Do you want to be lean, or do you want to be skinny? Do you know the difference? It's real and it matters. Deciding whether you want to be lean or skinny is like deciding whether you want to lose weight or lose fat. Which one you choose makes a huge difference.

It is easiest to show the difference between lean and skinny with two sets of women: high fashion models and the athletes who competed at the Olympics (Guys, if you would feel more comfortable, think of marathon runners and sprinters. The analogy isn't exact, but close enough for this). High fashion models are almost always skinny. They may be beautiful and sexy (that's really a job requirement), but look closer. They usually look like they haven't eaten in a while. They also look frail and fragile, like a strong breeze would blow them over or like they would have trouble carrying their own groceries.

Getting skinny is relatively easy: don't eat. I'm sure many top models do some sort of exercise as well, but there's a good reason models look like they're starving. Most of them eat very little.

Now think about the female athletes who just competed at the Olympics. They're lean and strong. Many of them are beautiful and sexy too. But they certainly don't look like they starve themselves. And they're not frail or fragile. There's no question about whether they can handle the physical demands of day to day life.

Getting lean is a lot harder than getting skinny. Athletes combine a healthy diet with serious physical training. Athletes sweat and work hard to develop their bodies, which helps them to succeed at their sport. They work both to lose fat and to build or maintain muscle.

Skinny people have little fat on them, but little muscle either. Lean people have little fat on them, but they have real muscle too. And that muscle makes all the difference. Muscle burns calories, meaning you can eat more without gaining weight. Muscle makes every physical activity easier. Muscle protects your joints and bones, making you less likely to be injured.

Getting lean instead of skinny is harder, but the benefits are undeniable. Honestly, who would you rather look like: a high fashion model or an Olympic athlete? What would you rather be: skinny and frail, or lean and strong?

If you would rather be lean and strong, then you need to focus on fat loss instead of weight loss. While you lose fat you need to build muscle or at least preserve the muscle you already have. Find a fat loss plan instead of a weight loss plan. You'll be glad you did.