Why 10 Pounds Isn’t Just 10 Pounds: The Truth About Real Fat Loss vs. Fake Weight Loss

The Real Difference Between Losing 10 lbs of FAT + Cellular “Gunk”… vs Losing 10 lbs on Fad Diets, Shots, or Restrictive Plans

By: Marcy Schoenborn

Alright — here’s the honest truth:
Ten pounds is not ten pounds.
Where it comes from matters more than what the scale says.

Let’s break it down.

1. Losing 10 lbs by Detoxing Cells + True Fat Loss (Cellular Nutrition)

When someone loses weight because their cells are getting what they need, everything changes:

🟢 What’s Actually Happening

• Inflammation drops, which releases the “water weight” that was actually swelling and protecting irritated tissues.
  (NIH inflammation research consistently shows fluid retention is a hallmark of chronic inflammation.)

• The body starts using stored fat for fuel, not muscle.
  (Metabolic studies show adequate protein + micronutrients preserve lean mass.)

• Detox pathways (liver, lymph, gut) actually clear waste, so the weight includes cellular debris, old hormones, toxins, and retained fluid.

• The metabolism improves, because you’re feeding mitochondrial energy pathways rather than starving them.

• Hormones stabilize — especially insulin, cortisol, and hunger hormones like ghrelin and leptin.

🟢 What 10 lbs of THIS kind of weight loss looks like

• Your clothes fit differently — inches drop.

• Hunger normalizes.

• Energy rises.

• Brain fog lifts.

• Digestion becomes easier.

• You’re not white-knuckling your way through cravings.

🟢 What This Means Long-Term

This 10 lbs is repeatable and sustainable because it came from repair, not restriction.

Your body isn’t in a panic — it’s in partnership.

2. Losing 10 lbs From Weight Loss Shots, Keto, Fads, or Crash Diets

Now let’s talk about the OTHER kind of 10 lbs — the kind everyone celebrates but rarely understands.

🔴 What’s Actually Happening

• Water loss, not fat loss.
  (Early rapid loss on keto or extreme calorie restriction is almost entirely glycogen + water.)

• Muscle breakdown, because the body is under-fueled and stressed.
  (Research shows low-calorie dieting increases muscle catabolism and lowers resting metabolic rate.)

• Hormonal chaos — especially spiked cortisol and lowered thyroid output.

• Slowed metabolism, meaning your body burns fewer calories just to survive.

• Rebound hunger, because the appetite and satiety hormones get dysregulated.

• Cravings intensify, especially for sugar and processed foods, because the brain feels deprived.

🔴 What This 10 lbs Actually Looks Like

• The scale changes, but body shape barely does.

• You feel tired, cold, cranky, or mentally foggy.

• Your digestion worsens.

• Your skin looks dull.

• You stop losing unless you restrict even harder.

🔴 What Happens Long-Term

The body fights back — hard.

• Weight regain is common within months.
  (Long-term data on fad dieting shows 80–95% regain within 1–2 years.)

• Rebound weight often includes more fat and less muscle than before.

• The next attempt becomes harder because the metabolism is slower.

This 10 lbs is “borrowed,” not earned.

The Bottom Line: Same Number, Completely Different Biology

If you lose 10 lbs the healthy way, you’re losing:

• Inflammation

• Stored fat

• Cellular waste

• Excess water retention

• Metabolic blocks

If you lose 10 lbs the unhealthy way, you’re losing:

• Water

• Muscle

• Electrolytes

• Metabolic resilience

• Hormonal stability
  …and often not much fat.

In simple terms?

Cellular nutrition gives you a healthier body.
Fad dieting gives you a lighter body — temporarily.

They are not remotely the same thing.