Sunday, February 26, 2012

Why you don't want to lose "weight"

People have been asking me why I want to lose weight, and I think I should clarify my goal. It’s not that I want to lose weight; I want to lose BODY FAT. When I say that I want to “lose weight”, I really mean that they thin out the layer of fat that is sitting on top of my muscles, and add more muscle to my body.

 250lb vs 120lb woman
This image compares a 250 pound and 120 pound woman. As you can see above, body fat is yellow in color, soft, flabby, and voluminous. Fat sits on top of our muscle as a layer that is as thick or thin as we allow it to be. Having a thick layer of fat is what makes our bodies bigger, softer and heavier than most of us would like. Unfortunately, there’s limitless potential for how thick this layer of fat can get. 

The majority of people today have a fat layer as thick as several inches off the muscle, up to a foot or more. In order to control the thickness of our fat layer, we must regulate our activity level, exercise, and most importantly, what we eat!

In order to tone or define our muscles, we must thin out the layer of fat so much that we are able to see and feel the hard muscle underneath.

How to Lose Fat and Only the Fat


There are two things that absolutely have to happen to lose body fat only, while saving your valuable muscle:
1. Smart Nutrition
2. Strength Training

Every time we eat more calories than what our body needs for general energy, the excess calories go into our body fat, therefore making that layer of fat thicker. It only takes an accumulation of an extra 3,500 calories (over-consuming 3,500 calories can be in a day, a week, a month, etc.) to add one pound of extra fat to your body!

Losing body fat requires that we eat a healthy and balanced diet while creating a calorie deficit. We must consume fewer calories than what we normally consume maintain its current level of body fat. 

This means: sugary snacks and junky carbs should be very minimal!


The average woman requires about 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day to maintain a healthy body fat level, and the average man requires 1,500 to 2,000 calories a day. Athletes, strenuous exercisers and very active adults usually require more however; because they burn more calories. 

As you can see, there's not much room in there for the junk, especially when a slice of cheesecake can cost you up to 800 or more calories, or some coffee drinks up 500 calories!

Which would you rather have?
 



9 comments:

  1. Good post! Very important stuff to know. Your last picture illustrates it well - lean muscle is twice as heavy as fat.

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  2. I agree with Matt. Interesting and gross at the same time.

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  3. I also agree with Matt, the picture provides a great visual for the concept of body fat. You provide some great facts and have left me with a lot to think about concerning my choice of snacks. Great post Janine!

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  4. Thanks everyone, glad you enjoyed the post!

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  5. Interesting. I come from a culture where men don't even look at you when you are not a fat- good-looking woman. It is sad...

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  6. Oh no, I think I just ate my daily calorie intake for lunch. I guess I'm having salad for dinner tonight.

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  7. I already felt slightly guilty for eating more sugary snacks than normal today. After reading this I feel not only guiltier but also slightly grossed out.

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  8. This reminds me of the Body Worlds exhibit I've been to a few times. The slices of human bodies ! Gross lol I want to build more muscle, and lose all those fat cells!

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  9. Wow yuck. Probably shouldn't have had that McFlurry for lunch...
    And Janine, I saw you commented on my hot yoga blog and are thinking about trying it. You absolutely should! It combines strengthening, stretching, and even a bit of cardio if you do a hot flow class. I hope you try it, and let me know if you need a yoga buddy.

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