My jeans fit better, but no weight loss??

Cookei_82

Hey all, it’s been just under 3 weeks since I realised I could no longer fit into my “fat” jeans and started counting calories. I’ve been hitting the gym five times a week for cardio with a bit of weights, and I’m feeling good! Yesterday I got back into my jeans, (yay), but I wasn’t expecting to because according to my scales I’m exactly the same weight. I’ve not lost a single pound! Can this be right??

TavistockToad

Yep.

The scale will catch up, just keep doing what you're doing.

breck5

Absolutely, you may have lost inches as you are toning up. I measure myself at the same time every week and keep a log. This has been a great motivator for me.

huntersvonnegut

I think how your clothes fit is a better indication of weight loss progress than what the scale reads. I know, I know, we love to see those numbers go down but having your clothes get too big for you (over time) is more likely to mean that you've actually lost fat than water weight.

JessM822

Muscle weighs more than fat. You’re body may become more defined without losing weight. Take measurements of specific areas of your body and keep track that way as well.

flippy1234

You are sucking the fat in by putting on muscle. Good for you!

mmapags

JessM822 wrote: »

Muscle weighs more than fat. You’re body may become more defined without losing weight. Take measurements of specific areas of your body and keep track that way as well.

So, not. Muscle is denser than fat is what I'm guessing your mean. Weighs more for the same volume? In 3 weeks, a woman under ideal condition could gain between .25 and .75 of a lb. of muscle. In that same time she could lose 3 to 5 lb of fat. Nobody can swap muscle weight for fat weight on anything close to a 1 for 1 basis in a short time frame. Cause physiology and biology.

mmapags

OP, you are likely retaining water weight from exercise. The scale is one data point. Your jeans are another. It would not surprise me if you were to have a "whoosh" one of these days and drop several lbs on the scale.

wryone4

Good for you! When I am consistent with tracking my food and exercise and being dedicated in the gym (especially with lifting) I find the scale hits a real plateau for a bit. But, as long as my clothes fit better and better, I don't focus on the number. Keep going with all your hard work!

MegaMooseEsq

mmapags wrote: »

JessM822 wrote: »

Muscle weighs more than fat. You’re body may become more defined without losing weight. Take measurements of specific areas of your body and keep track that way as well.

So, not. Muscle is denser than fat is what I'm guessing your mean. Weighs more for the same volume? In 3 weeks, a woman under ideal condition could gain between .25 and .75 of a lb. of muscle. In that same time she could lose 3 to 5 lb of fat. Nobody can swap muscle weight for fat weight on anything close to a 1 for 1 basis in a short time frame. Cause physiology and biology.

Yeah, a lot of people don’t understand how building muscle actually works - a woman eating at a deficit is not going to gain any measurable amount of muscle weight though cardio and a little bit of strength training. This is a good rundown: https://stronglifts.com/build-muscle/. That said, your body can certainly become more defined and you can increase strength! To the OP: you are probably retaining water. Give it time, keep taking measurements, and keep up the good work!

mmapags

MegaMooseEsq wrote: »

mmapags wrote: »

JessM822 wrote: »

Muscle weighs more than fat. You’re body may become more defined without losing weight. Take measurements of specific areas of your body and keep track that way as well.

So, not. Muscle is denser than fat is what I'm guessing your mean. Weighs more for the same volume? In 3 weeks, a woman under ideal condition could gain between .25 and .75 of a lb. of muscle. In that same time she could lose 3 to 5 lb of fat. Nobody can swap muscle weight for fat weight on anything close to a 1 for 1 basis in a short time frame. Cause physiology and biology.

Yeah, a lot of people don’t understand how building muscle actually works - a woman eating at a deficit is not going to gain any measurable amount of muscle weight though cardio and a little bit of strength training. This is a good rundown: https://stronglifts.com/build-muscle/. That said, your body can certainly become more defined and you can increase strength! To the OP: you are probably retaining water. Give it time, keep taking measurements, and keep up the good work!

Yes, I agree with all the above. It's just amazing though how consistently someone will come into one of these "I'm not losing" threads and put one of the various versions of "muscle weighs more than fat" rationales out there. If only it were that easy!!

When I am in the zone of intense workouts, I seem to lose no weight. But if I take a week off, I drop 3 of 4 lbs when the water weight flushes out. The OP will be fine. The right things are happening if the jeans are fitting when they weren't before. It can be hard when you don't see that number on the scale go down.