Like many of you I am also inspired by NBC’s The Biggest Loser.

However, last night some of the people on the show were confused. And I’ll bet if they were confused, you were puzzled as well. Let’s see if I can solve the mystery.

In past weeks members of both the blue team and the red team have gotten used to losing up to 10-17 pounds or more each and every week. However, in this fourth week they found themselves still losing weight, but noticibly less than in previous weeks. They wondered why.

If you are trying to lose weight, you may be wondering the same thing. Why are you suddenly hitting a plateau?

There is a simple reason.

Weight loss is not the same as fat loss. I shudder when people tell me they want to lose weight because losing weight is a short term goal. (Except for losing the pounds I had gained while pregnant, I haven’t lost any weight in five years! But I constantly continue to improve my health and sculpt my body.)

Losing weight is a great goal. And it is even motivating . . . for a few weeks. But when you put together a complete fitness program like they do on The Biggest Loser that combines diet, weight training, and cardio workouts, you may find that you don’t always lose as much weight as you did in the first few weeks.

Here’s what is happening. Your magnificent body is finally getting the chance to do what it has always wanted to do for you. You are eating right, doing cardio and building your muscles. It is rejoicing!

When you build your muscles while burning fat, this causes a weight loss plateau. It looks like this.

When you burn a pound of fat, that’s GREAT. Right? Right.
You are “losing weight.”

Now when you gain a pound of lean muscle, that’s GREAT. Right? Right.
You are toning and becoming more lean.

Now if you burn a pound of fat and gain a pound of lean muscle, what does that say on the scale? It says that you are not losing weight, doesn’t it? You have hit a weight loss plateau.

But you are losing fat while you are toning and becoming lean. THIS is what you always MEANT when you said you wanted to lose weight. Right?

Right.

The team members on The Biggest Loser were doing all of the right things, yet they had hit a weight loss plateau. If you are doing all of the right things, yet hitting a plateau, don’t get discouraged.

Try other measurements of your progress:
Track your body fat.
Take weekly photos of yourself.
Measure around your waist, hips, shoulders, bicep, thighs, chest and neck.
See how differently your clothes are fitting.

Along with your weight, THESE are also important ways to measure your progress.

I’ve found this site very helpful in developing a complete, customized program to help YOU lose weight, burn fat, shrink your waistline, increase your lean muscle mass, and feel all round better about yourself.

Customized Fitness Programs

Have a great night!
Tami