I think I’ve mentioned it before, but I often get my ideas for articles based on conversations I have with clients, friends, family, and acquaintances. Within the span of a week, I was asked this same question by five different individuals.
Talk about a sign as to what to write about next!
While not asked exactly word for word in each instance, the question was essentially, “Why am I not losing weight”? And/or, “While I’m not gaining weight, why is my body changing in a way I don’t care for”?
As with most things, there are multiple reasons why things are the way they are. However, in this instance, I’m going to talk about what I believe to be the most glaring issue as to why the above occurs.
And the good news is, we all have the power to do something about it.
Ask any personal trainer who’s been training clients for any length of time and I’m pretty sure they’ll tell you there’s an overemphasis and preoccupation with scale weight.
You’ve been continuously told by your doctor, the media, advertisers, and even those in the fitness industry to lose weight, and that what the scale spits back out at you is of the utmost importance when it comes to achieving the body you desire.
I’m not saying that the scale is useless and can’t be used as a tool in the weight loss process. But, if it’s your only tool, you will be led astray.
You see, the scale only tells you some of what’s taking place along your health, fitness, weight loss, and/or wellness journey.
Consider this, from age 30 to 40 the typical person loses about a half-pound of muscle while gaining one pound of fat on average per year. Yes, you read that correctly.
What this means is, that it’s not uncommon for an individual to maintain a consistent body weight over this time period, but when they get to be 40, they notice something is different about their body.
But that’s not all.
From age 40 onwards, the average person will lose muscle and gain fat at an even more rapid pace without exercise – namely, strength and resistance training.
In other words, what we should really be talking about is body composition, and stop looking at weight in a vacuum.
I’m sure somewhere you’ve heard that muscle weighs more than fat. Not exactly true. Allow me to explain. A pound is a pound – so a pound of something would equal a pound of something else. Applying this logic, how could one pound of muscle weigh more than one pound of fat?
It doesn’t.
What is true is that muscle is more dense than fat. So, a pound of muscle is smaller than a pound of fat. Think of it this way – muscle takes up less space in the body.
If you’ve ever started a strength training program and didn’t lose or even gained some weight initially, this explains much of it.
There’s a fear by many that strength training will lead to big bulky muscles. For those of you reading this, I wouldn’t spend any time worrying about that. It’s a lot harder than you think.
But yes, the idea is to build some new muscle, shrink the existing fat cells, and therefore re-composition the body.
To simplify, because of the body re-composition that takes place during strength and resistance training, you can look better at the same or even heavier body weight.
This process doesn’t happen overnight but it will happen given time. Just realize you might not experience the “weight loss” you expect. But your body is changing, and that’s what you’re really after correct?
Unfortunately, many of us don’t go about it this way.
Instead, we either diet – usually through calorie restriction, kick the cardio up a notch, or both. These can work and sometimes one or both are necessary. However, I’d like you to consider this all-to-familiar scenario:
Let’s take an average women in her mid to upper 30s whose weight has risen to 180 pounds. Concerned, she goes on a low-calorie diet and hits the treadmill more frequently. At this point, of the 180 pounds, 63 pounds of it is lean muscle with the rest of it consisting primarily of fat and bone.
After 8 weeks of dieting and treadmill work, she’s down 19 pounds and very happy. But should she be?
Most of you would probably answer with a resounding Yes!
However, if we take a closer look, not only has she lost a sizable amount of fat (13 pounds), but she’s also lost some muscle. 6 pounds to be exact.
As most of you already know, you can only be on a low-calorie diet for so long before you get hungry and want to eat again. So, after 8 weeks she decides to stop and resume her usual diet, and after some time…she gains all the weight back.
Sound familiar?
Then some time goes by, and she musters up the will to give it another go – using the same strategy that was unsuccessful last time. It might take a little longer this time, but she does manage to lose that same 19 pounds again.
Hooray!
And again, deprivation can only continue for so long and she resumes her normal diet and routine. In doing so, she also gains back that 19 pounds, plus a little extra.
Remember how she lost 6 pounds of muscle on the first go around? She never regained that muscle. She also lost another 6 pounds of muscle this latest time.
Two years later our hypothetical woman still weighs 180 pounds, but she has 12 fewer pounds of muscle on her body. In other words, she got fatter.
She might weigh the same on the scale but her body looks and feels different.
She’s also made any future weight and fat loss more difficult on herself because she now needs to gain another 12 pounds of muscle just to restore her metabolism to what it once was. And this happens all the time.
Unfortunately, every time an individual puts themselves through this cycle they take a metabolic hit. Most don’t try this once and forget it either. It’s not uncommon for an individual to do this on and off again for decades. Losing muscle and gaining fat in its place each and every time. Some maintain a relatively consistent body weight, while others experience the “slow creep”, and then there are those whose weight explodes.
As I alluded to in the beginning, there are other factors contributing to this, but the loss of lean muscle is a major player and a big problem.
Muscle is your metabolic currency and some even refer to it as the fountain of youth. The more of it you have, the better off you’ll be. As you lose muscle, you lose mitochondria and your metabolism slows down. You find yourself eating less and less food, yet still don’t lose weight or even find yourself gaining weight.
It doesn’t stop there.
The natural loss of muscle mass and strength as we age has been associated with all-cause mortality and linked to the incidence of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and stroke, hypertension, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes.
So, not only does building and maintaining muscle help you look and feel good, but it’s essential for maintaining a healthy weight, and it’s a key factor in reducing the risk of chronic disease and improving your overall health and longevity.
I truly hope this helps to explain something I see people struggling with every day. If this happens to be you, I know it can be frustrating, but know there is something you can do about it. And, I would be more than happy to help you.