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Weight loss refers to a decrease in your overall body weight from muscle, water, and fat losses. Fat loss refers to weight loss from fat, and it’s a more specific and healthy goal than general weight loss.

It can be difficult to know whether you’re losing weight from fat or muscle.

This article explains why fat loss is more important than weight loss, how you can tell the difference between the two, and tips for losing fat and maintaining muscle.

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Ways to tell whether you’re losing fat

It’s common practice to track your weight loss progress using a scale. While this can be helpful, most scales don’t differentiate between fat loss and muscle loss.

For that reason, tracking only your weight isn’t a reliable way to determine whether you’re losing fat or muscle and in what amounts.

Conversely, a body fat scale can provide a more accurate picture of your body composition by measuring the percentage of fat and muscle you have.

You can also use skinfold calipers to estimate your body fat percentage, but this takes practice to ensure accuracy.

Instead of solely relying on the scale, you can use a body fat scale or skinfold caliper to better understand your body composition and track your progress.

Focus on fat loss, not weight loss

Many weight loss programs claim to help you lose weight quickly and easily. However, it’s important to realize that a significant amount of this weight may include water and muscle loss.

Losing muscle can be detrimental, as muscle is a crucial component of your overall health.

Maintaining a healthy percentage of muscle has several benefits, such as regulating healthy blood sugar levels, maintaining healthy fat levels — like triglycerides and cholesterol — in the blood, and controlling inflammation.

Indeed, studies have linked a higher fat-to-muscle ratio to chronic diseases like metabolic syndrome, heart disease, and diabetes.

Maintaining muscle mass may also reduce the risk of age-related muscle loss, which can result in frailty and potentially disability.

Further, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest. This is the main reason why men generally have higher calorie needs than women.

Consequently, losing weight in the form of muscle can decrease the number of calories you burn at rest, making it easier to regain any weight you lose in the form of fat.

Emphasizing fat loss rather than weight loss can decrease the risk of several chronic diseases, help reduce the risk of age-related muscle loss, and reduce fat regain.

How to lose fat and maintain or gain muscle

There are a few simple ways to ensure you’ll lose weight in the form of fat and either maintain or gain muscle mass.

These include eating plenty of protein, exercising regularly, and following a nutrient-dense diet that puts you in a slight calorie deficit.

Eat plenty of protein

Protein is an important nutrient for a variety of bodily functions.

It’s necessary to make enzymes that help with digestion and energy production, regulate fluid balance, and support immune health, among other functions.

Protein is also important for maintaining the muscle you have and supporting new muscle growth, especially when losing weight.

In one 4-week study, young men were randomized to consume a low calorie diet containing either 0.55 or 1.1 grams (g) of protein per pound of body weight — roughly 1.2 or 2.4 g per kilogram of body weight — combined with an intense exercise training program.

While both groups lost significant weight, the men who consumed the higher protein diet lost 2.9 lb (1.3 kg) more fat mass and gained 2.4 lb (1.1 kg) more muscle than the men who consumed the lower protein diet.

Importantly, the study found that high intensity resistance exercise followed by a high protein recovery snack made the most difference. Also, the study limited the men’s fat intake to create a calorie deficit and maintained their carb intake for adequate exercise fuel.

And while eating plenty of protein with a reduced-calorie diet without weight training may not help you gain muscle, it may help you maintain muscle while increasing fat loss.

A review of 20 studies involving men and women ages 50 years and older found that a high protein diet containing at least 0.68 g of protein per pound (1 gram per kilogram) led to more muscle mass retention and fat loss than a lower protein diet.

While protein needs differ depending on your age, health, sex, and physical activity level, consuming around 0.8 g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day can support muscle mass retention and fat loss with dieting.

For reference, the recommended dietary allowance for protein is 0.36 grams per pound (0.8 grams per kilogram) of body weight per day.

Exercise

Exercise is the most effective way to encourage fat loss rather than muscle loss.

A review of six studies found that older adults with obesity who engaged in cardio and weight training at least 3 times per week while following a calorie-restricted diet retained 93% more of their muscle than those who did not exercise.

Certainly, exercise alone is an effective strategy to maintain muscle mass with dieting, but combining exercise with a higher protein intake may help optimize your results.

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend adults get at least 150 to 300 minutes per week of cardio and muscle-strengthening activities that involve all major muscle groups.

Follow a reduced-calorie diet

To lose weight, you must create a calorie deficit. You can create a calorie deficit by eating fewer calories or exercising, but preferably doing both.

However, cutting your calories too much can lead to a greater loss of muscle rather than fat.

Instead, aim to moderately reduce the number of calories you consume by 500 to 600 calories per day to minimize muscle loss while still facilitating fat loss.

You can reduce the number of calories you consume by eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein foods, and healthy fats, and fewer sugar-sweetened products and beverages, processed meats, and fried foods.

You can prioritize fat loss and maximize muscle retention by eating plenty of protein and exercising regularly alongside following a reduced-calorie diet.

The bottom line

Weight loss refers to a decrease in your overall body weight, whereas fat loss refers to weight loss that occurs specifically from losses in fat mass.

A body fat scale or skinfold caliper is more useful for monitoring fat loss than tracking your body weight alone.

Other simple ways to assess fat loss include measuring inches or centimeters lost from your waist and hips and noting any changes in how your clothes fit around your waist.

Losing weight in the form of fat rather than muscle should be the priority, given how important your fat-to-muscle ratio is to your overall health.

You can prioritize fat loss by eating plenty of protein, exercising, and moderately restricting your calories.