Before we get into “what does 5 pounds of fat look like”, let’s understand the meaning of fat loss first.
What does the term fat loss refer to?
“Fat loss” refers to losing weight from fat and it is considered to be more specific and healthful than weight loss however it is said that it is slightly difficult to know whether you are losing weight from fat or weight from muscle as muscle loss is not considered to be healthy.
The main causes of fat loss include a decrease in body fluid or fat. When your fat cells shrink in size. Then they give out certain by-products including water, carbondioxide that is disposed of through sweating, urination, and breathing.
What does 5 pounds of fat look like?
A lot of people have this misconception that losing 5 pounds of fat is nothing but you must understand that it is much of an accomplishment.
You might get shocked after hearing this. But the truth is that 5 pounds of fat is equal to the weight of a brick. This means you are losing 5 pounds of weight equivalent to the weight of one brick.
Yes, you heard that right. 5 pounds of weight matter a lot, imagine losing 10 pounds or more? Amazing right?
Fat Loss is often misinterpreted as weight loss and people who are genuinely looking forward to weight are getting confused. Various types of research and studies indicate that people run blindly towards losing weight just to fit in their favorite outfits.
To look appealing at a certain family function or special occasion and end up having unreasonable expectations. This, in turn, results in dissatisfaction, body insecurity, and desperation to lose weight.
One’s overall objective should always be to stay healthy in the long run. Instead of just losing weight rapidly to look attractive. During the weight loss journey, many instances state that. People tried artificial means and steroids to stay in shape and starved their bodies. These methods might show rapid results but are very unhealthy and impractical to pursue.
Difference between Weight loss and healthy weight loss? in
what does 5 pounds of fat look like?
There is a big difference between weight loss and healthy weight loss. To lose weight the healthy way, you will have to do a little more than just count your calories.
If you want your fat loss regimen could be as effective as possible. You cannot only look at the total calorie value of your food. You’ll also have to look at the different percentages of the macronutrients in your diet. This means that a certain percentage of your diet should be made up of healthy fats, carbohydrates, are, and protein.
Many people believe that fat loss can be localized to a certain region of your body. They believe that ab crunches will make them lose fat around their belly and push-ups around their chest.
Now even though we would love this myth to be true, it isn’t. Unfortunately, Fat Loss always occurs in your entire body and not only in specific regions.
The phenomenon that some people lose fat faster in their thighs or arms is simply due to a difference in genetics and has nothing to do with the exercise they’re doing.
Another common misbelief is that Cardio will always make you lose weight and thus more cardio means more fat loss. No physical exercise including cardio will indeed make your body burn more calories than just sitting around. But you still always have to watch how many you are taking in.
So you could be doing 4 hours of cardio every day. If at the same time 5000 calories, you’d still be gaining weight. What it comes down to is not how much cardio you do, but calories in versus calories out.
How To Break Through Fat Loss Plateaus? In what does 5
pounds of fat look like
If you’ve ever started a diet in your life. Chances are that you also hit a fat loss plateau at some point. During the first few weeks, it is said that the fat practically falls off your body.
But then all of a sudden, the scale doesn’t move anymore and you’re wondering what changed. You must be wondering whether your diet suddenly stopped working or if is there something wrong with you.
So, the first thing you need to keep in mind is that. Changes in your weight aren’t always due to changes in your body fat percentage. Most people think that when they step on the scale and see that. It displays a kilo less than last week when they lost exactly one kilo of body fat.
However, this is not always the case. Weight loss can happen because many things change not only your body fat percentage but also your muscle mass, your glycogen level, and the food you carry in your stomach or and that’s the thing that changes the most and fastest.
Importance of Water? losing 5 pounds of fat
Nothing brings the weight up or down as fast as water retention. For example. If you eat a heavy meal with carbs and sodium, your body will retain more water than usual. Which can add anywhere from one to 1.5 kilos to your body weight.
Women are more affected by this than men because of menstruation. So keep this in mind, Ladies. In most cases, eating less sodium and drinking more water will do the trick. Why drink more water you ask because your body retains water only because it thinks it’s not getting enough regularly and has stores for later use.
But what if water is not the problem and you had a plateau because of other reasons? And there are a few things you can do to start losing fat again. First, you have to keep in mind that the more fat you lose, the harder it will get.
The leaner you become, the longer it will take to lose fat in a healthy way and without sacrificing muscle mass. For example in what 5 pounds of body fat look like, if you had a body fat percentage of 25 to 30 percent, you could easily lose 1-1.2 kilos of fat per week at first. However, your body will still have enough calories for overall muscle maintenance.
But if you’re at or under 10% for men and 15 to 20% for women things get a lot more complicated.
How to Manage Your Calories?
Now, the next thing to keep in mind is that the lighter you become the fewer calories your body needs. This means the daily amount of calories that are used to create a deficit might just be enough to maintain your weight after a few weeks. This is why you probably want to recalculate your calorie needs every so often.
Now another aspect of dieting is that your metabolism also slows down, as you lose weight to retain energy. This sucks because it means you would have to eat fewer and fewer calories to counteract this.
However, lowering your calorie intake more and more is not always sustainable, and why you should take diet breaks regularly.
Now, last but not least there is one more factor that is often responsible for weight loss plateaus and that is hidden calories. This means people consume more calories than they think.
You probably might think that you’re tracking correctly, but if your weight has been stagnant for several weeks, then make sure to check again. Calories are hidden in many places.
Small snacks for eating out at restaurants are just two examples. Not tracking your butter intake, oil or sauces is also one of the common mistakes. Also, check your alcohol intake as it can add to quite a few calories and the truth is that 200 or 300 additional calories every day can break your diet and stop your progress completely.
200 is only a bit of olive oil or a bunch of nuts. So, remember to track those two. Unfortunately, dieting is that tricky sometimes. But, if you track correctly, you will surely see the results.
Things that might happen to your body after you lose five pounds
As we have already discussed, losing a healthy weight is difficult and sometimes it might happen that you won’t even see any results no matter how hard you try. and this could be due to various reasons and health-related issues.
But even if you haven’t seen positive results from your hard work, a few lifestyle changes will help you understand your body in a better way even if you just lose 5 pounds.
Yes, you heard that right you don’t need to lose a crazy number of pounds to start with your transformation journey. There are a few things that might happen to your body if you start shedding weight in case you are losing more than 5 pounds you might see some noticeable differences let’s move on with these points.
Your fat cells will start to shrink
During the journey of losing weight, you take in fewer calories than you expect. But how does your body get the extra energy that it requires? Well in this case your body starts to pull energy from your fat cells to make up for the energy from the food that you are not eating and hence your fat cells start shrinking.
You’ll check your blood sugar levels
Well, it is believed that eating less and exerting your body more. This will in turn lead to greater insulin sensitivity that allows your body to stabilize your blood sugar levels. And also improves your body’s ability to dial into your blood sugar shedding a few pounds.
You will feel more Hungry
If you feel that you are unnecessarily hungry then it is your misconception and just your imagination.
When you reduce your calorie intake just to lose weight it’s quite obvious, that your body will start releasing higher amounts of ghrelin which is a hormone that tells your brain and sends a signal that you are hungry and you must eat something. So if you are on the way to losing, weight it is natural that you will feel hungry.
You will tame inflammation
Inflammation is said to be a part of your body’s natural defense system. If you carry the extra weight it might cause chronic health conditions like diabetes or heart disease. However, researchers say that losing an average of 5 to 6 pounds of weight decreases inflammation by decreasing the production of proinflammatory proteins, and in turn, it also improves your immune system.
The metabolic rate of your body changes
You must know, that the engine that drives your calorie burn is known as metabolism. And when you start losing pounds your metabolic rate will automatically decrease. Because your body will need fewer calories per day to keep your body running
a 200-pound person who loses 5 pounds will have, comparatively less metabolic impact as compared to a 150-pound person who loses 5 pounds.
Losing 5 pounds of fat You will experience less ache in the joints
The more the body weight the more force you exert on your bones and your joints. That additional strain that your body goes through might lead to osteoarthritis or joint damage. losing 5 pounds of excess weight might mean 20 fewer pounds of pressure on your precious joints.
The bad fat from the body will start decreasing
A study published in cell metabolism states that. Dropping a few pounds of weight was enough to decrease liver fat and intra-abdominal fat. Which is often considered “bad fat”. That, in turn, clings to your organs and can also trigger the release of molecules linked with a variety of health conditions.
Reducing the intra-abdominal fat in your body lowers the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
What does 5 pounds of fat for a Healthier heart
Losing 5 pounds of fat ensures a lower risk of heart disease and also boosts HDL cholesterol. Many studies prove that overweight and obese people lose weight over 2 years. Significantly dropped their total cholesterol levels.
More efficiency in working
If you start working out as a part of your weight loss plan. Your body will work hard to keep up with the new activity. And you will feel more energetic and efficient in your daily activities.
Your muscles after a certain period will become more efficient and you will start burning fewer calories the more you run even if you are running the same distance.
It will ensure better sleep
A study from the University of Pennsylvania states that people who reduced a few pounds of weight experienced a better sleeping pattern and hence if you have quality sleep you will have more energy and a better mood too.
It will boost your mood
what do 5 pounds of body fat look like? Losing 5 pounds will make you feel happier and will also ensure positive mental health benefits such as good self-esteem and increased confidence levels.
It is believed that when people shed a few pounds of weight. Even if they don’t see drastic results on the scale the lifestyle changes. Like, better eating habits have countless positive impacts on their mental and physical health in good ways and release happy hormones in the body.
You might lose water weight first
Losing your water weight depends upon the changes you make in your diet. For example, if you cut down your carbohydrate significantly. then the weight, you are losing could be some of the water weight as your body keeps storing carbohydrates in your muscles along with water.
When these carbs are used you will eventually lose the water stored inside your body. However, to cope with this issue, if you just adjust your diet in moderation by not restricting your calories or carbs severely, you are more likely to lose body fat.
A study published in diabetes care states that when your body carries extra weight your heart eventually has to work even harder to pump your blood. This can result in problems such as high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes and so lowering the number of the scale can drop diastolic blood pressure in obese or overweight people.
Conclusion – what does 5 pounds of fat look like
There are plenty of comparison pictures that state what 5 pounds of body fat look like. These pictures compare fat to muscles. Will make you realize how important it is to understand the difference between weight loss and fat loss.
You are making a much bigger difference by losing 1lb of fat. Instead of losing 3 lbs that may come from your muscles. Hence before you choose a diet that is not very convenient for your body. Always consult a professional and work towards fat loss instead of unhealthy weight loss via crash dieting or starvation.
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