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When the scales don't move does it really mean that I wont
lose any fat at all?
If the weighing scales don't seem to move does it really mean I'm not losing
any fat at all?
If body weight has not been lost it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re
NOT
losing any fat from stores.
We receive many emails from people explaining that they're exercising more
and reducing calories but the weighing scales don’t seem to move for weeks.
Or even some suggest they're getting fatter! There are a few
reasons as to why this can occur, so let us explain a few of these in
detail to try and answer this common question.
1. As most people are aware when we first start any new exercise the muscles
involved adapt over the first few weeks by becoming stronger, a strength
increase often leads to a gain in muscle mass. It’s possible to gain 2-3
pounds of lean weight within a few weeks without noticing any
change in
musculature because the layer of excess fat will cover small overall muscle gains. These new gains in lean mass
can also mask any loss in body fat,
especially if you’re only losing fat at a rate of 1-2 pounds per week. It’s
also possible that initial muscle gains could overtake any fat loss and the
dieter sees the scales actually go up!
This is one reason why using weighing scales is NOT the best method to test
fat loss results; it may be more accurate to check fat percentage by
using fat monitors.
Realistically, the dieter should stick with their workout schedule as any
initial lean muscle gains will slow once the muscles are strong enough to
cope with this new type of exercise. At
this point, fat loss should begin to speed up because greater lean mass will
increase the metabolism and enable the
fat
stores to reduce. Exercising to lose weight is king, so stick with a
regular exercise plan!
2. Another change is an increase in blood volume. Hard working muscles need
a greater supply of oxygen in order to maintain the work rate. Our body
adapts by increasing the blood volume so a greater amount of oxygenated
blood can be delivered to exercising muscles.
3. Regular exercise increases carbohydrate storage
capacity in the muscles (Glycogen). This
enables the muscles to hold more energy for the next time you perform the
exercise. Greater glycogen stores within the muscles causes the body to draw
in more water to aid the storage; again this process will add some
additional weight, although exactly how much depends on the type of exercise
(anaerobic exercise tends to store
greater Glycogen levels), and the present diet of the individual,
specifically the carbohydrate intake. In theory however, if one is following
a low calorie diet, the carbohydrate intake may not be high enough to produce
a large glycogen storage.
4. Another consideration if the scales don’t seem to be moving, is you could
be gaining back fluids lost from the first stages of your weight loss. When we lose weight it
is inevitable that we will also lose some fluid – caused by loss of muscle
glycogen, protein / muscle loss or general fluid loss through increased sweating.
A gradual replacement of these previously lost fluids could again be masking any
further losses in body fat stores.
Fat is actually a relatively light, but dense, source of energy. A
fat loss of one pound is a huge loss of energy, as
much as 3500 calories. For this reason, losing fat will often take longer
than the adaptations which occur to new exercise, so any
exercise regime
should be thought of as long term in order of months, NOT weeks. If the
scales don’t seem to be moving, DO NOT worry or start to believe that you’re wasting your
time. Make sure you obtain the right exercise plan for your
body shape, then stick with it on a
regular basis.
Every few weeks adjust your dietary intake, and/or tweak the
exercise plan to
burn more
calories.
Good Luck!
But what
causes my fat loss to slow or stop?
Slowly
reduce weight so more fat is lost
It is
possible to remain same weight but become fatter!
When the
scales seem to stick on the same weight
Weight
reduction when not eating much food
Why am I
not losing any excess weight?
* Always seek approval from your doctor
before changing any part of your eating habits or diet.
Please read our
Terms!
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