Fat Loss vs Scale Weight Loss
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I'm getting my bodyfat percentage down to "looks good naked" whether it's 25% 15% 10 % or lower I don't care. All that matters is looking good naked....oh and being healthy. so far 13% isn't looking too bad on me.0
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I'm getting my bodyfat percentage down to "looks good naked" whether it's 25% 15% 10 % or lower I don't care. All that matters is looking good naked....oh and being healthy. so far 13% isn't looking too bad on me.
I like this^^^! I may have to change my goal to "Looks good naked" Or maybe even "looks great naked"!! Of course, I may not be able to post my after pics here then...0 -
Quote "Although, Jane weighs 250lbs, it doesn't mean that she has to lose 100lbs of scale weight. She can lose 100% of 60 pounds of fat and get down to 190 pounds of scale weight and have a lean look. "
Ummm, no she can't. Although I understand what you are trying to say (and yes I read your whole post) and overall I agree that following body fat% is desirable most of your calculations are flawed because it is impossible to lose just fat without muscle. In the quote above you imply that Jane can lose 60# of fat and she will have a lean look at 190 pounds. That won't happen because when she loses weight she losed BOTH fat AND muscle. Its unavoidable. When she gets to 190 pounds she will look better but not lean because her body fat % will still be high"......it will be better than when she was 250 pounds but it won't be a lean look.0 -
Quote "Although, Jane weighs 250lbs, it doesn't mean that she has to lose 100lbs of scale weight. She can lose 100% of 60 pounds of fat and get down to 190 pounds of scale weight and have a lean look. "
Ummm, no she can't. Although I understand what you are trying to say (and yes I read your whole post) and overall I agree that following body fat% is desirable most of your calculations are flawed because it is impossible to lose just fat without muscle. In the quote above you imply that Jane can lose 60# of fat and she will have a lean look at 190 pounds. That won't happen because when she loses weight she losed BOTH fat AND muscle. Its unavoidable. When she gets to 190 pounds she will look better but not lean because her body fat % will still be high"......it will be better than when she was 250 pounds but it won't be a lean look.
WRONG!!!!! if Jane Doe is over 6' tall she can look lean at that weight however, if she is 4'11'' she will look like an oompa loompa.0 -
Quote "Although, Jane weighs 250lbs, it doesn't mean that she has to lose 100lbs of scale weight. She can lose 100% of 60 pounds of fat and get down to 190 pounds of scale weight and have a lean look. "
Ummm, no she can't. Although I understand what you are trying to say (and yes I read your whole post) and overall I agree that following body fat% is desirable most of your calculations are flawed because it is impossible to lose just fat without muscle. In the quote above you imply that Jane can lose 60# of fat and she will have a lean look at 190 pounds. That won't happen because when she loses weight she losed BOTH fat AND muscle. Its unavoidable. When she gets to 190 pounds she will look better but not lean because her body fat % will still be high"......it will be better than when she was 250 pounds but it won't be a lean look.
Schobert101, fat loss and scale weight loss aren't the same thing. You are looking at Jane losing 60 pounds of scale weight, which I haven't said that. I have said 60 pounds of fat.
I know that you are familiar with the saying that two people can weigh the same and one look smaller than the next person.
For example: Person A weighs 200lbs with a 18% body fat percentage and Person B weighs 200lbs with a 35% body fat percentage.
Which one would look lean to you and why?1 -
Schobert101, fat loss and scale weight loss aren't the same thing.
They ARE the same thing if the person lost ONLY fat (which is not possible by the way). That's what you keep assuming in your examples, that a person is going to lose only fat.You are looking at Jane losing 60 pounds of scale weight, which I haven't said that. I have said 60 pounds of fat.
But you also said that Jane is losing ONLY fat. In which case, 60lbs of fat loss = 60lbs of what you call "scale weight" loss0 -
Look good naked is a great goal!
And when we lose weight, for our health, to look good or whatever," surely we lose not just fat, but also muscle and water? Obviously, if we want to look less fat (not just be less heavy) it's in our best interests to lose weight fairly slowly (ie not a super-low-cal diet) so that not too much of the weight loss is simply muscle wastage. 0 -
Servilia, if you don't mind me asking, how do you track your weight loss and how do you tell how much pounds of fat you have lost?
I track my body fat percentage/pounds of fat and inches loss. That's how I see how much pounds of fat I'm losing.
The same way that I'm tracking my progress, is the same way that a lot of personal trainers track their clients' loss. There's a reason why personal trainers track their clients body fat percentage. They could just track their clients scale weight.
A personal trainer may not tell their clients how much pounds of fat they have lost. They might just tell their clients the amount of scale weight and body fat percentage they have lost. A client should ask their personal trainer to explain their loss in detail.1 -
Just a quick word to the wise: It's generally not sensible to presume that everyone who disagrees with you simply hasn't taken the time to read your posts, or has failed to understand what you've said.0
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A person can lose 5 pounds of scale weight in 5 hours, but they can't lose 5 pounds of fat in 5 hours.
How can I lose 5 pounds in 5 hours - please tell me. I'd really like to know!
....Is it the same as 5 lbs of rice?
Ask any competitive athlete who has had to make a weight class how to lose X amount of scale weight quickly and they will tell you they "sweated it out." In other words they manipulated their water balance through the use of various methods (saunas, carb cycling, diuretics)
In addition, it is perfectly natural for someone's scale weight to fluctuate by this amount in a single day due to water loss, food in the GI tract etc.
Is it possible to lose 5 lbs of scale weight in 5 hours? Yes. Does that equate with success if your goal is body recomp (change the % of lean mass to fat mass you have) No. Why? Because the goal is fat loss and barring invasive surgery you cannot lose that amount of fat in 5 hours as the OP stated.0 -
I use a scale that also measures body fat. And I measure inches. Most at home scales can be off by a bit, but I'm watching the difference from week to week. In any case I don't have a huge amount to lose and can tell by how I look how I'm doing. It's still nice to see the scale go down so I like weighing in.0
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It is impossible to lose only fat. When you lose weight it is a combination of muscle, fat, water, and sometimes bone.
You also physically cannot gain pounds of muscle weight while eating a calorie deficit. It just doesn't happen. Bone density maybe, water weight, probably, but muscle? It requires a rather large surplus of excess calories in order to build muscle weight. The average person, not the average dieter, but average person, is generally lucky to gain a pound of muscle in a month.
Unless you're a bodybuilder, you don't even want to keep all the muscle your overweight body has, as when we gain excess fat, the body needs more muscle to lug that fat around, and since gaining weight is caused by eating a large calorie surplus, there ya go, the adds adds some muscle to compensate for a lot of extra fat. As you lose fat, your body doesn't need the excess muscle, and breaks it down to compensate.
Also, Azackery, in your example there, neither would look "lean." The 200 pound person with 18% body fat would look muscular and large, the one with 35% body fat would look large and fat.0 -
So how does one lose 100% body fat, given that to be healthy even as a bodybuilder your fat should be 10%-12%?
I'm presuming she means if body recomp is your goal ideally you would like 100% of the change you see in the scale to be due to fat loss as opposed to lean mass.
Sadly, given the way our bodies partition calories this is simply not possible. Some of our loss will inevitably come from muscle, the % of which is mostly governed by genetics (oh to be a meso body type...) How certain things can limit muscle loss in a hypocalorific diet: moderate calorie deficits, adequate recovery time, good diet, resistance training, sufficient protein.
Again if your goal is body recomp (most people on this forum in reality) muscle preservation will be important.0 -
Okay this post has piqued my curiosity. By the very logic of the op, my body is made up of fat and lean muscle mass and nothing more. This makes absolutely no sense to me at all. What about bone, skin, fluids, waste, essential organs, etc.?
LBM = fat free mass.0 -
A person can lose 5 pounds of scale weight in 5 hours, but they can't lose 5 pounds of fat in 5 hours.
How can I lose 5 pounds in 5 hours - please tell me. I'd really like to know!
....Is it the same as 5 lbs of rice?
Ask any competitive athlete who has had to make a weight class how to lose X amount of scale weight quickly and they will tell you they "sweated it out." In other words they manipulated their water balance through the use of various methods (saunas, carb cycling, diuretics)
In addition, it is perfectly natural for someone's scale weight to fluctuate by this amount in a single day due to water loss, food in the GI tract etc.
Is it possible to lose 5 lbs of scale weight in 5 hours? Yes. Does that equate with success if your goal is body recomp (change the % of lean mass to fat mass you have) No. Why? Because the goal is fat loss and barring invasive surgery you cannot lose that amount of fat in 5 hours as the OP stated.
Msf74, thank you for your post. You understand what I am talking about. I have seen a show that showed what athletes do to manipulate a scale, because they had to be certain scale weight to compete.0 -
It is impossible to lose only fat. When you lose weight it is a combination of muscle, fat, water, and sometimes bone.
You also physically cannot gain pounds of muscle weight while eating a calorie deficit. It just doesn't happen. Bone density maybe, water weight, probably, but muscle? It requires a rather large surplus of excess calories in order to build muscle weight. The average person, not the average dieter, but average person, is generally lucky to gain a pound of muscle in a month.
Unless you're a bodybuilder, you don't even want to keep all the muscle your overweight body has, as when we gain excess fat, the body needs more muscle to lug that fat around, and since gaining weight is caused by eating a large calorie surplus, there ya go, the adds adds some muscle to compensate for a lot of extra fat. As you lose fat, your body doesn't need the excess muscle, and breaks it down to compensate.
Best (most accurate) information in this whole thread.
You don't WANT to lose "only" fat. You will inevitably lose a small amount of muscle and connective tissue as well. It's how it is and how it has to be. Deal.0 -
I use a scale that also measures body fat. And I measure inches. Most at home scales can be off by a bit, but I'm watching the difference from week to week. In any case I don't have a huge amount to lose and can tell by how I look how I'm doing. It's still nice to see the scale go down so I like weighing in.
Servilia, I could be wrong, but I'm sure you are logging your results somewhere. Please do me a favor. Use the formula below to see how much of your initial weight was from fat and how much was from your lean body mass and then do the same thing for your last weigh in and subtract your last results from your initial results to see how much scale weight you have lost compare to how much pounds of fat you have lost.
Here's the formula again:
Initial weight x Body fat percentage = Pounds of fat
Initial weight - Pounds of fat = lean body mass1 -
You also physically cannot gain pounds of muscle weight while eating a calorie deficit. It just doesn't happen. Bone density maybe, water weight, probably, but muscle? It requires a rather large surplus of excess calories in order to build muscle weight. The average person, not the average dieter, but average person, is generally lucky to gain a pound of muscle in a month.
Whilst this is generally true it is important to bear in mind the starting position of the trainee.
In the Wallace study (Wallace, M.B., Mills, B.D., & Browning, C.L. (1997). Effects of cross training on markers of insulin resistance/hyperinsulinemia) a group of 8 men lost an average of 16.3 lbs of fat whilst gaining 9.5 lbs of lean mass under clinical observation over a 14 week period.
However, it should be noted that these men were borderline obese with BF% of around 27 and new to training. Also, the figures cited were an average: some lost more and some less due to genetic factors. In addition, whether this rate of fat loss and lean mass gain would carry on at such a rate once their bodies had adapted to the training is highly dubious.
Other circumstances include where an individual can lose fat whilst gaining lean mass are formerly athletic individuals coming back to training after a layoff. However, their figure will be nothing like the above.
If you don't fall into the above categories then it is highly unlikely you can gain lean mass at the same time losing fat whilst on a calorie deficit.
Like the vast majority of questions in fitness this one is individual specific.
ETA: in the Wallace study the water displacement method was used to calculate changes in lean mass (thank you Archimedes...) This is subject to error but better than most methods.0 -
I use a scale that also measures body fat. And I measure inches. Most at home scales can be off by a bit, but I'm watching the difference from week to week. In any case I don't have a huge amount to lose and can tell by how I look how I'm doing. It's still nice to see the scale go down so I like weighing in.
Servilia, I could be wrong, but I'm sure you are logging your results somewhere. Please do me a favor. Use the formula below to see how much of your initial weight was from fat and how much was from your lean body mass and then do the same thing for your last weigh in and subtract your last results from your initial results to see how much scale weight you have lost compare to how much pounds of fat you have lost.
Here's the formula again:
Initial weight x Body fat percentage = Pounds of fat
Initial weight - Pounds of fat = lean body mass
My info, including BF% is in my signature so if you're that curious, go ahead yourself 0 -
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MyFitnessPal Forum Moderator0 -
I believe in strength training. Increase in lean body mass means muscle gain and increase in scale weight, right?
My last paragraph about still losing scale weight while gaining muscle was a response to this. I was saying that, unless you have very low body fat to begin with, you aren't going to gain a ton of weight lifting. You will lose fat and gain muscel, which will keep you slimmer and if anything the same weight but most likely less. I did not say anything confrontational to you at all, and if you read mine clearly you would I was addressing a trap I have seen a lot of members fall in to. They start lifting when they hadn't done a lot of strength training before and allow themselves to use that as an excuse for any weight gain. This is problematic because it prevents from finding the real source of the problem and sours some people from lifting at all, which is not good. Also, it has nothing to do with you. Your above statement CAN be true, for many people on here it will not be. That is what I was saying.
I wasnt trying to fight with you AZ and I am not sure what thread you are talking about, I do believe you and I have never interacted on here before. I am not trying to be "messy", and I did read your whole post. The way your opening paragraph is worded it sounded like you were saying you wanted to lose 100% body fat, I see that is says 100% body fat percentage, but 100% of 100% is all of it so that means the same thing to me. I think it is a wording issue, syntax. I hope you will not take this post as (inexplicably) personal as you took my last one. And lets remember that you are probably not the only one that possess knowledge about these subjects.0 -
My last paragraph about still losing scale weight while gaining muscle was a response to this. I was saying that, unless you have very low body fat to begin with, you aren't going to gain a ton of weight lifting. You will lose fat and gain muscel, which will keep you slimmer and if anything the same weight but most likely less. I did not say anything confrontational to you at all, and if you read mine clearly you would I was addressing a trap I have seen a lot of members fall in to. They start lifting when they hadn't done a lot of strength training before and allow themselves to use that as an excuse for any weight gain. This is problematic because it prevents from finding the real source of the problem and sours some people from lifting at all, which is not good. Also, it has nothing to do with you. Your above statement CAN be true, for many people on here it will not be. That is what I was saying.
I wasnt trying to fight with you AZ and I am not sure what thread you are talking about, I do believe you and I have never interacted on here before. I am not trying to be "messy", and I did read your whole post. The way your opening paragraph is worded it sounded like you were saying you wanted to lose 100% body fat, I see that is says 100% body fat percentage, but 100% of 100% is all of it so that means the same thing to me. I think it is a wording issue, syntax. I hope you will not take this post as (inexplicably) personal as you took my last one. And lets remember that you are probably not the only one that possess knowledge about these subjects.
ItsMeTime, I want to start off by saying that I want to apologize to you for mistaking you for one of the ladies from the other thread, where I have stated that muscle is heavier than fat. That's another topic and I don't want to discuss it here. My thread was hijacked by people from that thread. They came on here to start a fight with me. I'm glad the issue was handled.
I have started this thread to encourage people to track their body fat percentage and work the formula to see what they are gaining and losing. A lot of people don't track their body fat percentage, so therefore they don't do the formula. If they have been working out, eating healthy, losing inches and notice that their scale weight number has gone up, they think the have gained muscles.
Knowing your body fat percentage and working the formula can help person see if they what they are gaining and losing.0 -
I want to show what I am talking about, when I say that I aiming to lose 100% body fat percentage/pounds of fat.
We all have heard that for a healthy weight loss a person should lose between 1 to 2 pounds a week. What they are talking about is losing 1 to 2 pounds of fat a week.
If a person loses 1 pound of fat a week, they would lose 4 pounds of fat a month. If a person loses 2 pounds of fat a week, they would lose 8 pounds of fat a month.
I'm going to try my best to explain in my own words, the difference between fat loss and scale weight loss.
Fat loss is the loss of fat from your body. When a person loses pounds of fat, their pounds of fat number decreases. Their body fat percentage goes down.
Scale weight loss is the loss of a number or numbers from your total weight. A person can lose 2 pounds of scale weight in one day, but the 2 pounds will not be fat loss. Lean body mass loss can make the scale weight number go down as well.
Let me show an example of a person losing 2 pounds of fat in a week.
Formula:
Weight x body fat percentage = Pounds of fat
Weight - Pounds of fat = Pounds of lean body mass
On 08-21-11, Bob Green weighs 275 pounds with a 40% body fat percentage.
Bob's results:
275 x 40% (0.40) = 110 pounds of fat
275 - 110 = 165 pounds of lean body mass
Weight: 275
BF%: 40%
Pounds of fat: 110
Pounds of lean body mass: 165
Okay, say in 7 days Bob now weighs 273lbs with a 39.7% body fat percentage.
Bob's new results:
273 x 39.7% = 108 pounds of fat
273 - 108 = 165 pounds of lean body mass
Weight: 273lbs
BF%: 39.7%
Pounds of fat: 108
Pounds of lean body mass: 165
To see what you have lost, subtract your current results from your previous results. (Side note for people that's tracking their body fat percentage: Once you've reached your goal, subtract your final results from your initial results. This will give you an overall picture of your hard work.)
Bob's results:
Weight: 275 - 273 = 2 pounds
BF%: 40% - 39.7% = 0.3%
Pounds of fat: 110 - 108 = 2 pounds
Pounds of lean body mass: 165 -165 = 0
The above example shows that Bob has lost 100% of 2 pounds of fat. When a person has lost 100% pounds of fat, both their pounds of fat loss number and scale weight loss number will match.
Bob's pounds of fat number is 2 and his pounds of scale weight loss number is 2.
Let me show why it's stated not to lose no more than 2 pounds a week. I'm going to use this showing the scale weight loss angel. In this example, Bob loses 3 pounds in a week.
I'm going to use Bob's initial information.
On 08-21-11, Bob Green weighs 275 pounds with a 40% body fat percentage.
Bob's results:
275 x 40% (0.40) = 110 pounds of fat
275 - 110 = 165 pounds of lean body mass
Weight: 275
BF%: 40%
Pounds of fat: 110
Pounds of lean body mass: 165
Okay, say in 7 days Bob now weighs 272lbs with a 39.7% body fat percentage.
Bob's new results:
272 x 39.7% = 108 pounds of fat
272 - 108 = 164 pounds of lean body mass
Weight: 272lbs
BF%: 39.7%
Pounds of fat: 108
Pounds of lean body mass: 164
This will be Bob's results:
Weight: 275 -272 = 3 pounds
BF%: 40% - 39.7% = 0.3%
Pounds of Fat: 110 - 108 = 2 pounds
Pounds of lean body mass: 165 -164 = 1 pound
What does this example shows? It shows that Bob lost 3 pounds and out of the 3 pounds he lost, 2 pounds were fat loss and 1 pound was lean body mass loss.
In this example, Bob didn't lose 100% pounds of fat.
I aim to lose 100% pounds of fat. I weigh myself and take my measurements once a month. My monthly goal is to lose between 4 to 8 pounds of fat a month.
On my journey, have I lost lean body mass? Yes. Have I've gain pounds of fat? Yes.
I'm on the slow road and that's the way I like it. It will take me a year or longer to reach my goal and I'm okay with that.
I will speak for myself. My scale weight doesn't determine what size clothes I wear or even how strong I am. It's just a number to me. I'm not worrying about it. My eyes are on my pounds of fat, body fat percentage and inches.1 -
What percentage have you lost?0
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I want to show what I am talking about, when I say that I aiming to lose 100% body fat percentage/pounds of fat.
We all have heard that for a healthy weight loss a person should lose between 1 to 2 pounds a week. What they are talking about is losing 1 to 2 pounds of fat a week.
If a person loses 1 pound of fat a week, they would lose 4 pounds of fat a month. If a person loses 2 pounds of fat a week, they would lose 8 pounds of fat a month.
I'm going to try my best to explain in my own words, the difference between fat loss and scale weight loss.
Fat loss is the loss of fat from your body. When a person loses pounds of fat, their pounds of fat number decreases. Their body fat percentage goes down.
Scale weight loss is the loss of a number or numbers from your total weight. A person can lose 2 pounds of scale weight in one day, but the 2 pounds will not be fat loss. Lean body mass loss can make the scale weight number go down as well.
Let me show an example of a person losing 2 pounds of fat in a week.
Formula:
Weight x body fat percentage = Pounds of fat
Weight - Pounds of fat = Pounds of lean body mass
On 08-21-11, Bob Green weighs 275 pounds with a 40% body fat percentage.
Bob's results:
275 x 40% (0.40) = 110 pounds of fat
275 - 110 = 165 pounds of lean body mass
Weight: 275
BF%: 40%
Pounds of fat: 110
Pounds of lean body mass: 165
Okay, say in 7 days Bob now weighs 273lbs with a 39.7% body fat percentage.
Bob's new results:
273 x 39.7% = 108 pounds of fat
273 - 108 = 165 pounds of lean body mass
Weight: 273lbs
BF%: 39.7%
Pounds of fat: 108
Pounds of lean body mass: 165
To see what you have lost, subtract your current results from your previous results. (Side note for people that's tracking their body fat percentage: Once you've reached your goal, subtract your final results from your initial results. This will give you an overall picture of your hard work.)
Bob's results:
Weight: 275 - 273 = 2 pounds
BF%: 40% - 39.7% = 0.3%
Pounds of fat: 110 - 108 = 2 pounds
Pounds of lean body mass: 165 -165 = 0
The above example shows that Bob has lost 100% of 2 pounds of fat. When a person has lost 100% pounds of fat, both their pounds of fat loss number and scale weight loss number will match.
Bob's pounds of fat number is 2 and his pounds of scale weight loss number is 2.
Let me show why it's stated not to lose no more than 2 pounds a week. I'm going to use this showing the scale weight loss angel. In this example, Bob loses 3 pounds in a week.
I'm going to use Bob's initial information.
On 08-21-11, Bob Green weighs 275 pounds with a 40% body fat percentage.
Bob's results:
275 x 40% (0.40) = 110 pounds of fat
275 - 110 = 165 pounds of lean body mass
Weight: 275
BF%: 40%
Pounds of fat: 110
Pounds of lean body mass: 165
Okay, say in 7 days Bob now weighs 272lbs with a 39.7% body fat percentage.
Bob's new results:
272 x 39.7% = 108 pounds of fat
272 - 108 = 164 pounds of lean body mass
Weight: 272lbs
BF%: 39.7%
Pounds of fat: 108
Pounds of lean body mass: 164
This will be Bob's results:
Weight: 275 -272 = 3 pounds
BF%: 40% - 39.7% = 0.3%
Pounds of Fat: 110 - 108 = 2 pounds
Pounds of lean body mass: 165 -164 = 1 pound
What does this example shows? It shows that Bob lost 3 pounds and out of the 3 pounds he lost, 2 pounds were fat loss and 1 pound was lean body mass loss.
In this example, Bob didn't lose 100% pounds of fat.
I aim to lose 100% pounds of fat. I weigh myself and take my measurements once a month. My monthly goal is to lose between 4 to 8 pounds of fat a month.
On my journey, have I lost lean body mass? Yes. Have I've gain pounds of fat? Yes.
I'm on the slow road and that's the way I like it. It will take me a year or longer to reach my goal and I'm okay with that.
I will speak for myself. My scale weight doesn't determine what size clothes I wear or even how strong I am. It's just a number to me. I'm not worrying about it. My eyes are on my pounds of fat, body fat percentage and inches.
I could not help but chime in here. After reading all those posts, I realize that there are some truly egotistical and very mean people on this MFP. I totally understood what you were saying and yes it makes sense to me. I have posted a blog about not worrying if the scale does not move, just go by how your clothes are fitting or take pictures weekly to compare so that it can be seen how you are toning and the fat is melting away. I hope that the nastiness from others does not deter you from posting your thoughts. Although the blog was quite lengthy, it was informative. Good luck on your fat loss journey!0 -
The above example shows that Bob has lost 100% of 2 pounds of fat. When a person has lost 100% pounds of fat, both their pounds of fat loss number and scale weight loss number will match.
So, like I said above, if body recomp is the goal what an individual is aiming for is to see all the movement on the scale correlating with fat loss, not LBM. There's no way an individual can know that's the case without tracking their BF% and relying solely on the scale will not tell you exactly what changes are occurring within the body.
In addition, you have to remember that fat loss can still be occurring even if your scale weight does not change at ALL. This is especially true when you get to lower levels of body fat. For example, your weight can be static for weeks at a time but your bf% will be lowering as will your measurements meaning fat loss is occurring. This is generally due to water balance issues which can mask the true situation on the scale. If I lose 2lbs of fat in a month but my LBM goes up at the same time (possibly a LITTLE muscle in most cases but predominantly water) by 2lb the result is my scale weight stays exactly the same. I am succeeding but the scale tells me I am failing. Water levels are highly variable and change daily, white adipose tissue - fat - not so much.
I would say that getting hung up on specific numbers be it scale weight, BF%, LBM, whatever is a recipe for unhealthy obsession. Track trends over time by all means but in reality if you are getting stronger, if you look better, feel better, have more energy, look good naked who really cares what your weight or even BF% is?
I am glad something positive and constructive has come out of the utter stupidity of the other thread. Listen, I didn't think you helped yourself by the way you came across. However, I despise seeing a large number of people grouping up against an individual relentlessly without at least trying to give the individual the benefit of the doubt. Well, unless it's me that is.I am more than capable of handling myself without any back up.
I understand by adding to your thread and balancing out the numbers I am making myself unpopular so there is no need for members to keep messaging me about it. Being popular, or cool, or part of the in crowd means nothing to me...0 -
For more in depth information on body fat etc, check out:
The Body Fat Solution: Five Principles for Burning Fat, Building Lean Muscle, Ending EmotionalEating, and Maintaining Your Perfect Weight by Tom Venuto.
It's a great book and is easy to understand.
I used it as well as his other book Burn the Fat.
He helped me learn the difference in losing body fat, losing weight and how to gain muscle without gaining fat and losing fat without losing muscle.
I strongly recommend it for those who are interested in changing their physique the right way. It's a must read for everybody actually.0 -
I haven't read that book, but I do know that it is physically impossible to lose fat without losing muscle, and also physically impossible to build muscle without adding fat. That is why professional bodybuilders go through phases. Bulking phase adds on muscle and some fat, cutting phase cuts the fat and a little muscle. There is no 100% method either way. It is physically impossible for the human body.0
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I could not help but chime in here. After reading all those posts, I realize that there are some truly egotistical and very mean people on this MFP. I totally understood what you were saying and yes it makes sense to me. I have posted a blog about not worrying if the scale does not move, just go by how your clothes are fitting or take pictures weekly to compare so that it can be seen how you are toning and the fat is melting away. I hope that the nastiness from others does not deter you from posting your thoughts. Although the blog was quite lengthy, it was informative. Good luck on your fat loss journey!
Livinglifeandlovingit, thank you. You and the other sincere people that have came on my thread seen what I was talking about. My haters came in here, because of this, I have stated in another thread that the only time that muscles weighs more than fat is if the pounds of muscles is higher than the pounds of fat. I've also said that muscle is heavier than fat. I know that although two things can weigh the same it doesn't mean that one will not be heavier than the next. I don't want to discuss this issue on my thread. I was just showing why my haters came on my thread to start mess. They think that I don't know what I am talking about when it comes down to fat loss vs scale weight loss. They don't have to take my word for it. They are more than welcome to ask a doctor, personal trainer or anyone else that's knowledgable in this area. They can research the internet for information about fat loss vs weight loss and they will see that so many people are saying the same thing and showing why as well.
I am not just saying something to say something. I practice what I preach. Every month I work the formula to see my progress.
I will never let people that lives to be ugly stop me.0 -
In addition, you have to remember that fat loss can still be occurring even if your scale weight does not change at ALL. This is especially true when you get to lower levels of body fat. For example, your weight can be static for weeks at a time but your bf% will be lowering as will your measurements meaning fat loss is occurring. This is generally due to water balance issues which can mask the true situation on the scale. If I lose 2lbs of fat in a month but my LBM goes up at the same time (possibly a LITTLE muscle in most cases but predominantly water) by 2lb the result is my scale weight stays exactly the same. I am succeeding but the scale tells me I am failing. Water levels are highly variable and change daily, white adipose tissue - fat - not so much.
Can a person's scale weight stays the same and they still lose pounds of fat? I would say yes, because a scale weight can stay the same, whereas the body fat percentage change.
A person's body fat percentage can stay the same, even if the person's scale weight drop.I would say that getting hung up on specific numbers be it scale weight, BF%, LBM, whatever is a recipe for unhealthy obsession. Track trends over time by all means but in reality if you are getting stronger, if you look better, feel better, have more energy, look good naked who really cares what your weight or even BF% is?
I will never speak for anyone else, but for myself. I'm aiming to be healthy. I have an obese body fat percentage. Scale weight doesn't mean anything to me. I know what scale weight number I will be, when I get down to my healthy body fat percentage.
I'm 5ft 1" tall. I used to be 127lbs. It took me 4 years to gain 20 pounds, raising my weight up to 147. My number has risen higher than that. For my height, my doctor told me that I should be 101lbs, because of the height weight chart. I told my doctor that I was not getting that small. In my eyes, I would be anorexic. I don't even want to get down to 127 pounds.
I'm not a number. I'm a person who's body is carrying unhealthy fat on my body.
I will speak for myself in regards to looking good naked. If I want to look good naked, then I'm selfish.I am glad something positive and constructive has come out of the utter stupidity of the other thread. Listen, I didn't think you helped yourself by the way you came across. However, I despise seeing a large number of people grouping up against an individual relentlessly without at least trying to give the individual the benefit of the doubt. Well, unless it's me that is.I am more than capable of handling myself without any back up.
Msf74, I don't have to prove myself to anyone. I'm not a crowd pleasure. I'm an individual. And as for me having a backbone, trust me, I'm not scared of anyone.
Bullies and cowards comes in crowds.I understand by adding to your thread and balancing out the numbers I am making myself unpopular so there is no need for members to keep messaging me about it. Being popular, or cool, or part of the in crowd means nothing to me...
If anyone has something to tell me, they can message me. I'm not afraid of anyone. I'm a firm believer in the back can't talk, but the front can. I'm a woman. That's all I have to say about the matter.
Now, my thread will not have any mess on it.0
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