Weight Loss Vs Fat Loss - Yes There is a Difference!

In order to lose weight, your body must burn more calories than it takes in, but keep in mind that your body needs calories for energy and when you exercise your body needs even more calories. Before I talk about energy, the first thing you must understand is that losing weight and losing fat is not the same thing. Just because you lose weight, does not mean you lose fat, and just because you lose fat, does not mean you lose weight. When people talk about losing weight, what the really want to do is lose the excess fat on their body and obtain an attractive figure.

When you eat, the body uses most of the calories for energy. If you eat more calories than the body uses, it will get stored as fat. If you do not consume enough calories per day you will lose weight, but you will also lose energy. When you do not consume enough energy (calories) for your body, it will start using up your energy stores to make up for the energy deficiency. Unfortunately, the energy stores used is not your stored fat, but instead it's protein and carbohydrates (carbs) that will supply most of the energy (stored fat makes up a very small percentage). 

Your body will take the protein and carbohydrates from your muscle cells; causing your muscle mass to reduce (say goodby to that toned attractive look) which forces your metabolism to decrease (a low metabolism = slow or no fat burning). When this happens your body requires less energy to maintain its new lower body weight (remember the body weight is lower because you loss muscle), which is why your body conserves energy by slowing down the metabolism. In other words, the body has adapted to the new lower energy (calorie) intake which means that you will no longer continue to lose weight.

Keep in mind that the weight you had lost in the first place was mostly water weight and you will eventually gain it back in the form of fat, not muscle (in order to get your muscle mass back to the way it was before, you have to work on rebuilding it). When carbohydrates and protein that are already in your body are used as the energy source, your body will lose water weight because both carbohydrates and protein hold water in the cells. In essence, you are dehydrating yourself to lose weight. So yes the scale will go down, but approximately 75% (if not more) of it is water instead of fat. And just so you know, exercising while consuming a small calorie intake just makes the situation worse. 

This is because when you exercise, you start burning off more energy and the more you workout, the more energy your body needs. I already told you above where the energy comes from, and if you do not give your body the energy it needs, it will just feed on your muscles even quicker now that you are exercising. So eat more food! In addition to this, when you cut down too much on your calorie intake, your body will start storing calories because it doesn't know when you will eat again. The calories that are stored will be stored as fat. So in other words, when your body is storing energy, it's basically storing more fat.

To summarize my point: Not eating enough calories results in muscle loss, dehydration, slower fat burning, and your body will always adapt to a lower calorie intake. Bottom Line: if you can't maintain that lower calorie intake for the rest of your life, you will gain your weight back when you get tired of starving yourself!

To lose weight properly (burning fat) you must increase your metabolism (weight training) and your need for oxygen (aerobics) while eating enough calories each day (nutritious diet) to give you energy and maintain the protein in your muscles because protein helps build muscles, which indirectly burns fat.

This brings up another good point: When you build muscle your weight will increase because your muscles are made up of mostly water, but your body fat percentage will decrease because building muscles increase your metabolism (in other words, muscles way more than fat, but take up less space than fat). So keep in mind that losing body fat can't be measured by a scale; use a measuring tape and also look at yourself in the mirror, and then you will see the true results. One of the best ways to know if you are losing more body fat than water is by using a body fat analyzer.

Make sure that you focus on fat loss not weight loss. Your goal should be to lose weight by burning fat, not losing water from your muscles. Remember this when you choose your weight loss program.

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Weight Loss - The Food Additive Connection?

T

his year will be different. You have decided that weight loss can and will happen this time. You are following the eating instructions right to the tee. But, do you ever feel it's an uphill battle?

Well, you're probably right. The food you eat can and will affect the success you experience. And I don't just mean carbs. Would you be surprised to learn that food additives actually contribute to not only weight gain, but to how you look and feel.

Well...It's true, Let's take a look at just some of the 2000 plus approved food additives. Hydrogenated vegetable oils and trans fats have been making news lately. Manufacturers are promoting 0 trans fat for some of their products. But, is this good enough?

Man created these oils. They are not beneficial to you. They raise your bad cholesterol. Hydrogenated oils don't have the essential fatty acids your body needs for all body functions. Not only don't you get nutrients from them, they actually block your absorption of nutrients. Your body needs the nutrients in fat. So, what is the body's response?

Eat. That's right. These fake oils make you keep eating because the body is hungry for the nutrients.

Try this...Remove hydrogenated vegetable oils from your diet and see how you feel and respond. If you want chips, go for organic. This is because removing trans fat is still leaving hydrogenated oil.

Moving on...We have monosodium glutamate or msg. Called a flavor enhancer. This chemical can cause an addictive effect making you crave foods that contain it. Other adverse effects complained of are headaches, migraines, flushing, pain and nausea. The FDA requires that this ingredient be identified on the label. And to top off it's effects...Scientists use msg to make lab rats fat so they can study obesity and obesity products. You see, these creatures aren't naturally fat.

Next there's aspartame. This has become the sweetener of choice for many people watching their weight. This chemical additive is responsible for 92 various complaints to the FDA. Among them is slow steady weight gain. Weight gain, the unexpected result of a low calorie sweetener. Another culprit to weight gain is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Not to be confused with the pure corn syrup you find on store shelves. No, HFCS is man made. The food industry's answer to the high sugar prices in the 1970's. Since then, it has made its way into most everything. Even pasta sauce. Would you even think of sweetening your pasta sauce? I wouldn't. This additive will cause weight gain and cravings. Kind of sheds some light on society's weight problem, don't you think?

So, what are you to do...First, continue with your diet changes. You are on the right track and the next actions will give you a boost. Second, eliminate foods with hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, msg, and aspartame. Next, reduce processed foods in your diet by increasing fresh fruits and vegetables.

You may choose to use organic products instead of conventional processed foods. This is a good move. However, processed organic foods are still processed. Your body will thrive on wholesome foods. And your rewards last a lifetime. http://ezinearticles.com/?Weight-Loss---The-Food-Additive-Connection?&id=964415

Fast Weight Loss Dieting - Shouldn't I Just Decrease My Calorie Intake To Lose Weight Fast?

Speed. That's typically the first word that comes to the minds of many who are looking to get in shape. Fast weight loss dieting is something that many want to do, but don't really understand what truly will work quickly... WITHOUT the negative consequences.

That being said, one of the most common approaches to lose weight fast is to simply decrease your calorie intake. The theory is very straightforward: If you eat X amount of calories a day and you are either gaining weight or maintaining weight, then simply reduce your calorie intake by X amount, and you'll get amazing results. Although the numbers game here makes sense, it's not as straightforward as it may seem.
Why?

The reason why is very simple: It is highly recommended that you DO NOT solely focus on losing weight fast simply by decreasing your calorie intake simply because WHAT and HOW you eat is more important than HOW MUCH you eat.

You see, you could just decrease your calorie intake and eat nothing but an unhealthy lunch each day (such as 4 slices of pizza and some fries) to reach your total daily calorie intake requirement. Doing this may equal the total amount of calories you need as far as NUMBERS are concerned for you to lose weight, but you are doing your body a major disservice. What will end up happening is you'll suffer from a mountain of problems (a slower metabolism, digestive issues, more body fat, a loss of energy, and more)!
The primary focus should always be on what it is you are eating and how you are eating as opposed to how much you are eating. This is not to say that you can eat as much as you want and still lose weight. You still do need to eat a little less than you normally would if you want to lose weight, but the point I'm trying to make is that strictly focusing on decreasing your calorie intake is not going to get you the results you want.
Now, to explain the WHAT and the HOW...

The WHAT means eating the right types of nutrients (such as foods high in antioxidants, healthy fats, healthy carbs, protein, vitamins, and minerals). The HOW means eating smaller meals more often throughout the day, eating slower, not eating bad foods late at night, ALWAYS eating breakfast every morning, etc.
So, to answer the question of if you should simply just decrease your calorie intake to drop those pounds quickly, as you can see from the above, this is definitely not a good idea. Focus more on what it is you are eating and how you are eating and you'll not only drop pounds quickly, you'll also improve your overall health as well... PERMANENTLY! http://ezinearticles.com/?Fast-Weight-Loss-Dieting---Shouldnt-I-Just-Decrease-My-Calorie-Intake-To-Lose-Weight-Fast?&id=7381076