Yes... they are different.
Considering it’s the primary goal for so many people… ‘Weight loss’ is a bit of a crap term. It’s simply not specific enough.
If the goal is purely weight loss, we can get 10bs off you within 24hours.
But…
A – I guarantee it’ll suck donkey balls. You will look and feel like a chapped arsehole.
B – The only way to keep the weight off permanently* involves death. And very few people are willing to commit to that.
For optimum health and sexiness… it’s important that we lose the right kind of weight.
Your bodyweight is made up of many different components.
You have Lean Body Mass (LBM) which incorporates everything from bones, organs, muscle, hydration etc.
You also have Fat Mass which we’re going to break down into two categories.
Essential fat is the minimum amount of body fat that you need to stay healthy, these levels are around 10-14% for women and approx. 3-5% for men.
The rest of the fat mass is classed as storage fat and is simply stored energy.
We need stored energy to operate effectively. But too much of it will cause problems.
Analogy alert.
Imagine you’re riding a bike.
Some lad called Bernard (strong name) has challenged you to a race.
He says
‘Ay up lid, fancy a race ont that thur cycle machine? I’m reet fast me. I’ll do you.’
Of course you’ll take the challenge.
How dare Bernard claim to be faster than you, the arrogant little turd needs to learn his place.
But are you going to perform better if you:
A - take your shopping out of the front-mounted wicker basket to save weight.
B – Take the shopping out and remove the pedals and handlebars to save even more weight.
Obviously it’s A.
Your shopping might be useful for the coming week but it’s only going to slow you down during the race. Same concept with fat tissue. Simply put, fat is stored energy. It may be useful if food is scarce… but at the moment it’s serving little purpose. Get rid of it.
Whereas with B, removing the pedals and handlebars is going to make this race a lot harder. The minor reduction in weight is not worth the massive reduction in efficiency.
Bernard will indeed ‘do you’.
The point I’m trying to make is that not all weight is created equal.
In this analogy, the pedals and handlebars symbolise muscle mass. Extremely useful in this scenario and will make your life easier… as is the case when trying to lose fat.
Basal Metabolic Rate
Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the calorie cost for your body to keep the lights on (We’re going to ignore activity level for now). Your body needs a specific number to maintain normal functions and it’s directly linked to Lean Body Mass (LBM).
Essentially… The more Muscle Mass you have, the more calories you can consume.
Picture Jane.
She’s a lovely lady. Trains 3x per week. Does a lot of charity work. Once arrested for public nudity.
She’s 40years old, 5ft 7’’ and weighs 160lbs.
At 14% bodyfat her BMR is 1,718 calories per day. (86% Lean Body Mass)
At 30% bodyfat her BMR is 1,467 calories per day. (70% Lean Body Mass)
If you lose LBM (in particular muscle mass) your BMR will reduce.
Muscle is expensive for your body to maintain.
But when it comes to losing fat… that expense is a good thing.
Lose fat… not weight.
*Competitors in weight-regulated sports (Boxers, powerlifters, wrestlers etc) do this to gain a competitive edge prior to competition. They manipulate nutrition and hydration levels to artificially reduce their scale weight. It’s a short-term rapid weight loss approach used for a specific purpose. The second the athlete begins to rehydrate and refuel for the contest, bodyweight will increase.
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