"I want to lose weight" vs. "I want to become stronger"

These two statements can have a lot of similarities. Both of them will change your body shape...but if we dig down a bit, we can see some big fundamental differences.

First - one is positive (I want to become stronger) and one holds a bit of negativity (I need to become smaller). 

But, it's more than that...your body will react very differently to these two statements.

"I want to lose weight" triggers certain behaviours. Reducing food intake, limiting certain foods, and judgment over food choices. 

This is so ingrained in us (thank you dieting culture) that it feels normal. But, is it normal to ignore your hunger? To deny yourself something that you enjoy? 

Our body physically reacts to this reduction of food by sloooowing down. It balances your metabolism with your food intake. Less food = less energy to use. 

To do this your body quietly encourages you to move less. It stops any extra fidgeting. It eats up your muscle as a fast source of energy. And if it continues, you'll start to feel noticeably tired. 

Your body will also try to hijack your decision to eat less any moment it can. 

Maybe you're at a party and there's a bowl of chips in front of you. Man, do they ever look good! Or, evening cravings start to get super duper loud. 

Your body is doing this for your own good! It's trying to keep you healthy and well, it doesn't want you to starve. 

Let's look at our physical reaction to "I want to become stronger".

This statement triggers very different behaviours. First, you look for ways to get stronger. Maybe a new exercise regime or activity you've loved in the past.

But, the most important difference is how you'll look at food. If you want to be stronger then you need to build more muscle tissue.

Muscle tissue needs nutrients to grow. Protein, carbs (yes, they're important for muscle building :) and minerals are needed to get stronger. You automatically look to food as nourishment...instead of trying to reduce your intake.

AND! Feeding your body nutrient-dense food and gaining more muscle strength speeds up your metabolism! 

Your body is making more metabolically active tissue, so instead of reacting to starvation, it's embracing a stronger and faster metabolism.

Slow and steady wins the race

It’s true that there are many diets and plans on the market that will trigger fast weight loss. But, fast weight loss feels like a time of famine to your body.

When we go on a 1200-calorie diet or other fast weight loss technique, it’ll work for a while. First, you’ll drop a bunch of water weight, giving you a quick win and some motivation to keep going.

Then, your body will start eating up your muscle to replace the energy input that it’s missing. You won’t necessarily miss that muscle at first, it’ll just look like more pounds being lost and you’ll feel slimmer.

But, eventually, you’ll fall off this diet and go back to your old habits. But now your metabolism is slower and you’ve got less muscle than you started with. This creates the post-diet phenomenon of “I’m the same weight as before, but my clothes don’t fit!”

Focusing on getting stronger instead of pure weight loss is a fantastic solution for longterm undieting-style body-shape change. (let’s take the term “weight loss” out of our vocabulary since it’s such a problematic term)

As you get stronger, your body is trading excess fat for muscle. This means, your scale may not change, but your body shape is changing!

It’s so easy to get wrapped up inside a certain weight goal. It might be something you’ve been striving toward for years or even decades. But…what is the motivation behind that number? 

Dieting culture has trained us all to use an abstract number as a guide to our self-worth. A number on a scale doesn’t tell you how healthy you are. Or, how well you feel. It’s just a number.

A number that doesn’t mean a darn thing in terms of your overall health.

By focusing on strength, you will release the extra stored fat you’d like to release…it’ll just take some time. Slow and steady = permanent weight loss. 

A strong body is one that ages well. It’s one that can hike, play, and is so powerful. And, most importantly, a strong body has a healthy and strong metabolism.

Your body wants you healthy, vibrant, and strong. Embrace the positive view of body shape change - focus on getting stronger <3

P.S. If you’d like some help with a different way of looking at food, grab my beginner’s guide to undieting - 5 Ways To Eat What You Want.