The exaggerated claims are everywhere.  Lose amazing amounts of weight – fast.  Lose weight while you sleep.  Lose 30 pounds in 30 days.  These claims get your attention.  These claims get your money.  These claims also fail to deliver the full story.  Can you lose 30 pounds in 30 days?  The answer is yes you can.  The problem is that this 30 pounds will be a mixture of fat loss, water loss, and muscle loss (mostly the latter two choices).  It is important to understand the difference between weight loss and fat loss.

At my weight loss program here at Fast Track, I monitor people's weight once a week.  Sometimes people's weight will fail to change.  Every once in while, people even gain weight.  The disappointment is evident on my clients faces and in their postures. They feel that they have failed with their weight loss program.  This is not the case.  I quickly point out that they should not be dismayed with an apparent lack of progress on the scale.  The scale, after all, only measures body weight.  It does not tell the true story of how much lean body tissue versus fat they currently possess.  They may very well have lost fat and still showed a weight gain on the scale.  Bodyweight will fluctuate wildly depending on water retention.  Simple dehydration and rehydration of your body can fluctuate your overall weight by as much as 10 pounds in one day.  Eating foods high in sodium can greatly affect your water retention.  Standing or sitting statically can cause water retention in the legs.  Having a full bladder can even add a couple pounds.  These are but a few examples of how you can greatly change your body weight.  The important point to note is that none of them involve gaining fat.  Your bodyweight can and does fluctuate daily. This can make legitimate fat loss, being achieved by proper diet and exercise, appear non-existant.  Keep in mind that the most fat that you can safely lose is one to 2 pounds per week.  Any more weight loss than this is simply water weight and/or/muscle tissue*.

Stop comparing yourself to friends that appear to be losing weight at a high rate of speed.  Stop listening to exaggerated claims of excessive weight loss achieved with special diets and supplements.  They are not telling you the whole story.  When you diet, your primary goal is to lose fat.  This is the only weight loss you should desire.  Weight loss involving water or muscle is simply temporary or detrimental.  Big losers may think that they are dieting superstars but this weight loss will not be sustainable.  Once you understand that the most fat you can lose is one to 2 pounds per week, that should help you to feel more secure about your personal progress.

It is also important that people analyze their weight loss over long periods of time.  You need to plot your weight-loss on a graph.  As long as you're noticing a general trend downward, and averaging one to 2 pounds per week of weight loss, then you're doing as well as can be expected.  There may be times on the graph that you fail to lose weight, and you may even gain weight, on a weekly comparison.  Don't be alarmed.  If you've been sticking to your diet, you can rest assured that this lack of progress is simply due to water retention masking the fat loss that has occurred. 

During a disappointing week on the scale, keep in mind that it takes 4000 calories to equate to 1 pound of fat.  This is a mathematical fact.  There is no way around this number.  This means that you have to eat 4000 calories, in excess of what you expend (the average person expense 2000 calories per day), in order to gain 1 pound of fat.  Think back over your week.  Did you eat 4000 calories in excess of your 2000 calories allotted?  If you did not, then it is impossible for you to have gained weight in the form of fat.

Do not weigh yourself more than one time per week.  As explained above, it is easy for your body to mask the weight loss that can be achieved in one weeks worth of dieting.  How easy will it be for your body to mask weight loss compared on a day-to-day basis.  On a daily basis, your average fat loss will be approximately a quarter of a pound. Your scale is not likely to be accurate enough to measure this type of detail.  Even if your scale was highly accurate, it is highly unlikely that you will be at the same exact level of hydration everyday.  Weighing yourself everyday will simply make you manic/depressive.  Some days you will be euphoric.  Other days you will be depressed.  Do not ride this roller coaster as it can be extremely frustrating.

Be realistic in your dieting goals.  Stop listening to the hype.  Stick with your plan and you will achieve dieting success.

 

*Muscle is 80% water and, therefore, very heavy, dense tissue.  1 pound of muscle burns 35 calories per day, at rest.  It is a highly metabolically active tissue.  You do not want to lose muscle during a diet.  If you do, you'll quickly slow down your metabolism and limit your ability to lose further weight.  Not to mention the fact that you will weaken your body and place it at higher risk for injury.