When it comes to weight, stepping on a scale can sometimes be a disappointing experience. This can be especially true if you've put forth the effort to exercise and eat sensibly. Sometimes it just doesn't make sense. You feel that you should be losing weight but according to the scale, you've made virtually no progress. Before you decide to give up everything and throw your goals out of the window in frustration, read this important information and you might want to throw your scale out instead.
We're here to tell you to stop worrying about losing pounds. Instead, change your focus to losing unwanted fat. There is a big difference between the two. You see, weight loss does not necessarily equate to fat loss. Often people lose large amounts of weight with very little fat loss. This happens many times when people are on diets that severely restrict food intake. Eating less food is not always better for losing fat. When you restrict food intake too much, the weight that is lost usually comes from muscle mass and not fat. Then, when normal eating resumes, the muscle that you lost soon returns which means very little fat was ever lost.
Your body fat percentage is a much more accurate indicator of progress and overall health. This is the percentage of fat compared to everything else that makes up your total weight. Your body is largely composed of bone, water, organs, tissue, muscle mass, and fat. Losing fat is what makes you look and feel great, also adding all the benefits of good health. Many gyms and health clubs offer various ways of body fat testing including a popular method that uses "skin fold calipers". With skin fold calipers, you pinch your skin at multiple sites and it gauges the approximate amount of body fat you have.
Exercise plays a very important role in burning fat calories, but dually important is a good nutrition plan. This sets up your body to efficiently burn fat while sparing muscle mass, which is the whole goal.
With a lowered body fat percentage, you will look better, have higher energy levels, reduce the risk of heart disease and feel great! And anyway, isn't that the point to all your effort?