Fat Loss VS Weight Loss: Focusing on Fat Loss

Fat loss vs weight loss. Many people consider fat loss and weight loss to be two interchangeable concepts. Everywhere we look people are trying to “lose weight”. Why is the world is is preoccupied with weight loss yet the term fat loss is rarely used? We must change our mindset from wanting to lose weight to the more specific goal of losing fat. After all it is the unsightly fat that most people want to get rid of when embarking on their weight loss journey.

It is also the stubborn fat stores which can lead to many chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and stroke. So the quicker one can remove the dangerous fat the better. Yet even though most people want to lose fat they still use the term weight loss so often? This way of thinking is very outdated and unhelpful.

Today I’m going to help you understand the difference between fat loss vs weight loss and teach you how both can be targeted (for better or for worse) with specific lifestyle changes.




Fat Loss Vs Weight Loss. What’s the Difference?

Firstly, let’s discuss the popular term weight loss. Let’s think about what adds up to the total weight of your body. Your body primarily consists of bone, muscle and connective tissue, fat and water.

Here is a great video that highlights what makes up our body weight..

So essentially by reducing any of these components and you will lose weight. Obviously if you were dehydrated you would lose weight as our body is primarily made of water. However this “weight loss” does nothing to change the overall look of your body.

What you really must focus on is changing your body composition. That means changing the percentage of what your body is made up of. The major change you want to make that can have the most profound effect on your appearance and health is to change your body fat percentage.

So what is a healthy body fat percentage? Healthy goals are around 10-14% body fat for men and 15%-20% for women. If you want to lose weight the truth is you are probably really wanting to lose body fat. You must change your mindset to focus on fat loss rather than weight loss. So does that mean that you should stop weighing yourself to judge your diet success? Precisely, weighing yourself regularly can not only give you an inaccurate impression of your progress but can also destroy your motivation.


Why you Shouldn’t Weigh Yourself


  1. Relying on scales for just weight doesn’t tell the whole story (more on this shortly)
  2. If you gain lean muscle while losing fat the scale won’t tell the difference even though this is a very positive change.
  3. It doesn’t matter what your weight is! What matters is how you look and feel in your clothes.


Fat Loss Vs Weight Loss: Changing Your Mindset

The weight of your body can fluctuate daily due to many reasons such as hydration status, hormonal influences, digestion factors and of course what you eat and drink. Have you ever weighed yourself to find jumps of between 1-2kg change of  weight loss or gain over a single day. This is completely normal. As you may already know these weight fluctuations can be devastating for your motivation to achieve a slimmer physique.



Need help with weight loss motivation?


Fat Loss Vs Weight Loss: Carbohydrates and Water

Did you know that carbohydrates bind to water. Therefore is you go on a “low carb” diet you will likely lose water weight. Rest assured though these low carb diets can also lead to significant fat loss if designed correctly (see programs such as 3 Week Diet Read Review). Just remember that if you embark on a low carb diet not all of the weight loss will be fat loss. Have you have ever tried a low carb diet and have found yourself losing weight fast only to put it back on again once you started eating carbs? This rebound effect was probably due to the water holding effect of the reinstated carbohydrates.



The popular 3 Week Diet takes a low carb approach to fat loss


If you do decide to go on a low carb diet try to find one that ensures optimal macronutrient proportions to promote lean body mass and also shed fat simultaneously. Some of our highest rated low carb diets include the Venus Factor (Read Review) and Fat Loss Code (Read Review)


Gaining Muscle is Good Weight Gain!

Another thing to consider when embarking on a diet or exercise regime is that any muscle that you put on will also show up on the scales even though it may actually improve your look, health and body composition. Always remember that 1 pound of muscle takes up a lot less space than 1 pound of fat. Increased muscle mass also helps stimulate your metabolism meaning that you will burn more fat over the course of the day. So don’t be afraid to add some resistance exercises to your routine.

If you are after a fat loss program that includes resistance exercises we recommend The Venus Factor (women only Read Review), Adonis Golden Ratio (men only Read Review), Old School New Body (people over 35+ Read Review) and of course our current #1 rated program The Fat Loss Code (Read Review). These programs focus on helping you lose fat, not weight. Best of all these programs help you track your fat loss progress in an accurate way that enhances your motivation to succeed. Be sure to check out our top program reviews to find the program that is right for you.



The Fat Loss Code (Currently Our #1 Rated Program) Find Out Why!


Fat loss Vs Weight Loss : Helpful Tips to Enhance Fat Loss and Motivation


• Eat healthy wholesome foods 90% of the time.
• Eat less starchy carbs.
• Add resistance exercises to increase lean muscle mass
• Stop weighing yourself daily.
• Stop looking in the mirror.
• Take full body pictures and compare them with old ones.
• Get a professional to help track body fat percentage
• Take girth measurements of your neck, chest, arms, waist & thighs.



After some more helpful fat loss tips? Check these 10 tips out!


Here is a video outlining how to take you body fat measurements as a means of tracking your fat loss. As you can see it is quite a task that is best left to the professionals.



Taking body girth measurements can be a great way to track your progress of fat loss vs weight loss. Again there is a lot of room for error so it is best to be undertaken by someone with experience. Of course if you put in the time and effort you too can become proficient at taking girth measurements accurately. Here is a video outlining how to take girth measurements properly.



Hopefully you now have a better idea of the difference between fat loss vs weight loss. Focus on fat loss and changing your body composition rather than just simply losing weight. For example you can take two people who have an identical weight as measured by the scales, yet one has 40% body fat and the other only %20 body fat. You can be sure that the person who contains only %20 body fat will have a more sort after appearance.

Don’t judge your dietary success by living and dying by the scales? Trust in how you feel. If possible use objective measurements such as body fat testing and girth measurements. Soak up positive comments from your friends and family when they notice physical changes. Most importantly just stick to your diet plan.

If you do the right things day in day out you will achieve significant fat loss results. If you need help finding a fat loss plan that suits your needs why not check out some of our reviews of the world’s leading fat loss programs. Best of luck on your fat loss journey!



About The Author

The Team @ Easyfastfatloss.com


Leave A Response