LOSING WEIGHT VS. LOSING BODY FAT

jcatlanta

Hi fitness pals,

As I continue to learn more about my body and the (bro) science behind it, I have learned a few things about how to achieve certain goals. My goal used to be LOSING WEIGHT but after HOURS AND HOURS of reading I am now on a QUEST FOR ABS which is actually "BODY FAT REDUCTION." Let's explore that topic a bit further.

A distinction that you may (or may not) know about losing weight is that you are actually wanting to REDUCE body fat percentage. Whenever you diet, losing "WEIGHT" actually means removing FAT BODY MASS from your LEAN BODY MASS. See, your body has a LEAN BODY mass number that determines, well, the weight of your LEAN muscle mass based on certain criteria such as Age, Height, Weight, and Active lifestyle. In my particular case, and using the Katch-McArdle formula (there are many to choose from, link below for this one) I am:

Age: 27
Height: 5'11
Weight:165lbs.
Body Fat: 13%
_____________
LBM=143.6 lbs.
Fat Body Mass=21.4 lbs.

Now, don't get me wrong. Some body fat is CRUCIAL and a NECESSITY to survive. It regulates body temperature, energy, etc..BUT the "HOLY GRAIL" ( at least for men) is to be at a single digit no more than 9% and NO LESS than 7%.

Now let's discuss briefly how to REDUCE BODY FAT and not just "LOSE WEIGHT." Your body has a SPECIFIC amount of calories it burns on a DAILY basis JUST TO SURVIVE. A calorie is quite simply:

cal·o·rie [kal-uh-ree]
noun
1.
Thermodynamics .
...used to express the heat output of an organism and the fuel or energy value of food.

What this means then is this. If you sit at home for a 24 hour period without DOING JACK your body will burn a certain amount of kcal(calories) JUST TO KEEP YOU ALIVE. This is called your TOTAL DAILY ENERGY EXPENDITURE (TDEE). Now based on, again, your age, height, weight, and lifestyle we can determine what our TDEE is. So let's use myself again as an example ( with the same calculator)

Age: 27
Weight: 165lbs.
Height: 5'11
Body Fat %: 14%
Lifestyle: Active (3x weeks activity)
_______________

TDEE=2135 calories.

That number is the magic number. Check this out. If I was working out and wanted to GAIN WEIGHT (MUSCLE) this number would, obviously, need to be higher to INCREASE muscle mass. If I wanted to MAINTAIN, then I should eat at or around this area. If I want to LOSE BODY FAT then, of course, I need to eat BELOW that number so that my body has to use STORED FAT to compensate for lack of, well, caloric energy.

Most of us here are wishing to REDUCE BODY FAT not just lose "weight" ( I'm going to repeat this so that we can separate once and for all the difference). I'm sure some of you have been on a working out regimen (weights, resistance, etc..) and watching what you eat but have yet to see that scale move to the left. Again the issue here is that since MUSCLE WEIGHTS MORE THAN FAT, you may be actually gaining LEAN BODY MASS BUT dropping your BODY FAT %. If you want to look toned and lean, then it is of UTMOST IMPORTANCE that you reduce BODY FAT WHILE TRYING TO MAINTAIN LEAN MUSCLE MASS. How is this accomplished? Simple. SLOW AND STEADY.

Right now, I am en route to the coveted single digit BODY FAT percentage, BUT since earlier in the year I was lifting weights and EATING LIKE CRAP (unfortunately) I have to drop my body fat. Since I don't want to have my muscle gains go to waste at the expense of dropping my BODY FAT, I have to reduce my calories SLOWLY. If I all of a sudden decided to DROP my TDEE to, say 1500cal/day my body would FREAK THE F OUT and start burning through fat like crazy BUT it will also start pulling energy stores from my muscles which is NOT what we (I) want. Our bodies are very apt at adapting and don't necessarily do well with sudden changes. The key is to reduce your caloric intake SLOWLY so the body has time to adapt and burn the right fuel.

I started dropping 50-100 calories/week from my TDEE until I reached a number that I can mantain steadily WITHOUT compromising my muscle mass. Ive been on this approach for 5 weeks now and have gone from 2600 (bulking) to 2000 (cutting) and have dropped 2% in BODY FAT. Again I wish to emphasize the importance of a SLOW reduction to achieve the best possible results while maintaining muscle.

Cardio can make a huge difference here by burning MORE calories. But I limit my cardio to just 1-2 days a week and really focus on hitting my numbers and macronutrients ( a whole different subject). So eat smart, high protein low carbs and medium fats. Slow digesting carbs (vegetables, beans, etc..) work better along with LEAN meats (chicken, fish, 97/3 ground beef, etc) and HEALTHY fats (avocados, almonds, yogurt). STAY AWAY FROM high sugary sodas, STARTCHY-fast digesting carbs (pastas, bread, rice, etc..) and just stick with the numbers. It's all a numbers game.

Here is the link to determine both TDEE AND LBM

http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/

If you don't know what your BODY FAT PERCENTAGE is, then buy a caliper (super cheap, $8) and follow instructions. It's much more efficient and accurate at determining your BODY FAT then simply looking at a scale that doesn't distinguish good weight from bad.

I'm not a doctor, or a nutritionist, I'm just a bro passionate about nutrition and exercise and feeling like I should help some people out........ That and it's Sunday and I'm at work feeling generous.

Any comments/crits/suggestions welcome.