When it comes to training/nutrition, what you really want to be concerned with is body composition, not bodyweight. How much of your weight is coming from muscle and how much of your weight is coming from fat? According to Erik Ledin of Lean Bodies Consulting, the number you should be paying attention to is your Body Mass Index, or BMI. If you trained and dieted and lost five points of fat, but gained five pounds of muscle, your bodyweight would say “no change,” even though you made a 10 pound change to your body composition. That’s what you really care about, that’s why you started dieting and training in the first place. Maybe your waist is tighter, maybe your hips are slimmer, maybe your clothes look better and people are taking notice. If you’re seeing these signs, but the number on the scale hasn’t changed then guess what? You’ve hit the perfect groove where you’re losing fat AND gaining muscle. That’s a good thing so enjoy it!

1. It’s
About
Fat
Loss,
Not
Weight
Loss
By
Erik
Ledin
January
13,
2014
Okay,
so
you’ve
decided
it’s
important
for
you
to
get
in
shape
because
you
want
to
look
better
and
you
want
to
feel
better.
Obviously,
this
is
a
somewhat
nebulous
goal
so
you
want
to
make
things
concrete,
specific,
quantitative.
You
decide
you
want
to
lose
weight.
You
say,
“I
want
to
be
twenty
pounds
lighter.”
Let
me
stop
you
right
there
and
ask
a
simple
question:
Why?
Why
do
you
care
about
bodyweight?
Why
does
it
matter?
What
does
it
even
tell
you?
Let
me
just
throw
something
out
there–nobody
knows
how
much
you
way
but
you.
No
one.
It’s
a
number
that
only
exists
when
you’re
on
a
scale,
and
the
only
person
it
makes
a
difference
to
is
you.
Don’t
believe
me?
I’ll
prove
it.
Here
are
some
thought
experiments:
• If
you
lost
ten
pounds,
but
you
still
felt
and
looked
the
same,
would
that
be
success?
• If
the
scale
said
the
same
number
but
you
felt
more
energetic
and
everyone
commented
on
how
good
you
look,
would
that
be
failure?
Are
you
seeing
the
bigger
picture?
When
it
comes
to
training/nutrition,
what
you
really
want
to
be
concerned
with
is
body
composition,
not
bodyweight.
How
much
of
your
weight
is
coming
from
muscle
and
how
much
of
your
weight
is
coming
from
fat?
The
number
you
should
be
paying
attention
to
is
your
Body
Mass
Index,
or
BMI.
If
you
trained
and
dieted
and
lost
five
points
of
fat,
but
gained
five
pounds
of
muscle,
your
bodyweight
would
say
“no
change,”
even
though
you
made
a
10
pound
change
to
your
body
composition.
And
unless
I’m
mistaken,
that’s
what
you
really
care
about,
that’s
why
you
started
dieting
and
training
in
the
first
place.
Maybe
your
waist
is
tighter,
maybe
your
hips
are
slimmer,
maybe
your
clothes
look
better
and
people
are
taking
notice.
If
you’re
seeing
these
signs,
but
the
number
on
the
scale
hasn’t
changed
then
guess
what?
You’ve
hit
the
perfect
groove
where
you’re
losing
fat
AND
gaining
muscle.
That’s
a
good
thing
so
enjoy
it!
In
short,
it’s
not
just
about
a
smaller
and
smaller
number
on
the
scale.
If
you
look
and
feel
better,
you’re
making
progress.
Erik
Ledin
earned
his
certification
as
a
Personal
Trainer
(CPT)
and
a
Strength
&
Conditioning
Specialist
(CSCS)
from
the
National
Strength
&
Conditioning
Association.
Additionally,
he
is
also
a
Certified
Kinesiologist
from
the
Ontario
Kinesiology
Association
(OKA),
as
well
as
a
Certified
Sports
Nutritionist
from
the
International
Society
of
Sports
Nutrition
(ISSN).
Erik
Ledin
is
a
regularly
attendee
of
the
national
conferences
for
NSCA
and
ISSN.
He
enjoys
converting
his
education
in
body
science
into
real
life
results
and
measurable
success.