Are You Actually Losing Fat? Or Just Losing Weight…

Weight loss and fat loss aren’t the same thing. You can lose fat without losing weight. And you can lose weight & not lose a lot of fat. If you want to change how your body looks, fat loss should be the focus.

Here’s how to know if you’re losing fat:

Let’s start here: I weigh the same amount now as I did when I was in my worst shape ever. It just looks very different. My pants are two sizes smaller. The scale doesn’t tell the whole story. Weight does not necessarily equate to how you look. If we’re just losing weight (& not focusing on losing fat), we can become just a smaller version of ourselves. This is how we become (and I hate this term, but it’s descriptive) skinny fat. If we want to be lean & toned, we need to be losing fat & not just weight.

So how do we do that?

To lose weight, we need to be in a calorie deficit. We need to consume less calories than we burn. If we’re in a calorie deficit, the scale will, eventually, go down - guaranteed. That’s what determines weight loss.

Fat loss requires one additional element:

If we’re in a calorie deficit AND eat sufficient protein, we will lose fat and not just weight. Eating enough protein means we will retain all (or mostly all) of our muscle. This means the weight we lose from our deficit has to be fat. If we’re not eating enough protein, we will lose both muscle & fat.

So what’s sufficient protein?

The general guideline is to eat 0.7-1 gram of protein per pound of body weight each day (you can also use goal body weight if you’re somewhat close). Another option is 5-7 portions the size of your hand per day. An added bonus to eating protein is it fills you up so it makes it easier to stay in your calorie deficit.

But here’s the secret sauce:

If you eat in a deficit & eat enough protein, you’ll lose fat. You can support that deficit by walking more, eating fiber, & prioritizing your sleep. But if you add strength training to the mix, you’ll lose fat AND gain some muscle. This is the Holy Grail of fitness.

How will you know if it’s working?

The scale is a measurement of your weight, not your fat. It may drop as you lose fat, but it may not. The scale is just one number; it doesn’t tell the whole story. Measurements, photos, & how your clothes fit are all better metrics. Losing weight is a great goal & most people, while losing fat, will lose weight. But the scale should be a reflection of what’s happening to your body, not the sole measuring stick of your progress.

The scale lies at times. Pants don’t lie.

The fitness influencer/celebrity that you want to look like probably weighs a lot more than you think they do. (They may also be on steroids and/or photoshop their photos, but that’s another story) Weight is not always a good measurement of your fitness level (with that, so is BMI - I’m technically obese by BMI standards). There are times, and I need to be clear here, where people need to lose weight for their health, regardless of what type of weight that is. However, those situations are more of the exception than the rule.

When we’re thinking about changing our body composition and improving our health, we are mostly talking about losing body fat - even though we often use phrases like “I want to lose 20 lbs.” There’s nothing wrong with having goals related to the scale, but don’t be defeated if the scale doesn’t drop but your measurements are. I had a client who actually saw the scale go up 2 lbs, but, in the same time period, she lost 3 inches off her waist and fit into pants she hadn’t worn in more than a decade. Weight loss and fat loss are, indeed, different. Weight can (& often does) fluctuate daily from varying amounts of water & food in your body.

Just because the scale changed, doesn’t mean you gained fat.

The opposite is also true: the scale could stay the same (or even go up), but you are losing fat. The scale is just one number & not an accurate measurement of your progress day-to-day. But, if you are in a calorie deficit (supported by getting enough steps in each day - aim for 7k as a minimum) AND you’re eating enough protein, then you’re losing fat. I don’t give a flying Fig Newton what the scale says. I know it can be frustrating when it bumps up, but what do we do when it does?

Just. Keep. Swimming.

I recorded an entire podcast episode on the best ways to measure your progress and how to make necessary adjustments to your routine.