**Misconception**

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jtabiolo
jtabiolo Posts: 50
in Fitness and Exercise
People often perceive that losing weight is the same thing as losing body fat. That is totally false. Your goal should always be trying to lose body fat. The reason is when most people's goal is to lose the weight, often at the end they still have a high body fat percentage. They've been in a caloric deficit but not really burning off the fat. So what they do is lower there calories but have a low intensity workout such as a slow pace on an exercise machine. Just because you see calories burn of a treadmill doesn't translate into body fat loss. I can walk on a treadmill and burn 700 calories but how much body have have you actual lost. So your mindset should be, to lose body fat percentage.
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  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,704 Member
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    Totally false.........no. While losing weight doesn't essentially mean ALL the weight lost was body fat, to say that it's false would be disingenuous. If one is losing weight and clothing size is reducing to smaller sizes, then obviously some fat loss is happening.
    One could do HIIT exercise and burn calories, but how much body fat was lost? Yes the goal to lose body fat is desired by most everyone, but you gave no actual resolve on how it should be done. I'd like to see your answer.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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  • jtabiolo
    jtabiolo Posts: 50
    edited March 2015
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    @ninerbuff‌ When losing weight, the way to lose just fat is by adding strength training into your fitness program. You just can't try to lose weight simply by performing cardio. The pounds you lose through cardio will come right back if you stop the cardio, without muscle mass to keep the weight off. When you add muscle, you improve the body fat composition ratio, which is the main goal. You shouldn't just be concerned with a smaller number on the scale
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    jtabiolo wrote: »
    People often perceive that losing weight is the same thing as losing body fat. That is totally false. Your goal should always be trying to lose body fat. The reason is when most people's goal is to lose the weight, often at the end they still have a high body fat percentage. They've been in a caloric deficit but not really burning off the fat. So what they do is lower there calories but have a low intensity workout such as a slow pace on an exercise machine. Just because you see calories burn of a treadmill doesn't translate into body fat loss. I can walk on a treadmill and burn 700 calories but how much body have have you actual lost. So your mindset should be, to lose body fat percentage.

    At least the title of your own thread, matches your posts perfectly ;) Misconception indeed...
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    That post is terribly unhelpful to anyone who can't read your mind....
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    What great advice! You totally cleared up my misconceptions and... wait... no, nothing.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Agree with this bit "so your mindset should be, to lose body fat percentage".
    But the rest of your OP is full of misconceptions.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,704 Member
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    jtabiolo wrote: »
    @ninerbuff‌ When losing weight, the way to lose just fat is by adding strength training into your fitness program.
    If you're not in calorie deficit, it's probably not going to happen.
    You just can't try to lose weight simply by performing cardio. The pounds you lose through cardio will come right back if you stop the cardio, without muscle mass to keep the weight off.
    Hate to tell you that if you stop strength training, the muscle will atrophy and metabolic rate will drop and if one continues to eat the same, the pounds will come back on.
    When you add muscle, you improve the body fat composition ratio, which is the main goal. You shouldn't just be concerned with a smaller number on the scale
    While true, adding muscle while in calorie deficit is possible, but likely improbable for the majority of people trying to it. Impatience (it's a long process) and lack of knowledge, will redirect people wanting to lose weight to what they can measure and that's going to be scale weight.

    Didn't clarify much at all here with your analogy.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    edited March 2015
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    jtabiolo wrote: »
    @ninerbuff‌ When losing weight, the way to lose just fat is by adding strength training into your fitness program. You just can't try to lose weight simply by performing cardio. The pounds you lose through cardio will come right back if you stop the cardio, without muscle mass to keep the weight off. When you add muscle, you improve the body fat composition ratio, which is the main goal. You shouldn't just be concerned with a smaller number on the scale

    I love the smell of broscience in the morning.......


  • Whittedo
    Whittedo Posts: 352 Member
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    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    What great advice! You totally cleared up my misconceptions and... wait... no, nothing.

    ^^ THIS ^^

  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    SO much wrong in the OP its funny.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    I'm in for the second horrible thread started by the OP.
  • who4fan
    who4fan Posts: 388 Member
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    Can't we just say that cardio doesn't add muscle mass and that you should do strength training as well. Any changes you make to lose weight have to be maintained to stay at goal, it's all a lifestyle change.
  • MommysLittleMeatball
    MommysLittleMeatball Posts: 2,064 Member
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    Broscience_Single.jpg&w=600&h=160&zc=1&q=100
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    can I ask what's with the *TITLES*

    and heh- I read that as *TITTIES*
    which makes me chuckle... but I don't understand the air quotes- that are real quotes.
    I'm confused.

    But I do appreciate the OP dropping some knowledge on us today.
  • blktngldhrt
    blktngldhrt Posts: 1,053 Member
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    auddii wrote: »
    I'm in for the second horrible thread started by the OP.

    Ditto.
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
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    It could definitely be phrased differently, but I got what he was saying.
    Basically, if you lose weight, you might be losing fat and a bit of lean muscle as well while in a calorie deficit. Keeping your protein goals high ( .8 or 1 g per 1lb of lean body mass is a decent goal) and strength training can prevent LBM loss. The more lean muscle tissue you have, the higher your resting metabolic rate (RMR), the more calories you burn when you're just sitting there.

    So, eat a lot of protein, strength train (body weight exercises count too), don't stay in a major calorie deficit for months and months without giving yourself a break and eating at maintenance, drink lots of water, do the exercises you enjoy, be honest with yourself, be reasonable about your goals, and be patient to reap the benefits.
  • foursirius
    foursirius Posts: 321 Member
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    So to understand this correctly the OP is essentially stating that your body uses nutrients to fuel itself and not all of this will directly be fat burned (I hope everyone here understands this). I'd agree that weight isn't always the best way to judge overall fitness especially when you are trying to add muscle mass and are already relatively lean. However, for losing inches off a waist line weight isn't a bad measure either and is very easy to track.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    And I agree that people should incorporate resistance training into their routine to preserve their muscle mass as they lose, and people should be more interested in BF% than goal weight.

    I just feel like the original post didn't quite say that (yes, you CAN lose fat doing cardio) and it was just too full of incorrect information.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    edited March 2015
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    jtabiolo wrote: »
    I can walk on a treadmill and burn 700 calories but how much body have have you actual lost. So your mindset should be, to lose body fat percentage.

    If you walk on the treadmill, I have lost no body. Maybe I lost the body I left with my car keys, I can't find them.

    Dude, my mindset should be aligned with my goals which are performance related and not bf% related. I expect I'll drop in bf% but eff if that is what my mindset should be.

    You do you, get off my mindset, kid.
  • doowizzles
    doowizzles Posts: 2
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    Some truth there but surely you don't expect everyone to want to lift weights!!! To be honest, I think it's the epitome of boring! I'd rather balance my exercise regimes with cardio and toning sessions alongside lots of stretching, Pilates and Yoga! In all honesty, just because you're 'ripped' doesn't mean that your way of losing body fat/mass/dropping a clothing size is right for everyone else!! So *misconception* I think is a little strong..

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