How Can I Lose Fat Instead of Weight?

There are a lot of different kinds of weight that you can lose. Do cardio and resistance training to lose fat.

When people talk about losing weight, they often really mean that they’d like to lose body fat. There are plenty of ways to lose weight quickly, though, that won’t really affect the amount of fat that’s in your body. These strategies aren’t nearly as beneficial for your overall health as actual fat loss. Ideally, you will learn how to drop the fat while still maintaining a healthy body weight. This guide can help.

There are a lot of different kinds of weight that you can lose. Three common types of weight loss come from losing: 

• Water
• Muscle
• Fat

Your body needs all of these tissues and materials in order to survive and properly function, though, so you need to be careful when it comes to weight loss or else risk depriving your body of essential nutrients.   

Weight from fat is often the healthiest kind of weight to lose because our bodies can accumulate large excesses, but if you deprive your body of too much fat, then you’re missing an essential building block that’s used in every single one of your cells. 

Water is similarly found throughout your body and is used in almost all bodily functions. Losing too much  water without replenishing it causes dehydration. Water weight can be gained and lost relatively quickly in healthy people but is rarely a useful type of weight loss to focus on because much of the weight will return when you rehydrate. 

Losing muscle weight is probably the most detrimental kind of weight to lose. Your muscles support and strengthen all of your movements. The weight from your muscles is known as lean body mass. Unlike excessive weight from fat, it’s typically a healthy form of weight that you should try to gain or maintain. 

Losing too much muscle mass, on the other hand, can cause these tissues to atrophy — or weaken. Not having strong enough muscles can have a lasting impact on your health. 

Ideally, you should be able to lose weight from fat and maintain muscle mass while also making sure to drink plenty of water. 

The amount of fat in your body matters more for your overall health than the exact number that you see on a scale. Excessive amounts of body fat can greatly increase your risk of developing a number of serious health problems.  

Health problems linked to too much body fat include: 

• High blood pressure
• Heart disease
• Infertility
• Sleep apnea
• Heartburn (GERD)
• Depression

Luckily, your risk factors for most of these conditions could go right back to normal if you actually manage to lose the fat. Shedding excess fat from your body is in many situations the single best thing you can do for your overall health if you’re overweight or obese.  

If you want to prioritize fat loss while keeping your muscles intact, then you need to keep up a consistent exercise routine throughout your weight loss journey. Continuing to use your muscles even when you’re calorie-cutting is a must. Otherwise, your body will start to pull the nutrients it needs from these important tissues. 

The type of exercise matters too. Your best option is a mix of cardio and resistance training. Cardio activities include:

• Running
• Jogging
• Biking
• Swimming
• Using an elliptical machine

These activities are the best at burning fat. They also get your heart rate up, which is good for your overall heart health.

However, cardio does very little in terms of improving the size of your muscles. For that, you need to mix in sessions of resistance training. This type of exercise is best for both maintaining and strengthening your muscles. Fortunately, research indicates that incorporating resistance training into your overall fitness strategy doesn’t get in the way of fat loss.  

Resistance training is any kind of exercise that requires your muscles to move an added weight — i.e., resistance — in a certain way. Examples include:

• Basic weight lifting
• Pull-ups
• Curl-ups
• Specially designed machines at the gym. There are versions of resistance machines that are made to work out pretty much every muscle group in your body.

The amount that you’ll need to work out depends on a number of factors like how much weight you want to lose and how fast you want to lose it. It also depends on your current fitness level. In general, you should try to work out all of your muscle groups on a weekly basis. Aim for compound exercises that engage your entire body so you can exercise multiple muscle groups at the same time. Consult your doctor before starting any exercise program, though, if you’re obese, over the age of forty, or haven’t exercised in a while. 

In order to lose weight, your body needs to consistently be in a state of caloric deficit. This occurs when the amount of calories that you’re consuming is less than the amount that your body uses throughout the day. Ideally, your body will use your fat in place of these missing calories. 

The exact number of calories that you should consume is different from one person to the next. It depends on factors like your age, sex, and how much you’re working out. Talk to your doctor or a nutritionist for advice that’s specific to your particular body and lifestyle. 

Even when you’re cutting calories, you still need to make sure that you’re eating enough food. You’ll become malnourished if you don’t get enough calories for an extended period of time or if you don’t provide your body with the right balance of nutrients. 

In general, you should eliminate unhealthy foods from your diet. This includes foods that are high in: 

• Trans fats
• Fatty acids
• Sugar
• Salt

High-protein diets can be particularly helpful when you’re trying to maintain muscle while losing fat. They increase feelings of satiety and lower your risk of developing certain heart conditions. 

One study found that a higher protein diet helped young male participants add more lean muscle mass while still losing fat. Another found that more protein was also better for overall body composition in older adults who had lost weight.  

In fact, everybody needs protein to maintain muscle mass during workouts.  

The best way to lose fat and maintain weight is to develop a well-rounded fitness plan that’s specific to your body. Your doctor can help you devise a reasonable and safe plan. They can even refer you to expert nutritionists and physical therapists for more help. 

Reach out to your doctor again, though, if you develop any concerning symptoms or suffer injuries after beginning a new diet or exercise routine.