Do You Want To Be "Lighter" or "Slimmer" ?

People are always focused on "losing weight" but is this, in fact, the wrong focus? The problem isn't that we weigh too much. The problem is that we have too much excess fat and this can create some unsightly areas on the body, as well as hindering our health. Most of us want to be slimmer rather than lighter.

Bodies consist of many different "materials" - muscles, bones, water, fat, nerves, skin, etc. Fat is not a heavy substance. In fact, it is the lightest material in the body. People whose bodies contain a lot of fat float easily, thin people don't.

On the contrary, muscle is a much heavier tissue. You can lose fat and tone up your muscles and you may notice absolutely no difference on the scales, even though you may be noticeably slimmer. So don't be discouraged by what the scales tell you. Focus on how your clothes feel and how they are becoming looser and baggier.

On some diets you can lose an awful amount of weight in a very short space of time. The reason is that you are losing muscle mass as well as fat. There are a few problems that are associated with losing muscle.

First, losing muscle will lower your overall metabolism, making it hard to keep that "weight" off and so the fat returns quite easily. Secondly, muscles are what holds the skin in place so in extreme cases you could be left with saggy skin, requiring plastic surgery to correct. Some "weight loss" programmes will actually discourage you from doing exercise to avoid "weight gain". This is sheer lunacy. And, losing muscle will of course make you weaker.

So don't worry just about "losing weight". Set your attention on dropping your clothing size or slimming down as well.

Make sure you are getting enough protein in your snacks, meals and shakes to keep your muscles fed.

Having said that this website still refers to programmes as "weight loss" programmes because this term is so ingrained in our minds. You can view our programmes here: Herbalife Progammes