OUR APPROACH TO LOSING FAT AND GAINING MUSCLE FOR AMAZING PHYSIQUE CHANGES
Weight loss is not the same as fat loss, and your scale weight does NOT tell the whole story!
In this blog we outline WHY this is an important distinction, as well as our approach to changing your body composition for a leaner physique with MORE muscle and less body fat!
Alot of people come to YQL Nutrition with the goal to look “toned”, leaner, and fitter.
They believe that the way to achieve this body transformation is to lose weight, when in fact, they actually need to focus on gaining muscle and losing body fat - this is called body recomposition.
In this blog we are going to dive into:
Understanding what the scale actually measures
What body composition indicators you should be focusing on
How to know if you are actually making progress towards a leaner physique
HOW to lose fat and gain muscle - aka achieve “body recomposition”
First off, what does the scale actually measure?
The scale measures our weight, which is our mass relative to gravity. That is it. The scale does NOT tell us our body composition, muscle mass, water weight, or any of the above that can be helpful when assessing if we are making progress towards our goals.
In an attempt to lose weight, It is not uncommon for individuals to have tried multiple different diets across the span of their life. Unfortunately this often involves a drastic calorie deficit which results in FAST weight loss. HOWEVER, the thing that alot of people dont understand is this drastic weight loss is primarily water loss, some muscle, and a bit of fat (NOT 100% fat like most people think it is!!!)
So, while the scale may be moving, you are not moving towards your goal of a toned and healthier physique.
Fat Loss vs. Weight Loss: What’s the Difference?
Weight loss refers to a decrease in your overall body weight. This can result from a reduction in muscle mass, water weight, and fat. While the number on the scale may go down, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re losing fat. This is why relying solely on the scale can be misleading and, frankly, discouraging.
Fat loss, on the other hand, specifically targets the reduction of body fat while preserving lean muscle mass. This is the ideal goal for most people because muscle is metabolically active tissue that helps maintain a healthy metabolism and contributes to a toned and strong physique.
What does a “Lean Physique” or a “Toned Physique” Truly mean?
When someone says they want to “get toned” or have a “lean physique” as coaches we understand what they are asking for- we all know the look- that toned, dense, fit look. What many DON’T realize is that individuals with that “toned” look have a lot of muscle mass … and often weigh more than you’d think! Remember, muscle is tissue, and tissue has weight to it!
Let’s look at a client case study:
This client came to YQL Nutrition with the goal of getting leaner, thinking she would need a calorie deficit and a fat loss phase.
What may surprise you about these photos is that this client is 3 lbs HEAVIER in the photos on the right. While she looks leaner, she actually weighs MORE!
This is because she added MUSCLE to her body!
We did not use a calorie deficit for this client, but instead focused on a lean gain approach where we started her off at maintenance calories and eventually a very small surplus to promote muscle building.
She did our strength training plan during this time and was able to progress in all of her lifts allowing her to add muscle to her frame and appear more “toned
There is a common misconception that muscle and fat have different weights.
This isn’t true- 1 lbs of muscle weighs the same as 1 lbs of fat, but they LOOK very different.
Muscle is very dense and lean when on our frame, meaning 1 lbs of muscle appears visually smaller than 1 lbs of fat. This is why we often see big measurement changes when someone is adding muscle to their frame, even if weight stays the same or even goes up slightly.
For example, the client in the above transformation photo was down 5.75 inches in the photo on the right, while weighing 3 lbs more, again highlighting how lean muscle mass is.
Body Fat Percentage and What that Actually Means
An individual can weigh the SAME on the scale but have VERY different body compositions. This is because MUSCLE to FAT ratio is actually a BETTER indicator of health than scale weight alone - this is measured through body fat percentage.
The goal is to optimize body composition where you have enough healthy, lean, muscle tissue in relation to essential body fat. The actually number on the scale does not tell you what that weight is made up of!
For example, if someone has 30lbs of fat on their body and 100lbs of lean mass, this would mean her body fat % is around 23%.
If this individual did not lose any fat but GAINED 10lbs of lean mass, they would now have 110lbs of lean mass , 30lbs of body fat, and weigh 10lbs more (140lbs). BUT they would now be at 21.5% body fat and would look visibly leaner because of the addition of muscle mass, even though she actually weighs MORE
One thing we get asked a lot … what is a “healthy body fat percentage”, below is an image outlining what this looks like for both men and women
Body Recomposition:
Body recomposition is the process of losing fat while gaining muscle at about the same rate, which results in very small if any scale changes, but often translates to changes in measurements and photos.
Here is an example of this occurring for a client who did our Nourish-U Group Program:
This client weighs the EXACT same in both of these photos, taken 8 weeks apart, but as you can see she is WAY leaner in the right photo!
She is also down 4 inches in between these photos and saw amazing progression in the gym through working with us, which allowed for her to add muscle to her frame while also losing fat.
If this client put her focus on the scale exclusively, she would think she wasn’t making progress, get discouraged, and likely quit.
This is again why we created our systems to monitor progress in all areas (measurements, photos, lift progression, biofeedback and yes the scale) so that we can assess TRUE progress!
This is an inbody example in another client where this has happened
This client started off weighing 161.5 lbs
She maintained weight (with normal fluctuations) but added 2.4 lbs of skeletal muscle mass to her frame!
This lead to a 2.8% drop in body fat percentage, and ultimately a healthier body composition!
SO… what metrics of progress should you be focusing on if the scale doesnt tell us the whole story??? Here is a list of things to consider:
1.When assessing the Scale we want to ZOOM OUT: Track Trends, Not Daily Changes: Weigh yourself at the same time of day, each day, under the same conditions (e.g., after waking up and using the bathroom). Instead of focusing on daily weight, look at the weekly or monthly trends. If we are in a fat loss phase, we are aiming for around 0.5-1% of body weight lost per week. If you are already at a “healthy” body weight and using more of a body recomposition approach, remember we may not see any scale changes at all! This does not mean progress isn’t happening as depicted in the case studies in this blog. We just need to ensure we are assessing ALL metrics of progress!
2. Use Multiple Metrics:
Measurements - we recommend assessing chest, waist, and hip measurements as a MINIMUM. You can also consider measuring bicep and thigh changes. If waist measurements are decreasing this is a positive sign! Note glute/hip measurements may increase if muscle building in this area is occurring
How clothes are fitting!
How you actually FEEL in your body! This matters A LOT! If you feel leaner this is one of the most valuable metrics you can use!
Progress photos - we cannot stress this enough! Progress photos can be SO valuable to assess how your body is changing as you focus on body recomposition
Training performance - if you are noticing strength in your lifts are progressing this is an incredible sign you are building muscle!!
You may also want to consider doing body fat percentage testing, which is something we can facilitate if you are local to Lethbridge. To learn more about this email robyn@yqlnutrition.com
3. Understand Your Cycle: Keep a menstrual cycle calendar to track how your body responds at different phases. This can help you anticipate and mentally prepare for the fluctuations, reducing frustration. If you are currently working with YQL Nutrition, this is something we do with all female clients who have menstrual cycles.
How do we Promote FAT Loss not just Weight Loss through Body Recomposition?
To successfully lose fat while preserving muscle, follow these key steps:
Calories: We can use a few different approaches depending on starting physique. We can create a moderate calorie deficit of 10-20% below maintenance calories which allows for steady fat loss without extreme restrictions that can lead to muscle loss or metabolic slowdown. If someone is already at a lower body weight and is under-muscled, then maintenance calories or even a slight surplus may be more appropriate to allow for muscle growth.
Protein Prioritization: Include high-protein foods in every meal. Examples include lean meats, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes, and protein supplements if needed. We recommend clients aim for 1-1.2g of protein per lbs of goal weight. Ie if someone’s goal is to weigh around 130 lbs (and that is a healthy weight for height) then they should eat around 130g of protein/day.
Regular Strength Training: Incorporate strength training exercises 3-5 times per week. Focus on compound movements like squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and rows, which engage multiple muscle groups. We also want to track our lifts to ensure we are progressing in weight or reps over time.
Stay Consistent and be PATIENT: Consistency is key. Stick to your plan and be patient. Sustainable fat loss takes time, and quick fixes often lead to disappointment and weight regain. NONE of the examples shown today were attained in 4 weeks or less. Results like these typically take 12-20 weeks or longer depending on starting point, but you can see awesome progress in as little as 8 weeks (as shown in the one case study above).
Manage Stress: Stress is catabolic, meaning it breaks down muscle tissue when it is chronic/uncontrolled. We want to promote recovery through lifestyle as well as nutritional strategies, such as pre/post workout nutrient timing.
Prioritize Sleep: Low sleep leads to an increase in hunger/cravings, making it difficult to stick to your goals. Optimizing hormone health is also crucial for fat loss and muscle building, for example, we release human growth hormone when we sleep, which allows for muscle growth.
This is the approach we used with this client to see this Incredible Recomposition:
We used both a small calorie deficit as well as time at maintenance calories for this client to allow her to progress her lifts in the gym and see a substantial drop in her body fat percentage.
Her body fat % dropped 3.2%, fat mass dropped 4.1 lbs, and she increased her lean mass by 2.7 lbs.
Again, scale changes were very small- she is only down 1.3 lbs between these photos, yet her body composition is drastically different!
We hope that from reading this blog you understand that daily weight fluctuations will happen. The scale will NOT always go down, and this isn’t always a bad thing. We want to zoom out and focus on body recomposition and fat loss, rather than just weight loss! Think about prioritizing the HABITS that align with your long-term goals and are within your control - strength training, eating protein, recovery/stress management, sleep, and PATIENCE!
All the love, your YQL Team!
If you are interested to start YOUR unique journey in optimizing your body composition, feel free to book your free 1-1 call to discuss how we can help!
Authors: Robyn Stewart & Megan Reger
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