Why Losing Fat Can Make You Look Fatter, and How to Fix It

Why losing fat can make you look fatter

I have seen this over and over again when people begin their fat loss journey. At some point, as you lose weight, you may very well end up looking a little more flabby than before.

First of all … DON’T PANIC !!

Let’s talk about why this happens and what to do about it.

Why could you look plumper

A calorie deficit is king when it comes to losing fat. You MUST eat fewer calories than you burn to get rid of unsightly fat.

This cannot be avoided.

However, when you have a good calorie deficit, your muscles can also deplete their glycogen (glycogen is essentially the carbohydrate fuel stored in your muscles for activity).

When your muscles are full of glycogen, you look fuller and more powerful.

When glycogen is depleted, your muscles can look flatter.

Think of it like filling a tire with air. The tire has not lost material (muscle), it just has less air (glycogen).

Now this is crucial because when your muscles are depleted of glycogen due to your calorie deficit it creates an effect where you appear to have less muscle relative to your body fat … This means you will appear fatter than you are. it really is.

Glycogen depletion rate compared to fat loss rate

Do you know how some people claim to have lost between 5 and 10 pounds during their first week of dieting? This is due to a combination of water weight AND glycogen. Water and glycogen bind in muscles and are stored there. When you start dieting, this glycogen and water combination is depleted and your muscle volume plummets.

They may have lost a few pounds of fat too, but it “looks” like they’ve gained fat despite the scale saying otherwise.

The mirror can be very deceiving.

Glycogen and muscle mass

Your body can only store a limited amount of glycogen, which means it has a limited amount of glycogen that it loses. Your glycogen stores are depleted quickly while dieting, but don’t worry!

As long as you are strength training, you will maintain muscle mass. Have you ever seen someone with an arm in a cast? By the time the arm is finished in a cast, it is considerably smaller and has lost muscle. Why? Because it wasn’t being used!

So be sure to strength train while dieting. When you’re done cutting fat and eating maintenance again, your muscles will fill up again.

So don’t worry !!

When will you look slimmer

When your fat loss exceeds the weight you have lost in glycogen and water, it will finally begin to show the fat loss you have achieved.

The first month or so can be a losing streak for many people. Especially if you base your success on what you see in the mirror.

Don’t be discouraged!

This is only temporary and after that short visible road block, you will start to see for yourself that you have, in fact, lost fat.

When you are lean enough

Listen, you want to look lean and defined even with exhausted muscles. This is a great indicator to know that you have reached an ideal state. That way, once you eat again during maintenance, your muscles will fill up, and you will look even better!

Wrapping it up

That first month of dieting can be tough. Especially because according to the mirror, it is possible that you look worse. Do not be discouraged!

Measure your waist and use the scale. These two are a powerful combination for tracking fat loss.

You’ll look better visibly, it only takes time for your fat loss to exceed your glycogen / water loss.

Once that happens, the mirror will start to show you what the scales and waist measurements have been telling you. That you have achieved significant fat loss!

You should be proud!

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