You're Thin—and Too Fat

As a physician I agree with this change in emphasis. Worth emphasizing however, is the flipside - the aim of lifestyle changes such as a healthy food intake (ie not dieting) and exercise should be to increase the proportion of lean body mass (ie muscle mass). People who are 'dieting' often skip meals, eschew resistance training in favor of only doing aerobic workouts, and consequently are in a vicious cycle of slow metabolism, loss of muscle mass and difficulty mobilising fat stores - leading to disillusionment and quitting their program. Increasing muscle mass increases basal metabolic rate (therefore burning more energy when you are NOT in the gym), aids fat loss and improves cardiovascular health. The actual number on the weighing scale is less important than what creates it. Swapping 10lbs of fat for 10lbs of muscle while staying the same weight can have a major health impact.

John O'Brien of CT 9:19AM April 02, 2008