Are You Losing Fat, Muscle Or Water?

Losing body fat is something that millions of people want to do every day, but there are so many different ways to do it, which can cause different results. You obviously want to lose body fat, but it's very easy to lose water and muscle instead.

Losing body fat the safe way does take time - you can only lose around 1.3kg-1.5kg of pure fat per week (according to studies), so if you're losing more than that, then it's not just fat.
Dropping your calories too low will cause your body to go into 'starvation mode', which will actually cling onto fat and shed muscle and water. Carbohydrates are the first macro that people usually drop first - thinking they 'cause weight gain'. Carbs are energy, your main energy source, so don't cut them out completely. Carbs can actually be beneficial to fat loss, but obviously not too many. Adjust your levels to find what's right for you.
You may think cutting out carbs makes sense, but if you cut out carbs, you're cutting a third of your intake (carbs, fats and proteins) so yes, you'll lose weight. However, it's not sustainable, and when you reintroduce carbs, then you'll begin to put the fat back on.
Track your progress to find out if you're losing fat or fluid and muscle. Too fast 'weight loss' and you're most likely losing fluid and muscle tissue. Losing 'weight' at a reasonable rate means you're more than likely losing body fat.
Lee Gregory Fitness