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Andy Cross PT

Weight loss V's Fat loss

How often do you hear people saying “I have lost a lot of weight” or “I want to lose weight” or “what is the fastest way to lose weight”? Being a Personal Trainer I hear this most days. Especially when I have a consultation with a new prospective client. I always ask so what are your main goals, what is it that you really want to achieve?


The most common answer is to lose weight.


I hate the term lose weight. You’re probably thinking that is a little strange. So let me explain.

Weight means body weight. So what consists with the weight of the body?


  • Muscle – Healthy weight

  • Bones – Healthy weight

  • Organs – Healthy weight

  • Water – Healthy weight

  • Excess body fat – Unhealthy weight.


So when we say lose weight what do we want to lose and what do we most commonly lose when we do not know much about the best nutrition and exercise for weight/fat loss?


The answer is mostly muscle, water and less fat than you think.


Let’s put this down to FAD diets…. So what are fad diet?


1. The Atkins diet. – Low Carb & High fat

2. The Dukan diet. – Low Carb

3. Ketogenic diet. – Low Carb

4. Baby food diet. (WTF) low carb/protein/fat/kcals

5. Cabbage soup diet – Low Carb

Fad diets are simply diets that are the craze at the time, because you get celebrities saying I have lost so much weight on this diet. Then someone is making a million by promoting the diet. These people are destroying your bodies.


Yes, the weight loss is great in terms of fat loss, but when you hear of people losing 5-9lbs in a week, this is what is happening to their bodies:


1lb of body fat = approx. 3,600 Kcals.


1g of fat = 9 Kcals.


Over a week that is 18,000 to 32,400 Kcals lost in a week, and people think this is from body fat !!!! this is where I am doing a fake laugh and shaking my head at the same time.

It does not make sense does it?


So let me break it down like this and explain what is going on:


Prior to the diet these people were likely to be on a high carb diet, binging, eating pizza, fats, cakes, drinking alcohol, chocolate etc… I must say not everyone. But the ones who get the 9lb weight loss… sorry but you are the ones who get that massive #weightloss.


You lose 5-9lb first week, then 4-7lb the next, then averaging 3-5lb per week after.


Number 1 on the weight loss and first to go is Muscle, yes that healthy body tissue. With the reduced carbs your body starts to look for another form of energy. Usually Glycogen from the muscles and healthy muscle tissue such as protein being converted into energy.


Number 2 is water, your diet has changed so you are not eating the unhealthy high salt foods and the body starts to get rid of excess water. Especially as you read on a fad diet post that you should drink 21 gallons of water per day (ok exaggeration) but you do drink more which is a good thing if you were not prior. So the body adapts and gets more efficient at disposing of water.


Number 3 Fat. Yes, you will lose a little fat, but the body is great at holding onto and storing fat especially when the body thinks there is a threat from lack of food. We need body fat to keep us warm and provide energy when needed. The muscle that you are not using because you are too tired due to lack of carbs to train efficiently if at all will be consumed as energy over fat.


So the first week will look something like this:


Weight Loss


Muscle – 2-3lb

Water – 2-3lb

Fat – 1-2lb


  • Ever wondered why some people look skinny fat?

  • When you touch the body it’s soft with no muscle tone?

  • The type of person that has bingo wings?




If you follow a correct diet such as a Metabolic Effect diet that I do with my clients as a personal trainer in Milton Keynes, you will lose body fat over muscle. So each week I do a body composition analysis to determine how we should manipulate carbs and protein to work with that individual person. As long as muscle is staying the same with the correct training plan as well and body fat is dropping they are on the right diet.




Sometimes my clients need subtle changes to their diets every week to keep them on track. The body is like a finger print with regards to hormones and how individuals need to train and diet. There are no two people that have the same body. That is why there are so many fad diets around. Some work for some and don’t for others. People want to see weight loss!!! You should be looking for Fat loss. When training right you will gain healthy muscle tissue whilst losing body fat. Sometimes those scales may not budge, but you notice through other measurements and the way you look that you are losing body fat. That is what training and getting an awesome physic is all about. Look good naked.

Andy Cross Personal Trainer MK

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