Lost weight but no inches...why?

Expatmommy79

Hi All,

Quick question. I know often the inches come off before the scale catches up. I feel lik I'm having the opposite problem.

The scale is dropping but the inches are not?

I play golf 2x a week
Tennis 2x a week
Personal training 3x a week
Walking about 3 miles a day
Sunday is my rest day

My trainer thinks it's my diet, and sugar in particular. Logic tells me no - since I am losing weight. But could it be true? I can't low carb with so much activity. And I don't want to.

I am eating at a deficit - hence the scale moving...

When do the inches catch up?

We are switching my training to do more strength and less boxing/intervals etc. he thinks that might flip a switch.

I am 5'2" and weigh 176. It's not like I'm already lean and that it would take a lot to drop a few inches. I could stand to loose 10" off my waist easily. Arms 5-6.

My legs are in good shape. Wide but tight. I carry most of my excess in my upper body.

I know you can't "spot reduce".

Thought? Advice? Comisserations?

jemhh

Warning: this is completely my opinion/speculation so take it with a grain of salt.

I think this can happen when you're losing visceral fat, which is the fat around your organs. Since it's around the organs you may not end up with a loss in circumference when you lose it. The plus side of this is that there is a correlation between visceral fat and cardiovascular disease so losing it first (it comes off faster than subcutaneous fat) is a good thing.

RoseTheWarrior

You don't mention how long between measurements or how long you've been eating at a deficit and working out with that schedule.

Expatmommy79

It's been a month between measurements.

I started counting calories in October.

I started with the trainer mid November. At that time my exercise was the walking and personal training.

I had a big loss in inches between mid-November and mid-December. About 4 inches off my waist and 4 from my hips.

In December I added golf.

At the end of Dec I added tennis.

Nothing lost from my arms at all since I started.

I lose 3.5-4 pounds a month. Pretty consistently. I'm down 18 pounds since beginning of October.

Expatmommy79

jemhh wrote: »

Warning: this is completely my opinion/speculation so take it with a grain of salt.

I think this can happen when you're losing visceral fat, which is the fat around your organs. Since it's around the organs you may not end up with a loss in circumference when you lose it. The plus side of this is that there is a correlation between visceral fat and cardiovascular disease so losing it first (it comes off faster than subcutaneous fat) is a good thing.

I would love that if it is true. Interesting thought... Will look into it.

lemonychild

You say you haven't lost inches from arms, but anywhere else ?

Expatmommy79

lemonychild wrote: »

You say you haven't lost inches from arms, but anywhere else ?

I have lost off my stomach and hips in the first month. I have not lost from my arms in any month.

This month no inches from anywhere.

lorrpb

How are you measuring? It is not an exact process. Be sure to measure in the same place each time. Keep the tape level. Use a myotape or similar tool that has a locking mechanism, not a sewing tape. I've been measuring for 19 months, usually every 6 weeks. Some measurements go up, some down, others the same, it just depends. Sometimes I lose weight but not inches, other times inches but not weight. The larger the site being measured, the more change you will see (ie., chest, waist, hips change the most. But chest and hips are very hard to get a consistent technique because of the shape. Arms are smaller than other sites, so will shrink the slowest, even on a large person. But over time you will definitely see the changes.

PS Please keep a look out for a thread titled "I'm losing inches but not weight." If there's not one today, I guarantee there will be by the end of the week. LOL.

VeryKatie

They're coming from places you're not measuring.
Did you measure your:
Face
Feet
Hands
Ankles
Calf
Ribcage
forearm

etc? I'm guessing not.. it's not possible to measure everything but that doesn't mean you can't lose fat from those places.

amyk0202

VeryKatie wrote: »

They're coming from places you're not measuring.
Did you measure your:
Face
Feet
Hands
Ankles
Calf
Ribcage
forearm

etc? I'm guessing not.. it's not possible to measure everything but that doesn't mean you can't lose fat from those places.

I was going to say this as well. The amount of weight you've lost also makes a difference.

I lost 11 lbs since I last measured. I lost 1" in my hips, 1.5" in my ribcage, & .5" in my bust, but not one inch off my waist. My waist is where I most want to lose! It's like my body is doing it on purpose. If I'm going to lose in my ribcage, couldn't I at least lose proportionately in my bust so I don't end up in bra crazyland! <--That's me commiserating. I also carry most of my weight in my upper body.

Just keep at it! I don't believe that the specific foods you eat have anything to do with how & when you lose fat from specific places in your body. If your trainer says otherwise, I would ask for some actual studies showing that. That sounds like a bunch of woo. <--That's my advice.

RoseTheWarrior

Expatmommy79 wrote: »

It's been a month between measurements.

I started counting calories in October.

I started with the trainer mid November. At that time my exercise was the walking and personal training.

I had a big loss in inches between mid-November and mid-December. About 4 inches off my waist and 4 from my hips.

In December I added golf.

At the end of Dec I added tennis.

Nothing lost from my arms at all since I started.

I lose 3.5-4 pounds a month. Pretty consistently. I'm down 18 pounds since beginning of October.

Well, my advice is just relax. You're doing well. You say you lost quite a few inches right away, now it's slowed down. I think this is normal. I'm averaging 8-10 lbs loss per month, yet for some reason, between Nov and Dec I only lost 2 inches over all my measurements. This month I lost 8 inches. I think that monthly measurements are good, but like the scale, you can't define progress on that solely. You're obviously getting into good physical condition, and you're losing weight. The inches will come off. And as another poster said, you may be losing in places you're not measuring - face, calves, etc.

Stop and tell yourself you're doing VERY WELL. Breathe. Enjoy the journey

Expatmommy79

Thanks all. I'm of course going to keep keeping on since I feel great. I was just a bit flumoxed.

Good point that I'm not measuring everything so it could be from somewhere else. I'm practically living in yoga pants so hard for me to tell from clothes yet.

erimethia_fekre

First of all congrats on the progress!

I agree about the sugar. You never mentioned how much sugar you consume on average... This app is lenient when it comes to how much to consume when 25g is more than enough for women. Cutting sugar doesn't necessarily mean cut your carbs down to nothing. Plus healthy fat is a better choice for glycogen restoration.

DavPul

Unless you've already reached your goal weight don't worry about it

Expatmommy79

In terms of sugar it is mostly restricted to what is in my protein shake - daily and a pita bread every few days. Otherwise a slice of dry toast. Apples are my go-to fruit. I'm probably around 75-100 net carbs / day.

@davpul I'm far from goal. At least 20 pounds. It just feels like it's all sitting on my upper body.

I think pp was right. I'm not measuring the rest of me, so it likely came off from somewhere I wasn't paying attention to.