Body
Composition
I would like to
encourage you to throw away the scales
and measure your body fat
instead.
I don't mean literally throw
them away, but getting on a scale and
measuring your total body weight doesn't
tell you the whole story. Measuring your
body fat and tracking body composition is a
better indicator of a healthy
body.
A body composition analysis
by a professional trainer, or doctor is an
important step to take before you start an
exercise program, not only does it tell you
the ratio of fat to muscle, it will help
you to define a clear goal to work
towards. It's
very encouraging to know as you
recheck every few months that you are
making a healthy change.
Your body weight may
change but is it muscle or fat that
you are losing? This is why using a
scale alone can throw you off by giving you
a false impression.
Diet plays an
important role in your ability to hold onto
muscle and lose
fat.
As you
may know already, muscle is
active tissue and requires calories to
exist, fat is just stored excess
calories. When you lose
calorie burning muscle (by eating too
few calories) you will end up storing
more fat when you start eating your
normal diet again.
You may lose weight temporarily, but now
you have set yourself up to gain more
fat as your calorie consuming muscle
is lost.
