| I seem to be constantly
struggling to change how the majority of the population views
body weight. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard something
along the lines of “I’ve dropped two pant sizes but I haven’t
lost any weight.” In reality, if you aren’t considered obese,
what does it really matter what the scale reads if your circumference
measurements and body fat are decreasing? That is how I came up
with the “metal analogy”. Weight is like metal; the weight of
a particular volume of muscle is greater than that of the same
volume of fat, just as a 1” x 1” block of iron weighs more than
a 1” x 1” block of aluminum. Muscle weighs more than fat, and
a scale doesn’t take this into consideration.
Muscle is much denser than body fat and therefore weighs more.
If you look great, fit into the clothes you aimed to fit into,
and feel great, you shouldn’t care that the scale isn’t showing
exactly what you expected to see. However, if you fall into the
obese category, that is another story. In that case, you should
see changes occur on the scale. However, if you don’t fall into
the obese category, then it pays to know what you should be looking
for:
· Looser fitting clothes
· Body fat decrease
· Change in circumference measurements
I highly recommend that you have your body fat and circumference
measurements taken. Measure your chest, waist, hips, thighs, calves,
and arms so that you have some way to gauge your progress. Have
a reassessment done after three months and you should see noticeable
changes. In the mean time, assuming your goal is to lose weight,
you should see changes in the way your clothes fit you.
It’s also important to point out that it’s impossible to spot
reduce fat. Fat burning should be viewed as an entire body process.
How your body chooses to let go of fat is specific to each person.
One person may first lose weight in the abdominal region, while
another may lose from the facial region. That is another reason
why it is important to do measurements in order to track your
progress. Fat is usually dropped first in the last area that it
was put on.
If you are following a balanced exercise program and doing some
type of resistance training, like weight lifting, you are probably
adding muscle at the same time that you are losing fat. The scale
may very well read the exact same weight that you started out
at because you dropped 5 pounds of fat while adding 5 pounds of
muscle. And muscle is a good thing—the more muscle you have on
your body, the more calories you burn at rest, thus resulting
in a higher metabolism. So the next time someone expresses feeling
down because she has been working really hard to lose weight but
hasn’t seen a change on the scale, remind her that her hard work
is most likely paying off by changing her body composition, rather
than her body weight.
©Melissa Allen is a certified personal trainer, Blackbelt & fitness
consultant, as well as the owner of Optimum Condition— personal
fitness training and kickboxing instruction. She is a self-syndicated
columnist and a member of the San Diego Press Club and the National
Society of Newspaper Columnists. She welcomes input from her readers,
so please contact her with any questions or comments that you
may have by calling (619) 252-4993, email her at Opticondit@aol.com,
or visit her website at www.optimumcondition.com.
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