Recently we’ve seen a few people post statements online and verbally say out loud, why am I not losing weight?! This is NOT critical. And here is why…
First of all, why is losing weight not critical and why is it bad just to track weight loss?
Clearly to a lot of people, losing weight is seen as a critical part of the dieting process. To them it is a result, that they are going in the right direction, that their diet is actually work, but is this actually so?
Surely me losing weight means my diet is working?
It really does depending actually on the goals you may have. Certainly if your goal is to ‘lose weight’ then yes, you are succeeding. But is that actually a result? Do you not want to maintain your current muscle mass? Notwithstanding fat loss is not linear in a slow downward slope from high to low body fat levels.
So losing weight isn’t always a result then?
Yes, and no. As bodybuilders and trainers, one major aspect for many is muscle. If one is simply losing weight it may means you could actually be sacrificing hard earned muscle gains through a sloppy diet with too few calories and not enough protein to support the muscle.
Net result is a smaller amount of muscle, a lower resting basic metabolic rate meaning in plain English that you will find it easier to put weight back on if you return to what was once your old maintenance rate – there is less lean body mass to support the calories going in meaning you’ll find it easier to put on fat than you once did.
Well, thats not good – what can I do?
Ensure you are eating enough! There are many online calculators such as www.myfitnesspal.com that will help you workout how many calories you are eating per day. As a rough rule of thumb, try to eat 300-500 calories below your maintenance level, with adequate protein levels, somewhere between 1 gram and 2 grams per pound of lean body weight, more towards the latter for the more advanced athlete.
How do I workout my maintenance levels and my total daily calorie needs?
A calculator such as Harris Benedict equation will help you work this out.
Anything else I need to consider?
Yes – a faster drop in weight is not better. Chances are if you are losing more than a couple of pounds per week, some of the weight lost is muscle. Another tale-tale sign of muscle loss is crashing in strength levels and endurance in the gym. Take note of this and perhaps add 100-200 extra calories and see how you feel.
On top of that, take measurements – if your weight is not dropping but your key areas (waist, hips, chest, arms etc) are dropping inches of fat, you are succeeding and you are losing fat and holding muscle – result!
Don’t look at a lack of weight lost a failure. Weight matters not. FAT loss is the critical aspect. Dropping fat levels means a leaner, more shapely you!
Thanks for reading!
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