DON’T Be A Big Loser

Q:Dear Tom, I already know you preach losing no more than two pounds per week. But does this apply to everyone? I’m currently at a 32% body fat level. I was curious to know if it’s ok to lose up to three pounds per week until I get to a 25%-20% body fat level. Will my body fight against such a loss? Thanks in advance for your time, knowledge, and response to this matter.
Sincerely,
Mark D.

A: It’s usually best to aim for one or two pounds per week of weight loss. This is the recommendation of most legitimate and respected dieticians, nutritionists, exercise physiologists and exercise organizations such as the American College of Sports Medicine and I’m in 100% agreement with this guideline.

However, it’s definitely ok to lose three pounds per week when you have a lot to lose. The more you have, the more you can safely lose per week because fat loss is relative to total body weight. Makes sense, right?

Generally the rule is that it’s safe to lose up to 1% of your total body weight per week, so if you weigh 300 lbs to start, then 3 lbs a week is a reasonable goal.

But there IS a catch.

What really matters is not how much weight is lost, but how much FAT is lost. Where did the weight come from? Are we talking about fat weight or lean body mass?

For example, let’s take a 260 pound man who has a lot of body fat to lose - let’s call it 32%. With 32% fat, a 260 pounder has 83.2 pounds of body fat and 176.8 pounds of lean mass. Using this example, let’s look at a few possible scenarios with losses ranging from two to four pounds per week.

Weight Loss Scenario 1:

Suppose our 260 pound subject loses four full pounds instead of the recommended one to two pounds per week. Is this bad? Well, let’s see:

If he loses a half a percent of body fat, here are his body composition results:

256 lbs
31.5% body fat
80.6 lbs fat
175.4 lbs lean body mass

Out of the four pounds lost, 2.8 pounds were fat and 1.2 were lean mass. Not a disaster, but not good either. Thirty percent of the weight lost was lean tissue.

Weight Loss Scenario 2:

If he loses a half a percent of body fat and only three pounds, here are his results:

257 lbs
31.5% body fat
80.9 lbs fat
176.1 lbs lean body mass

These results are better. Although he lost less body weight than scenario one, in this instance, 2.3 pounds of fat and only 0.7 lbs of lean mass were lost.

Weight Loss Scenario 3:

What if he only lost two pounds? Here are the results:

258 lbs
31.5% body fat
81.2 lbs fat
176.8 lbs lean body mass

These results are perfect. Even though our subject has only lost two pounds, which seems slow, 100% of the two pound weight loss came from fat.

Weight Loss Scenario 4:

Now let’s suppose he loses three pounds but he loses more body fat: .8%

257 lbs
31.2% body fat
80.2 lbs fat
176.8 lbs lean body mass

These are the best results of all. When the weekly fat loss is .8%, 100% of the three pounds lost is fat.

So the answer to the question is yes - it’s safe to lose more than two pounds per week… IF the weight is all fat or at least mostly fat with minimal lean mass losses.

One thing you should know is that water weight losses sometimes tend to distort these numbers, especially when you first begin a new nutrition and training program. It’s very common to lose 3 - 5 pounds in the first week on nearly any diet and exercise program especially those that involve low carbs. Just remember, its NOT all fat - It’s water!

The lean body mass number isn’t just muscle. Lean mass reflects all fat free tissue, including water weight. That’s why you shouldn’t panic if you see small drops in lean body mass - some of it is water.

When you lose large amounts of lean mass and/or if your lean mass drops consistently week after week, that’s an indication that you’re definitely losing muscle tissue.

The best advice I can give you is to focus on losing fat, not losing weight. If you lose three to five pounds per week, and you know it’s all fat, no muscle - more power to you!

Of course the only way to know this is with body composition testing. For home self-testing, I recommend the Accu measure as first choice. I suggest using the Tanita bio-electric impedance analysis scale only as second choice behind calipers for home self testing because this device gives some funky readings sometimes.

Even better, get a professional caliper test from an experienced tester at a health club, or even a water (hydrostatic) or air (bod pod) displacement test.

From literally hundreds of client case studies, I can confirm that it’s rare to lose more than 1.5 - 2.0 lbs of weight per week without losing some muscle along with it. If you lose muscle, you are damaging your metabolism and this will ultimately lead to a plateau and weight re-gain.

Lack of patience is one of the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to losing weight. If you want your weight loss to be PERMANENT, you have to take off the pounds slowly.

This is one of the toughest lessons that overweight men and women have to learn - and they can be very hard learners. They fight kicking and screaming, insisting that they CAN and they MUST lose it faster.

Then you have these TV shows that ENCOURAGE the masses that rapid, crash weight loss is okay.

This makes it even harder for those of us who are legitimate fitness and nutrition professionals because our clients say, “But Tom, look at so and so on TV - he lost 20 pounds in a week!”

Sure, but do you have any idea what the long term consequences are for so and so? Yes, that’s right - when you lose too much too fast, your lose lean tissue, you slow your metabolism, and your odds of gaining every ounce back - plus a few pounds extra for interest - are about 95% (not to mention the health and psychological consequences)

Short term thinking, folks… foolish. There are hundreds of ways to lose weight quickly, but only ONE WAY to lose fat and keep it off in the long term.

Do it the right way - the healthy and sensible way. Take off the pounds slowly with an intelligent nutrition and exercise program - and you will never have to take the pounds off again - they will be gone forever the first time. No more yo-yoing.

If this makes sense to you and you need help with the healthy, sensible way to take off the fat (while keeping all the muscle), then my Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle program will teach you how. No gimmicks or false promises. Just the truth - you have to work at it and you have to be patient. Go to www.BurnTheFat.com to get started.

My very best to you,

Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
Fat Loss Coach
www.BurnTheFat.com

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BURN THE FAT SUCCESS STORY OF THE WEEK
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Tom, I do not know if this will ever reach you personally as I know you are a very busy man and good for you you should be. You have so much to offer anyone who is willing to listen, get off their butt and “burn the fat”.

For years I did exactly as you have said over and over, that being trying fad diets, losing weight for sure (that was never really a problem for me as I was a former wrestler who “sucked” huge amounts of weight over short periods) but I never kept it off.

As I grew older the weight just kept piling up. I am 6 feet tall with the build of a natural athlete and topped off at an unhealthily 315 pounds. I would set early year goals only to have them fall apart by March.

There have been years when I would lose 30-40 lbs using my wrestler “suck the weight” mentality, but as I said it would not stay off and when it came back it would bring “friends”.

I am 52 and still very much involved in trying to be an athlete-my current form of competition is golf - a sport which I can still compete at at a very high level.

To make a long story short, at the end of last year I realized with a shock that I was losing body functionality. All these years, I rode the wave of my natural physical ability.

However, here I was at 52 and at 310 lbs and would end a one day 36 hole golf match (I always walk—I hate carts) completely exhausted and hurting—I would stagger to my car or to the bar and instead of going to the gym I would do the easier 12 ounces curls used to wash down a few dozen wings and of course some pizza pie.

I was, to say the least, disgusted with myself. So here I was, again, in late December making more New Years resolutions when I hade the great good fortune to come across your “burn the fat feed the muscle” e-book.

I bought it and without the least hesitation I can say it changed my life and probably saved it as well. I know that sounds a little over the top, but all I can say is if anyone doubts what I am saying-buy the book, live it even for three to four months and then YOU make the call.

For sure the book contains tons of useful information but it is Tom’s ongoing support that keeps you going.

It is his refreshing attitude that hey—if you want to get thin it is NOT an easy task it takes real work. I know that is not what most of us want to hear— we want to hear about a magic pill that we take and POOOFFF we are thin and in shape, however what Tom says is the TRUTH.

What I can tell you is that I have been back in the gym now for the first time in over 20 years and have changed my eating habits to reflect Tom’s suggestions and as they say the proof is in the pudding, I am now at 260 lbs and on my way to 200—my ultimate goal.

I am in better physical shape then I have been in in over 20 years and feel fantastic, at least most of the time. Not all the time to be sure. There are days when I go to the gym and say what the hell am I doing here this is crazy, this hurts, I do not want to do this.

However, instead of like the past when I would slowly quit this time with Tom’s unspoken encouragement I have worked through these tough times and the end result, while certainly NOT easy getting there, have been nothing short of incredible. Could I have done this without Tom’s help, yes, but the fact remains I did not for over 20 years.

I am grateful. It is not only what Tom has to say that is important. It is the person that Tom is that has even longer lasting value. For sure, I do not know him personally, but His words have lifted me out of a fat-creating life into a lean muscle-building life with a realistic attitude of being in it for the long haul not expecting immediate results and for that I will be forever grateful.

Steve English

TOM’S COMMENT: Thank you so much Steve, for sharing, and congratulations! You are a lean burn-the-fat machine and well on your way to that long term goal. I have NO DOUBT you will reach that goal in style and please do update us on your continued success (take some pics for us!) Awesome and inspiring is all I can say.

To see more reader feedback and all the latest BURN THE FAT success stories visit www.BurnTheFat.com/testimonials.html

14 April, 2006 posted in Reader Q & A