Biggest Loser
Brian September 23rd, 2009
I have had many clients say, ” how come I’m not losing as much weight or losing weight as fast as the people on the biggest loser?” This is usually a question that arises out of frustration from months of training and not getting the results they expected. You may find yourself in this situation or know of someone who has been in this situation. Keep these few simple caveats in mind.
Muscle weighs more than fat:
As you progress through a training program consisting of cardiovascular and strength training you will add some lean tissue to your physique. Muscle is much more dense than fat, so if you shed the same volume of fat as you gain in muscle you will see the scale increase. Increasing lean mass will ultimately raise your metabolism and help you lose weight faster, so don’t get discouraged!
The more weight you have to lose, the faster you will lose weight initially:
Look at this as a game of percentages. Let’s say one person has 150 lbs. of fat to lose and another has 50 lbs. of fat to lose. If they each lose 10 lbs. it is a 6.6% loss for first person and a 20% loss for the second. Obviously it will be easier for the person who lost a smaller percentage of their body weight to continue to lose weight than it will be for the person who has less to lose. Also, much of the initial weight loss for anyone is glycogen and water. The more you weigh, the more glycogen and water you carry.
Set point theory:
According to the set-point theory, there is a control system built into every person dictating how much fat he or she should carry – a kind of thermostat for body fat. Some individuals have a high setting, others have a low one. According to this theory, body fat percentage and body weight are matters of internal controls that are set differently in different people.
Read more about this here:Â http://medweb.mit.edu/pdf/set_point_theory.pdf
In Health,
Brian