What’s More Important, Inches or Weight Loss?
It only matters to the eye of the beholder. And I mean, beholder. Look, if you continue to believe for one second that losing 2 inches off your waistline is more impactful than 20 pounds, I have to be honest with you. You’re wrong. I’m talking to my overweight and obese folks here. Let me make it a little more real for you.
You go to the doctor for an annual physical. Your numbers are off concerning cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure. He or she tells you that you need to lose weight, right? So you go and start a “Diet Plan” that should help you level off and take these numbers into the safe range. After about a month, you notice that your waistline is slimmer, but the numbers on the scale are the same. Frustrated, you blame it on the fact that you started working out and it MUST BE the fact that you’ve developed more muscle, making you heavier in the absence of fat. Nice try! But honestly, it takes a lot more working-out than that to build muscle. Matter of fact, eating more calories and supplementing in a workout that focusing on building muscle is the only sure way to secure that so called theory into law. Most of which is probably not really happening, am I right?
Good! Now that we’re being honest, let’s get down to business. Truth be told, muscle does weigh more than fat. But, in most cases of individuals trying to lose weight, any weight that sheds off the scale is mainly attributed to water weight. Just that fact that you change your eating habits and add in a little more activity allows at least 3-5 pounds of water loss from sweat and voiding alone. So, once you get that off, now you’re working on the fat. It takes 3500 calories to account for 1 pound of fat; adding or subtracting. So, if all else stays the same, working out in the gym to the tune of 3500 calories, and not eating anything will allow you to lose one pound per day. Too bad you starved yourself in the process, because you may have lost even more if you added on some muscle. But since the body starved itself and was apprehensive about expending energy to create new muscle, you didn’t.
So how does it work then? Best results are slow and steady, with just the right amount of cardiovascular exercise and weight lifting. That way you can tone (add on the muscle to raise your body’s metabolism) and burn (taking off fat along the way). Three meals a day with two snacks in between and a healthy regimen of weight training will carve your body into shape like an experienced sculptor. Patience is key, along with constantly pushing your body to new levels each time so that you can force it to make positive changes.
Inches lost, without weight loss equals nothing! Stop thinking muscle was substituted for fat. In some extreme cases, this may be right. But come on, let’s be truthful; it’s probably more pie in the sky thinking. Remember this: “‘Everything is permissible for me’ – but not everything is beneficial. ‘Everything is permissible for me’ – but I will not be mastered by anything… Therefore, Honor God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:12, 20b).
You can do it all (EAT BAD, SMOKE, DRINK, BE SEDENTARY) but it may not be the best for you. Do those things that will benefit you now and in the long run. A healthy body does just that. Be safe folks!
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