Shedding The Excess: Weight Loss vs Fat Loss

Have you ever considered there’s a difference between weight loss and fat loss? The two terms are often used interchangeably, but they refer to different processes and produce different outcomes on the body.  

Weight loss typically refers to your overall body weight going down, which includes the loss of water weight, muscle mass, and body fat. Whereas fat loss specifically targets losing body fat. Unlike weight loss, fat loss means your body is shedding excess fat stores while maintaining muscle mass. 

The two most common types of fat that we hear about are visceral and subcutaneous fat.

Visceral fat is stored deep within your abdomen and surrounds organs such as the intestines, liver and pancreas. It’s needed to protect vital organs, but too much of it can negatively impact your health. Excess visceral fat can increase the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. It poses more health risks compared to subcutaneous fat.

Subcutaneous fat lives between your skin and muscles, covering areas of the body like your thighs, hips and abdomen. It serves as a cushion to protect underlying tissue and organs. Heard of love handles? That’s the subcutaneous fat! However, it is generally considered less harmful to your overall health when compared to visceral fat.

If you’ve been working hard on your weight loss journey but the scales aren’t responding, you’re probably just losing fat while gaining muscle! The number on the scale isn’t a direct reflection of weight loss — one of the best indicators is your measurements. If you’ve been at it for a while with no evidence on the scales, take your measurements and if they’re smaller, congrats! You’ve lost fat.

If you’re doing everything right and not noticing any changes, then perhaps you have hit the dreaded weight loss plateau! You can check our our blog on what it is and how to overcome it here.