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My scale goes up, but my pants size goes down, WHY??

agratzy
agratzy Posts: 114 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 5-3, Eating at 1200 Calories a Day + eating back exercise calories
Starting Weight (December): 144
Current Weight (After 1.5 Months): 134
Goal: 120
Currently working a desk job with no activity level, working out 3x a week, 30 minutes cardio and 10-15 minutes lifting. I got all the way down to 132, but then last week it bunjeed back up to 134, 135, and it's maddening! My clothes are so much looser this week over last, but the scale says I went back up 3 pounds. I don't think I'm lifting enough to be gainging muscle yet? lol, SOMEONE HELP!

Replies

  • lcooper327
    lcooper327 Posts: 112 Member
    If your clothes are looser, who cares what the scale says?
  • skydiveD30571
    skydiveD30571 Posts: 281 Member
    edited January 2015
    Water. Some days you'll retain more than others. If your clothes are looser, you're losing the good stuff so keep it up.
  • agratzy
    agratzy Posts: 114 Member
    I have been drinking unseen amounts of water.
    I should comment, I understand the scale is not the end-all-be-all way of understanding weight loss and healthy living, but I still think it is a useful tool for myself in terms of motivation. I need it, psychologically, to stay on top of things.
  • kshadows
    kshadows Posts: 1,315 Member
    lcooper327 wrote: »
    If your clothes are looser, who cares what the scale says?

    This, plus 144 to 134 is quite a bit of scale movement for 1.5 months at the point you're at.
  • Roxiegirl2008
    Roxiegirl2008 Posts: 756 Member
    I look at both weight and measurements. Some months I dropped pounds and other I had lost a lot of inches and not much pounds. I understand the scale is important to you and I would be lying if I say that I don't get on it as well. Like others have said the clothes fit then you are all good.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    Are you gaining muscle?

    Muscle weighs more than fat, but takes up less space.
  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
    agratzy wrote: »
    I'm 5-3, Eating at 1200 Calories a Day + eating back exercise calories
    Starting Weight (December): 144
    Current Weight (After 1.5 Months): 134
    Goal: 120
    Currently working a desk job with no activity level, working out 3x a week, 30 minutes cardio and 10-15 minutes lifting. I got all the way down to 132, but then last week it bunjeed back up to 134, 135, and it's maddening! My clothes are so much looser this week over last, but the scale says I went back up 3 pounds. I don't think I'm lifting enough to be gainging muscle yet? lol, SOMEONE HELP!

    You're probably not gaining muscle on 1200, but are you due for your period?
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    Damn, a whole 3lbs?
    Beep-me-buffy.gif

    Relax. You either are retaining water for whatever reason or you need to poop.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    obscuremusicreference wrote: »
    agratzy wrote: »
    I'm 5-3, Eating at 1200 Calories a Day + eating back exercise calories
    Starting Weight (December): 144
    Current Weight (After 1.5 Months): 134
    Goal: 120
    Currently working a desk job with no activity level, working out 3x a week, 30 minutes cardio and 10-15 minutes lifting. I got all the way down to 132, but then last week it bunjeed back up to 134, 135, and it's maddening! My clothes are so much looser this week over last, but the scale says I went back up 3 pounds. I don't think I'm lifting enough to be gainging muscle yet? lol, SOMEONE HELP!

    You're probably not gaining muscle on 1200, but are you due for your period?

    Especially lifting for only 10 minutes 3x a week.
  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,082 Member
    If you know you have been in deficit don't sweat a scale change that is within your daily fluctuations. 3 lbs is 10,500 calories, did you eat that many over maintance in the time since you last weighed in ?
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    lcooper327 wrote: »
    If your clothes are looser, who cares what the scale says?

    This exactly. My lowest recorded weight and "goal" happened two years ago. I haven't seen it since, with the scale numbers up and down 5-7lbs throughout the year. But my clothes all still fit, so it's all good.

    Grab yourself a tape measure - go with what the tape says rather than the scale.
  • tanyabecka
    tanyabecka Posts: 39 Member
    You're gaining muscle because it weighs more than fat?
  • lcooper327
    lcooper327 Posts: 112 Member
    azulvioleta6 wrote: »
    Are you gaining muscle?

    Muscle weighs more than fat, but takes up less space.

    Muscle does not weigh more than fat. Muscle is more dense than fat. A pound is a pound.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    lcooper327 wrote: »
    azulvioleta6 wrote: »
    Are you gaining muscle?

    Muscle weighs more than fat, but takes up less space.

    Muscle does not weigh more than fat. Muscle is more dense than fat. A pound is a pound.

    A square inch of muscle weighs more than a square inch of fat. Happy?

    Obviously a pound is a pound.

    Now that I see that the OP is only lifting for ten minutes here and there, my guess is that it's more likely a fluctuation.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Losing inches is way better than losing pounds!
  • agratzy
    agratzy Posts: 114 Member
    Thanks everyone!
    No, I'm definitely not gaining muscle. I lift 3x a week but only for a very small amount of time. It's likely it's not even doing anything. Since I am new to weight loss I wasn't sure what 3 pounds meant, and it was a bummer of course to see the scale moving back up! It is likely a fluctuation of weight at this point and I will not sweat it anymore, just keep on keeping on.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    It happened to me too a couple of weeks ago, I'd lost 5.5lbs and then suddenly the scale was going up and up back to more than I'd lost. I didn't think I was gaining as I was eating at a very large deficit so after asking around put it down to water retention, an excess of sodium and also the fact I hadn't been to the loo (polite way of putting it!) for a couple of days!!

    I am now losing again, and have lost an additional 0.5lb below the lowest weight I had recorded prior to the 'gain'.
This discussion has been closed.

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