps to Beating Belly Bloat!
We are Chris and Amber, a husband and wife team dedicated to helping you improve your nutritional and personal fitness habits for a better lifestyle. If you have issues with bloating, inability to lose fat, brain fog, or are in need of a proven nutrition and fitness plan to get you out of a rut, then sign up for our 28-Day Beat Belly Bloat Program today!
6 Healthy Habits to Adopt Now
Are you looking for ways to get healthier? Here are 6 healthy habits to adopt now.
As of today, we only have 55 days left in 2018 - I can barely wrap my mind around it! Chris and I just celebrated our first year of marriage on October 27th and it’s hard to believe that a year already flew by since then. I guess this is just how life goes when you are adulting!
Right around this time is when everyone is buzzing about the holidays (I literally just bought 2 small glittery Christmas trees from Target yesterday and it’s only the first week of November - I am part of the problem), before you know it, those 55 days will have zipped right on past us and we will be staring 2019 in the face!
It’s been mine and Chris’ goal this season to help our clients and you build healthy habits BEFORE the New Year starts instead of waiting until January 1st when all the damage is already done. Just because you will be celebrating with holiday parties, desserts, cocktails, and dinners, doesn’t mean that your entire rest of the year is already ruined.
Read Chris’ post: 5 Tips for how to avoid holiday procrastinating so you can crush your health and fitness goals
So, I have listed some super easy tips that you can start implementing today to help you de-bloat and feel awesome all throughout this holiday season. It’s not about perfection, just start making better choices and building healthier habits that will help you feel good mentally and physically!
Drink half your body weight in water -
One of the easiest things you can do daily that will help you look and feel healthier is make sure you are drinking enough water. Drinking water can help improve digestion which decreases belly bloat, flushes out toxins from our environment as well as all the yummy goodies you will consume this holiday season, help you have clearer skin, and help you fight of cravings! Everyday you should aim to drink about half your bodyweight in ounces of water. So say you weigh 150lbs, then you should drink about 75oz in water throughout the day! So easy and refreshing! Want to bump up the refreshing factor? For added taste and benefits such as better digestion and a possible weight loss boost - make your first morning cup of water, warm and add half of a fresh squeezed lemon to it.
Start meal prepping and make it a weekly habit -
This is an easy one but so beneficial! When you cook your own meals, you are in complete control of the foods that goes into your body! You have the power to eat foods that make you feel energized and healthy. How amazing is that? Meal prepping weekly can save you lots of time, money in your pocket, and inches around your waistline. It can seem like a daunting task, but really what isn't when you are first learning something that is new to you?! You just have to remember that it will come easier over time! Check out these tips on how to get started meal prepping as soon as tomorrow!
Start taking a high quality probiotic -
We have about 100 Trillion bacteria in our digestive tract which weighs about 3 pounds. So as you can imagine these guys make a pretty big impact on our health. Our gut is full of 85% good and 15% bad bacteria which helps to keep our immune system strong, keeps us happy – about 80% of our serotonin is in our gut, It helps to maintain healthy gut flora so we can reduce inflammation as well as avoid leaky gut syndrome which can cause food allergies and sensitivities, eczema, weight gain, as well as a host of other issues, and keeps our digestion running smoothly. Many things we put in our body such as antibiotics, medications, alcohol and certain processed food can kill off both these beneficial bacteria. Supplementing with a high quality probiotic supplement (this is the one we use and suggest to our clients!) with at least 15 billion live organisms as well as probiotic-rich foods like kefir and sauerkraut can help you to be healthier by keeping your gut flora in check and digestion functioning better. Better digestion = flatter belly!
Chew your food well -
Digestion begins when you first see and smell food, this gets your saliva going which contains enzymes to help break down your food as you chew. That's why having a quiet moment before you eat is so great, you can sit in prayer or a quiet moment to give thanks while you let those enzymes start working! Next we have to slowwwwww down! Most of us do not chew food properly as a result of being distracted and rushing through meals. Large chunks of food then go through the digestive tract without being broken down properly making it harder for our stomach acid to break down properly. It is important to really focus on the food you eat, try eating without distractions such as TV and phones (I know that seems impossible but you can do it!). Really concentrate on the look, feel and taste of your food. Chew until it becomes liquid in your mouth or aim for about 20-30 bites depending on the type of food you eat. As we get older our body produces less enzymes so we have to give our digestive system as much help as possible!
Move your body every day -
Keeping your body moving every day is key to stimulating circulation, creating a healthy digestive system and maintaining good energy. Exercise helps you to reduce cortisol, a stress hormone, which can cause you to store fat in your midsection. When you are under constant stress, your body goes into "fight or flight" mode and holds onto fat for dear life. But daily exercise will actually create a healthy stress on your body which in-turn helps you to deal with other life stressors in a healthier way and also helps to boost your mood by releasing endorphins, your bodies natural pain-killer and mood elevator. Win-win!! Getting in about 30 minutes or more of exercise a day will help improve your daily bowel movements and will make a huge difference in every aspect of your life! We get into this practice with the ladies in our 28 Day Beat Belly Bloat group via our fitness app so they can keep on top of it! Don't get overwhelmed, just start moving. Take a walk, jog, weight lifting session, a hike, a class at your local gym or a yoga class. You can also check out these workouts to get you started at the gym or in your home! The time to get started is now!
Supplement with Magnesium daily -
Taking magnesium daily is vital for great health because it can affect everything from headaches to our sleep. Magnesium helps control over 300 bio-chemical reactions in the body so when we become deficient, it can lead to things like headaches, migraines, constipation, moodiness, insomnia, dizziness, PMS, restless leg syndrome, eye twitches, leg cramps (hello Charlie horse cramp at 3am!!) and so much more! Most Americans are deficient in magnesium due to lack of it in our soil and therefore the food we eat, poor nutrient absorption, and it leaving the body through both sweat and stress. Magnesium deficiency has personally affected my health in many ways and it may be unknowingly affecting yours in ways you would never think of. I take 400mg of magnesium citrate each night before bed each night. Magnesium can also be absorbed through the skin by taking a relaxing Epsom salt bath at night with 1-2 cups of Epsom salt in very warm water or magnesium spray on the bottoms of your feet. Add some lavender essential oils in your epsom bath as well to get the most amazing spa-like experience! Your body will thank you for adding in this vital mineral!
So there you have it! You don’t have to wait until the New Year to start implementing healthy habits. You can use these tips and start right now! Do you have any tips to share that have made a big impact on your life? If so, share them in the comments!
Want to learn more about how you can stop bloat from happening?
Want to reduce inflammation and lose fat for good? Start by downloading our free guide: 5 Easy Steps to Beating Belly Bloat!
We are Chris and Amber, a husband and wife team dedicated to helping you improve your nutritional and personal fitness habits for a better lifestyle. If you have issues with bloating, inability to lose fat, brain fog, or are in need of a proven nutrition and fitness plan to get you out of a rut, then sign up for our 28-Day Beat Belly Bloat Program today!
3 Ingredients to Kick PMS & Cramping to The Curb!
Recently, I got a little personal with everyone on our newsletter and shared for the first time out loud that I haven't had a normal period in over a year and a half - some of them lasting 2 and a half weeks or longer! Trust me, It is as awful as it sounds! Luckily for mine and Chris's sanity, I started to detox all areas of my life - starting with a 10-day whole foods detox and cleanse first, followed by continueing a diet of clean whole foods, then my beauty products and cleaning products, plastics, etc. - and in a pretty short amount of time after I dropped over 6lbs of fat, the sugar cravings stopped, my stomach got flatter and my hormones started balancing out! For the first time in over a year and half, I had a normal 5 day period without PMS, minimal cramping - I'm talking only a couple hours on one day(!), and no lower back pain! It was shocking and exciting for me to feel so good after months of discomfort, pain and flat out annoyance.
During that one evening when I did experience some cramping, I decided I wouldn't take any over the counter meds to ease my cramping...that was my crutch before and it doesn't fit in with my life detoxification any longer. I was going to ease my pain naturally! So today, I'm going to give you my super awesome recipe for dealing with menstrual cramps and PMS in a safer, relaxing and more natural way!
Instead of picking up the pain meds, I reached for some of my favorite daily detoxification tools: Epsom salts, lavender and peppermint essential oils and made an relaxing PMS detoxing bath! Soaking in the warm bath for about 20 minutes soothed my aches, pains and left me super relaxed the rest of the evening. Here is what you do:
- Fill bath tub with very warm water, not scolding
- Add in 1-2 cups Espsom salt
- Just before getting in add 8 drops lavender essential oil and 2 drops peppermint essential oil, then swirl water around
- Light a candle, play some calming tunes, soak and enjoy for about 20 minutes
Soak up the benefits:
- Lavender essential oil – Calms and supports normal hormone levels. It also produces calming and relaxing effects on the body which can be used to relieve cramping, stress and anxiety.
- Peppermint essential oil - Makes you feel cool, relaxed and energized, reduces inflammation, helps ease cramping, and may help balance hormones.
- Hot Epsom salt bath – The magnesium-sulfate from the Epsom salts is absorbed through the skin and help reduce water retention and bloating. It reduces inflammation to relieve pain and muscle cramps, relieves stress. The heat from the water also heats up the body causing toxins to get sweated out.
Do you have any favorite natural remedies to relieve menstrual cramps or PMS?
I Am Awakened!
Welcome to Awakened Nutrition! I am so excited to be able to connect you here!
My name is Amber, I am originally from sunny Florida and I now live in beautiful Brooklyn, NY. I moved up to NYC in September of 2008 and at the time I was a vegetarian and the heaviest I had weighed in my life.
I met Chris, the love of my life, while working together at a boutique hotel in lower Manhattan. By this time I had started eating meat again, but my diet was far from healthy. Chris was also working as a part-time personal trainer and I eventually went to him for help with my weight. He explained the importance of a healthy diet which consisted of having protein, healthy fats and complex carb with every meal, and advised me to eat 5 to 6 meals per day. This wasn't like the diets I was used to where I expected quick weight loss results, this was a healthy way of eating where I could expect gradual and safe weight loss. He then went into the importance of having a consistent weight training and cardio routine. He had to reassure me that weight training would not “bulk” me up, but that it would create lean muscle that would turn me into a fat burning machine! I took all of the wonderful information he gave me, as well as information I read from magazines and fitness websites and started on a NEW journey. I eventually lost 17lbs and got into the best shape of my life!
In July 2011, I started my blog Exsoycise and started to share my soy-free health and fitness journey. My goal has been to show others that eating healthy foods does not have to be difficult or boring; it can be an easy process and taste delicious at the same time!
Over the last year and a half of blogging, I realized that I wanted to do so much more than just blog about my own health and fitness journey. Comments and emails started pouring in from various social media websites, and text messages from friends started coming through on my phone, everyone was asking me for health, fitness, and weight loss tips. I realized that without even knowing it, that I was a health coach! I knew my passion alone did not qualify me to be a health coach, and because I wanted to have the chance to help even more people achieve their health goals, I decided it was time to go back to school!
I am currently enrolled at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and am now coaching clients! During my training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, I have been trained in more than one hundred dietary theories and studied a variety of practical lifestyle coaching methods. Drawing on this knowledge, I will help others create a completely personalized “roadmap to health” that suits their unique body, lifestyle, preferences, and goals.
When I am not blogging and studying, I am creating new healthy recipes, exploring New York City with my love, and working on my own health goals!
Awaken Your Health Today!
When was the last time you talked with someone about your health and received the personal attention you deserve?
It’s rare for anyone to get an hour to work on their nutrition and goals with a trained professional. As a Health Coach and Personal Trainer team, we create a supportive environment that will enable you to achieve ALL of your health goals. Amber has studied all the major dietary theories and use practical lifestyle coaching methods to guide you in discovering which approach works best for you and Chris is an NASM Certified Personal Trainer and has been training at one of the top health clubs in NYC for the last 4 years.
Most approaches to nutrition dwell on just calories, carbs, fats, proteins. Instead of creating lists of restrictions and good and bad foods, we coach our clients to create a happy, healthy life in a way that is flexible, fun and free of denial and discipline.
No one diet or workout approach works for everyone. We will guide you to find the food and lifestyle choices that best support you! We will also help you to make gradual, lifelong changes that enable you to reach your current and future health goals.
Could one conversation change your life? Email us to schedule a free initial consultation today!
Best,
