Fat loss, on the other hand, comprises losing the fat on your body which is what you wanted anyway. It can mean that you actually weigh more according to the scale. You could have gained muscle mass, or could temporally be holding on to water weight. But the important thing is, losing fat means that you're on the right track.
Many times we religiously head to the gym, work out regularly, and give it our all. We even eat whole unprocessed food, and feel more energetic. Our clothes fit better, and our friends tell us we look a lot better. And yet, that number on the scale holds so much power over us, that it isn't even remotely funny. It has the capacity to ruin our appetite, our day, and even sabotage all our positive efforts.
There's so much more to looking good and being healthy than what the number on the scale can show us. Many people, when they go on a very low-calorie diet, lose muscle weight, or they may lose some fat along with their precious muscles. Muscles are very hard to gain, and are a result of lots of hard work. When you lose muscles, not only do you become less strong and are less fit but you also age early and decrease your immunity. So just because the number on the scale drops doesn't mean you're becoming healthy.
Quite the contrary, actually. One may gain muscle, and that may result in a gain of kilos. But if the body composition has changed and losing fat, while gaining muscles, the body will look much more toned, lose inches, perform better, be more fit, slow down the aging process and feel much better about themselves.
Is that not what all of us wanted anyway? So why fixate on the scale when it doesn't have the capacity to monitor if we're really moving closer to our goals, or going further away from it?
There are very fit athletes who would be regarded as obese according to the scale. They have so much muscle mass making up their body composition that their 'relationship with gravity' may be the same as another person who mainly constitutes of body fat. Both of them could weigh the same kiloss, and yet look startlingly different.
As long as you are doing the right things, the results will show. Eat clean, train hard. Don't worry about what the number on the scale says. It's clearly not giving you the whole picture. But I get it, you still obviously want to know if what you're doing is working for you. So how are we going to track our progress then? Hold on to your jeans! How your clothes fit is the best way to gauge your progress. Look in the mirror. If you look more toned, and feel better about what you see, then you're certainly making progress in the right direction. You can even use a measuring tape to keep track of your losses and gains.
And if you really want to get technical, get yourself a caliper and sit down to do the math to find your body fat percentage. But the most reliable way to know in which direction you are taking your physical and mental health is simply by asking yourself if you feel stronger, have more energy, and are happier. This simple method is so much more reliable than any other gadget that money can buy!
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