Role of Exercise in Fat Loss
Part 3 of 6: Improved Body Shape
In the first two parts of our Role of Exercise in Fat Loss series, we discussed the two most important factors with respect to weight loss:
- We want to make sure we are losing body fat only while keeping our bones, muscles, and organ tissues safe.
- We want to increase our lean muscle tissue in order to raise our basal metabolic rate.
The third most important factor is improved body shape; the main determinants of which are mostly our bones, then our muscle and body fat. We don’t get to choose the size and shape of our skeleton, just like we don’t get to choose our natural eye-color or hair-color. However, we do have some control over how much muscle and body fat we have. The two brief stories below will help illustrate the idea of improved body shape:
A few months ago we had an initial consultation with a woman who is 4 feet 11 inches tall and weighed 89 pounds. Despite her small stature, she did not look gaunt nor under-nourished. However, her number one goal was to lose four pounds – bringing her weight down to 85 pounds.
From her perspective, she felt this was a logical and necessary goal. From our perspective, we felt it was a lesson in how unrealistically obsessed our society is with weight. We began to consider that women in particular, regardless of whether they are currently at a healthy weight, strive to lose an additional 5 to 10 pounds with little or no regard to the impact on their overall body shape. They are pleased if the scale reports a lower number even at the expense of losing muscle.
By paying attention to the fact that your body shape is improving and your clothes are fitting better, it may help inspire you to make better decisions about what you eat to support your strength-training efforts. To focus on weight loss in a vacuum is to do undermine the overall improved health and fitness level you are achieving.
Another client that we’ve been working with for six months weighed well over 200 pounds and wore a size 24 when she first came-in. She is in her mid fifties, works full time, home-schools her eighteen year old autistic son, and cares for her elderly parents. She has high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and other health concerns. She came-in because she knew that if she didn’t do something to improve her own health, there would be no one healthy enough to care for her son and elderly parents.
After six months of working together, our client dropped from a size 24 to a size 18. She is astounded by her body’s metamorphosis. She is less often fatigued throughout the week, she doesn’t injure herself while performing gardening and housework, and she feels stronger and more stable on her feet. Her doctor is also pleased with her improved vitals. Would you care to guess how much weight this woman has lost? Seven pounds! And as our client continues to make better food choices to further her SuperSlow workouts, the weight will continue to come off.
Focus on the positive changes that are occurring with your improving body shape, and continue to enhance your nutritional choices – when you do, the fat will melt away.
By Abby Cain & Thom Tombs 
