Why losing the same 10-15 lbs. is making your health worse
The Biggest Health Mistake
One of the biggest and most common mistakes people make when pursuing health goals is using the terms “fat loss” and “weight loss” interchangeably.
Usually, when people say they want to lose weight, what they really mean is that they want to lose fat. However, the methods they use often lead them to lose more than just fat.
Let's dive into why this distinction is so critical for your long-term health.
The Problem with the "Eat Less, Cardio More" Approach
The typical weight loss approach involves two simple steps: eating less and doing more cardio. This often successfully creates a calorie deficit, which causes some weight loss.
The problem? Most people aren't emphasizing two key elements during this process:
High-protein diet
Resistance training
This means that when they step on the scale and see weight drop, some of that loss is fat, but a significant portion is also lean mass.
Lean mass is everything that isn't fat mass—water, muscle, bone, ligaments, tendons, etc. While losing some temporary water weight is harmless, losing any other type of lean mass is where the trouble begins.
The High Cost of Losing Lean Mass
When you lose lean mass, you are significantly diminishing your body's functional capacity and making your health worse in the long run.
Losing muscle and other lean tissue can make you:
Weaker and more injury-prone.
More insulin resistant (increasing your risk for conditions like diabetes).
Less toned
Less resilient against illness.
The Metabolism Drop (The Vicious Cycle)
Perhaps the most problematic consequence is that it becomes exponentially harder to maintain your new, lower body weight because your maintenance calories go down.
Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the amount of calories your body needs just to keep all essential systems running (heart, brain, respiration, etc.). This makes up the bulk of the calories you burn daily.
The main way you can adjust your BMR is by adjusting your lean mass:
Muscle is metabolically active. The more muscle you have, the more energy your body needs to burn just to maintain it.
If you lose muscle mass, your BMR decreases. This means your body needs fewer calories each day.
Breaking the Cycle
If you lose weight and some of it is muscle, you cannot go back to your previous eating habits, even if those habits were previously maintaining your weight. You now have to eat less than you used to.
If you eat the same amount, that excess energy your body no longer needs will be stored as fat. You then gain weight, try to cut calories and do more cardio, lose even more muscle, and repeat the cycle, getting stuck in a worsening body composition trap.
The Fat Loss Prescription
If your goal is truly to lose body fat and maintain a strong, healthy body, you must protect your lean mass.
While you are in a calorie deficit (typically for 6–12 weeks), you must prioritize two non-negotiable habits:
Prioritize Resistance Training: Lift weights 2–3 times a week to signal to your body that your existing muscle is needed and should be maintained.
Prioritize Protein Consumption: Protein is essential for muscle repair and retention, especially during a calorie deficit.
Be patient, stay the course, and give yourself some grace! Remember, most people overestimate the progress they will make in 12 weeks and seriously underestimate the incredible progress they will make in 12 months.