Why Losing Fat, Building Muscle is the Answer

Yes, I'm a strong proponent for weight training for men and women (especially women), but won't women get TOO BIG? Sorry, but it just doesn't work that way. There is simply no way a typical woman is going to suddenly sprout huge muscles. It takes the right genetics, proper nutrition in the right ratios, plus proper rest vs. work load (the exercise part) to allow muscles to respond with growth. Men have a greater amount of testosterone (the male hormone) which is partly why they are able to gain muscle faster than women. So don't worry ladies. I've been working out with weights at a fairly high intensity level for years, and I never grew huge muscles.

Men can build muscle fairly easily and that helps explain why they also can lose weight more easily as well. Most of us know some fellow who simply decided one day to lose 20 lbs and next time you see him, it's gone. "How'd you do it" you might ask and he'll just say, "Oh, no big deal. I just stopped overeating." His poor suffering wife just looks on.

Muscle is more Compact than Fat

Muscle tissue is more compact than fat, and is metabolically active, meaning it requires calories to be maintained. Fat is the opposite. It simply sits there, waiting in case it may need to be used in the future. Fat does not require any calories to be maintained. Fat is fluffy and bumpy, while muscle is sleek and shapely.

Fat is emergency storage tissue, while muscle allows you to move, bend and stretch or leap tall buildings in a single bound! Muscle is what you're after if you want shapely, sleek muscles and a toned body. A certain amount of body fat is required - woman need more than men, simply because women are designed to nourish growing babies - too bad if you don't like it, that's the way it works. An undernourished woman or very low body fat women will simply lose her ability to become pregnant. It is natures way of protecting the unborn.

How 140 lbs Can be Size 8 and also Size 12

For comparison, when I was at my "best" I was 14% body fat and weighed 140 lbs. 140 lbs. X .14 = 19.6. Subtract that 19.6 pounds of fat from the total body weight of 140 and the remainder is the amount of muscle I had at that time: 120.40 lbs. muscle.

Compare that to today when I am 20.5% body fat at 140 lbs. (20.5 X 140 = 28.7). Then subtract 28.7 lbs fat from total body weight of 140 to get the remainder of 111.30 lb muscle. (This equation does not take into account other things like bone, etc., but it is how we do it - so if you're a perfectionist, you'll just have to live with it.)

That means over the last 17 years I have lost 9.1 lbs of muscle and gained 9.1 lbs of fat. That explains how a person can weigh the same but become larger, or conversely if working out (exercising with purpose) can become leaner and wear a smaller pant's size, but weigh the same.

Lies that Weight Loss Scales Tell

The scale does not tell the story - it is your ratio of body fat to muscle that matters. Remember when Oprah hauled out a wheelbarrow full of fat to represent how much she'd lost that first time she got to 120 lbs? It was gross, but effective. Here is a graphic which displays how much more compact muscle is compared to fat.

I now wear two sizes larger than when I was at 14% body fat because fat is much bulkier than muscle tissue. Muscle takes up less space and creates those wonderful curves, while fat is bulky and lumpy. Understanding your body's ratio of fat to muscle will help in the quest for thinness and better health, since no matter how little you weigh, if your body fat is high, you won't look the way you want.

I don't care what the scale says, but I am interested in my ratio of body fat to muscle, and I'd like to gain some muscle, and lose some fat. So how do I go doing this?

Enter: Feed the Muscle, Burn the Fat

It's not easy to lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously. Most attempts to lose some weight are accompanied by a calorie reduction, but a calorie reduction is counter-productive to muscle gain. How then to accomplish the seemingly impossible? It isn't complicated, and unless you are very serious does not require the weighing and measuring of every single thing you put in your mouth, but it does require that you start to feed your muscles quality food - at least most of the time.

Even champion bodybuilders eat junk, they just don't eat it before a contest. No one stays in the shape you see in the magazines 100% of the time. Most bodybuilders in fact gain quite a bit of fat between photo shoots. That is not to disparage their accomplishments but simply to point out that the folks who display the most awesome physiques know how to do it, and if you are serious, it makes sense to do what they do.

What if I just want to be in good shape but not necessarily look like a champion body builder?

Then, you just don't go to the same extremes. When getting ready for a contest our bodybuilder will weigh and measure every single thing he puts in his mouth so as to create the ultimate calorie count, and nutrient ratios. Not very many people want to live like that, and many body builders only do so prior to photo shoots and contests. You'd still do well to learn how to feed the muscle - good quality, wholesome foods including meats and cheese, whole grains, vegetables, nuts and fruits, and then learn how to burn the fat through regular, consistent exercise.

If you are interested in reading more on this subject, I highly recommend Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle by Tom Venuto. Before you go all crazy that you don't want to look like that, stop right now. Finish this article, then you'll understand why I recommend this book.

Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle is over 337 pages of excellent information on feeding your body well. If you want an excellent physique, read this book. This is an E-book, and you'll want to print it out, put it in a binder and then get serious.

Read and study it, chapter by chapter. Highlight in it. Learn from it. If you've ever bought a book but didn't read it, then this is the time to stop that habit. If you're serious, simply get this book and follow the suggestions. You'll gain a better understanding of how it works to build muscle while burning fat, and you'll know how to make better choices.

Venuto writes in a common sense manner. He's not the type who insists you must do exactly as he says, in fact he's quite up front about the fact that different people want different results, and he explains how to fine tune what you are doing to achieve whatever result you truly want.

It's your choice as to how "in shape" you'd like to be. You can take it to the limit, or you can simply join the ranks of those who sport attractive bodies, have strength and endurance to play, feel good, have healthy results from medical tests, etc. You'll be building health while you build muscle.

I Don't Want to Get Bulky

I want to be smaller, not bigger! That's such a common cry, especially from women, but let me put that to rest right now. If you've seen my before/after photos then you are seeing the result of serious, consistent weight training, four times a week for nine months straight. I exercised at home, as I had no money and didn't belong to a gym, plus I couldn't afford to take supplements, so that result what from good old fashioned hard work and healthy eating.

You don't need the "extras" like equipment and supplements. Yes, they can be nice, but they are not absolutely required, and if you've been using an excuse that you can't get started because you don't have money or time or ... then it's time to face reality. All you lack is motivation. Exercise in a consistent manner and you'll get results that you won't believe.

Despite all my best efforts I wasn't big and bulky then, and I'm not big and bulky now. I'm slender with nice shape to my muscles. As mentioned earlier, I could lose nearly 10 pounds of fat and gain 10 pounds of muscle and be back in the same shape I was in nearly 20 years ago, if I'm willing to do what it takes. My goal now is to drop some body fat, so I'm concentrating on increasing my time exercising and making generally good food choices. No drastic diet, just incorporating more consistent exercise into my regular activities.

See my current workout room and how I look today >>