Sweating Does NOT Equal Fat Loss

As I lay on the floor a few minutes ago after my grueling (for me) monster 12 minute bike ride, chest heaving and sweat rising off me like steam I thought of this:

Just because you're sweating, it doesn't mean you're burning fat.

At first glance, that seems like a pretty obvious statement, doesn't it? I mean no one who is out on a hot summer day thinks that the fact that they are sweating from the heat means they're losing weight, right?

It may seem obvious, but at the same time I'm continually amazed at the number of people out there who continue to believe fitness-related myths that just aren't true. I'm referring to people who go to the gym and sit in the sauna or steam room not because it's relaxing, but because they equate sweating with weight loss.

Sweating is simply how the body regulates it's tempurature. If anything, you can equate it with water loss, but certainly not fat loss.

I think people use faulty logic to arrive at a conclusion such as this. My guess is that they think:

A. Working out causes me to sweat.
B. Working out causes me to lose weight.

therefore:

C. If I sweat I'll lose weight.

It may seem wierd when you read it, but I guarantee that there are a lot of people who believe this.

So you can now consider yourself educated and informed: Sweating alone is NOT a shortcut to losing fat.

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Posted by Vic on May 6, 2005 01:09 PM