Lose FAT, not just Weight

“I want to lose weight but I don’t know where to begin.”

When people talk about losing weight, what they usually mean is they want to lean down. But most fail to get results because slimming down is different from losing weight.

To slim down one has to reduce body fat.

Now, common sense tells us that for fat loss we need to create a caloric deficit. Which is somewhat true but dieting is not the answer.

How to Lose Weight

Losing weight is easy. Carbohydrates bind to water. Sodium bind to water. When you diet and include cardio into your routine, you significantly reduce carbohydrates and salt levels in your body, thereby losing all the water that it binds. Hence the weight loss.

Now cardio is a catabolic activity. It burns fat but it also burns your lean muscle tissue which slows down your metabolism. And as soon as you stop dieting, you regain that weight quickly. It’s a vicious cycle.

Forget weight loss and weighing scales, they mislead you. Weighing scales reflects body weight. Body weight is a sum of the weight of bones, muscles, organs, body fat, and water.

Body weight is no reflection of your fitness. Scale weight means nothing in the real world. One should focus on losing body fat; which is a lot more important than focusing on your body weight.

The right question – How to lose fat.

When you fight at the wrong ends you are bound to lose. That’s what happens when you try to lose weight. The battle should be against fat and not weight.

If you do a quick Google search on ‘How to lose weight’ or ‘How to lose weight fast’ you’d find hundreds of listicles – “X steps to lose weight”.

You will find tons of articles that suggest you to :

• Eat certain food like animal protein/plant protein
• Avoid fruits because fruits are ‘Fructose’ as they say
• Suggest use of certain supplements

These articles leave you overwhelmed and they fail to clear your facts. Most of these articles are written by freelance writers who I doubt are fitness experts.

“Seasonal fruits are a must in your diet whether you are bulking or cutting”

As told to me by an old school bodybuilder who has been in the gym for over three decades. I wanted to take my fitness to next level and he helped me plan my diet. Here’s how he looks at the age of 54.

I also noticed none of these articles ever put enough stress on weight lifting (exercise) for fat loss. I know not everyone wants to lift weights. It can be intimidating.

But if you want to get rid of that spare tire, and if you want to improve how your waistline looks – you have to lift those dumbbells.

Lose FAT, not just Weight

Body weight fluctuates since it’s subjective to water loss/retention, muscle and fat loss/gain. Numbers on the scale can be deceptive. It can’t tell the difference between muscle, fat, and water.

Weightlifting will change your body composition. You’ll gain muscle while losing fat. 1lbs muscle takes less space than 1lbs fat. You’ll look slimmer at the same body-weight.

Our bodies are designed to store those calories. The war against fat is real. Why not embrace it. Why not fight it.
It’s like fighting mediocrity. When you fight you thrive. You stop, you lose.

If you want to look your best, get fit and feel good about your body you have to include those push-pull movements into your routine.

• But I don’t really like going to the gym.

Gym is where you fight fat. Gym is where you fight old age. Gym is where you win. No one fails in the gym. It brings the best out of you. It did change my life. It turned me into an advocate of Iron Therapy.

Weightlifting Vs Weight training

I think it’s something that’s associated with the word here that when an average man is advised to start weightlifting he imagines himself becoming a meat head or drinking that powdered protein all day long.

I have heard a hundred different excuses when I ask people to lift weights. But only an old friend was honest enough to admit that he really can’t put in what it takes.

Here’s how the conversation went:

Friend: I want to lose weight fast, what do I do?

Me: You want to lose weight or fat?

Friend: Is that different? Of course I want to get rid of the fat.

Me: You tell me what’s a good place to start?

Friend: I have controlled my diet (dieting).

Me: It will make you hungry and it will mess with your hormones. Can you do that for the rest of your life?

Friend: No...

Me: Who gave you the idea of dieting?

Friend: That’s the general idea. Isn’t it?

Me: 9 in 10 people do it. Do they succeed?

Friend: No...

Me: If you want to thrive, if you want to have a great life, a great sex life. And if you want to keep your wife and children happy, you should take your health seriously.

Want to ‘lose weight fast’? Start weightlifting.

• Weightlifting will raise your BMR and you burn more calories even at rest.
• Weightlifting will cause you to burn that stubborn fat which is stored within muscles.
• Weightlifting will prevent muscle loss which is associated with old age.

You can read about health benefits of weightlifting here.

Training is different from lifting. Lifting is lifting. Training is where you don’t let your body adapt. To stimulus. To diet. Training is where you PUSH your body to a point that it is left with no other option but to GROW.

Weightlifting will keep you young. It will keep your joints strong. Everything will improve about you. Your joints, nails, hair, eyes.

Weightlifting will increase your testosterone. Testosterone is youth.

Fat loss and Weightlifting

1. People who diet go nowhere.
2. People who diet and do cardio lose lean muscle tissue along with fat.
3. People who lift weights and eat ‘right foods’ lose weight and get fit.
4. People who lift weight and eat ‘lots of right foods’ gain muscle mass.
5. People who lift weights, eat lots of right food and do cardio develop an athletic physique.

You don’t have to become a ‘bodybuilder’ you have to lift weights 3-4 times a week. You don’t have to lift 200 pounds.  But you have to get stronger.

Will you get bulky? Not a chance. Tossing iron isn’t enough to get you big.

The idea is to create a calorie deficit by lifting weights and eating right kinds of foods. Which will allow your body to burn fat while preserving muscle-mass.

Lift weights, connect with your masculine energy, thrive and take responsibility of your health, your fate, and your family. Weightlifting is your way to a fitter and healthier life. You either lift yourself and those around you or you don’t.

Choice is yours.