Fat Loss - How Important Is it?
What is the truth behind fat loss and weight loss. In modern day society, most people are obsessed with fat loss; they are of the idea that the only way to look good and be beautiful in the eyes of society is by going to extreme lengths to reduce their body sizes to unbelievable levels. Women are constantly striving to be size zero while the number of men paying for cosmetic surgery is astounding. As people engage in all types of crash diets and undergo all kinds of painful cosmetic surgery they fail to ask themselves a very important question, ‘Does fat loss equal weight loss?’
Weight loss can be defined as the reduction of fat, water and muscle content in an individual’s body. It does not necessarily have to be fat loss; it is the reduction of total body mass caused by loss of fluids, body fats, adipose tissues and lean mass. Weight loss can be as a result of numerous causes: for example, health issues or a conscious effort to improve your state of living.
It is advisable for an obese person to concentrate on fat loss and maintain their muscle mass because the latter burns calories faster. High muscle mass is equal to a higher metabolism which later translates into weight loss. Muscle has a higher density than fat so fat loss can yield better results in the loss of physical bulk rather than muscle loss. For people looking to lose weight due to health related issues it is better for them to change their eating patterns and increase their physical activity by engaging in more exercise and aerobics.
Various methods are used to determine whether weight loss is as a result of fat loss by measuring body fat percentages.
Most people like to engage in crash diets without consulting a nutritionist. This is a futile attempt to lose fat by having the body burn fat for energy, it is said to have a significant loss of weight in no time at all. This is not so, instead of the desired fat loss, the body burns the lean tissue at the cost of retaining the body fat.
It is medically proven that to enjoy better results in the fight for weight loss one must be careful not to start by burning muscle. Complete fat loss and total burning of carbohydrates will turn the body into a muscle burning machine.
It is therefore safe to conclude that by concentrating on fat loss one is able to lose weight without putting their health at any risk.