Losing weight and losing fatare not the same thing. To look and feel your best, you should lose weight specifically from body fat, not from muscle.
Studies often find that two groups of people consuming the same amount of calories but in different ratios of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats will lose different amounts of body fat and lean body mass (e.g., muscle and bone).
For instance, someone who is a Protein Type but eats a 1,500-calorie diet composed of mostly carbohydrates each day most likely will not lose weight—or worse, may gain weight. On a 1,500-calorie diet of mostly protein, some carbohydrates, and healthy fats, this same person will reach his or her weight loss goal and feel great! (Discover the optimum food ratios for you in the Chapter on Daily Meal Planning.) To lose weight from fat, you must focus on not only how many calories >you consume but also the source of those calories (i.e., proteins, carbohydrates, or fats). Eating the foods that are ideal for your metabolism type greatly
affects the source of your weight loss.
When your hormones are in balance (because you’re eating what your body requires), your body will achieve its ideal metabolic rate and will not need to hold onto excess fat stores—and as a< result, weight loss will come from stored fat.
To conceptualize this situation, imagine yourself outside in freezing winter weather, dressed in a winter parka. If you entered a warm shelter, you would remove your coat because it would no longer be needed. The parka is like stored body fat: necessary under certain conditions but not others.
