Types of weight loss

We all think that any weight loss is a "good thing", but sometimes it actually isn't. There are several kinds of weight loss but there's really only one kind that actually works. Three kinds of weight loss are:

• Water loss
• Muscle loss
• Fat loss

Water loss

Water loss is what makes your weight fluctuate the most. Your body is made up of, on average, 50% to 60% water with the rest being taken up by muscle and fat. You can probably guess that water plays a major role in your weight. Two cups of water is roughly equal to one pound of weight, so if you don't drink your needed eight glasses minimum a day then you can lose a fair amount of weight.

Muscle loss

Your muscles don't stay, no matter how hard you wish them to stay. Your muscles deteriorate over time so your body needs to rebuild them. Exercise helps build up new muscles, but if your body can't rebuild your existing muscles then you're going to lose them. Protein is what your body needs to rebuild muscles (as well as for your brain, red blood cells and your central nervous system), so if you're not getting enough protein then your body is less efficient at rebuilding muscles, so they will deteriorate and you lose weight. This can also happen if you don't eat enough carbohydrates, as your body will then convert the protein you eat into the fuel it needs, meaning that you don't have the proteins your body needs each day.

Fat loss

This is the best weight loss to have. It's very easy to gain weight and it's very hard to lose weight. Your body needs to consume food, convert it to energy and burn it during the day. If you eat too much food each day, or the wrong kind of food, then your body won't be able to burn it all and it will get stored as fat so it can be burned at a later time. Unfortunately, this new fat generally isn't burnt off as your body will continue to receive too much so fat will continue to be stored, making you fatter and heavier. If you count calories (generally 2500 a day for women and 3500 a day for men) then you can still gain weight even if you're well under. How? Well, you could be eating full fat foods, or foods that are just unhealthy, and your body won't be able to burn it all so it gets stored as fat.

Conclusions

I'm far from an expert on this, but I've found that if you eat to within the last 500 calories of your limit, while doing a fair amount of exercise, then you can slowly lose weight. The best weight loss is fat loss and it takes time to burn off far. On average you should be able to lose two pounds a week, anything more than this is unhealthy and you're likely to just put it back on again. You should also try to weigh yourself under the same conditions so as to rule out other factors. Pick a time and day to weigh yourself each week and try to do it at that time. It could be in the morning just after waking and just after your morning trip to the toilet, but before you have anything to drink or eat. You could also do it every monday evening just after getting home from work.

Whatever time you pick you should try to make it the same each week. Always try to do it after going to the toilet and before you eat or drink anything, this way you'll get a more true reading as liquid and food will add to your weight (I can lose two pound just by emptying a full bladder before weighing myself, or I can gain a pound just by drinking two glasses of water before I weigh myself).