LOSING INCHES BUT NOT POUNDS
oliviageorge93
Posts: 3 Member
Hi everyone !!! so im 5'1 UK size 12 top and bottom i eat 1200 sometimes less a day following myfitnesspal i have been exercising 4 weeks properly 4 times a week including Zumba and i havent lost a single pound but my clothes feel alot slacker! my two best friends DO NOT exercise they are on slimming world they are a couple sizes bigger than i am but have both lost nearly a stone in 3 weeks... Im so confused as i am working so hard and not achieving weight loss....
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Replies
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So, would you rather your clothes fit the same but the scale showed you a different number? I'm confused, you're clearly making progress. Isn't that the goal?4
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Well' if you just started exercising in the past month, you may be retaining water, gaining muscle...probably both.
Second, are you sure you are accurate with your counting and logging of calories? Are you weighing foods with a scale? Remembering to log condiments like ketchup, bbq sauce, mayo, cooking oil? Are you double-checking the entries you are recording with either the producer or other online source? Many of the entries in MFP are user created, and I have noticed that some are inaccurate.
If you are eating at a deficit, you should lose weight. Keep in mind that if your current weight is not that far from your goal weight, it may go slow.6 -
I don't know about UK size 12 I do tend to understand lb, kgs, stones, and possibly even rocks if they're on Google!
That said: I know which one of the three of you is going to be healthier.
Having said that counting accurately is good. And 1200 accurately counted or less given the exercise you describe is a recipe for ill health and giving up.
There is no *kitten* given right that 2lb a week is correct and realistic for every single person in the world just because it falls within a generally acceptable range.
If you're not obese consider setting your deficit to 1lb a week and eating at least half if not more of your exercise calories back.
Exercise for your health and for your enjoyment. Not just to lose weight...3 -
At least you're losing something. I got nothing.2
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Everyone can see how you look, no one can see the number on the scale9
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I hope you are eating the calories you’ve been earning by exercising. You shouldn’t go below 1200 calories.
Anyway, it’s probably water weight. Keep eating real food to fuel your workouts. Drink more water. And do not do that Slimming World nonsense. MFP works, it’s free, and you develop lifelong habits. I reached my goal weight and have maintained. And I was much happier whenever I could see I’d lost inches and the scale stayed the same. I’d rather wear smaller pants, wouldn’t you?1 -
I’m 5’1.5”. I eat about 1500-1700 a day post walking/exercise calories. I’ve already lost almost all the weight I needed to lose.
I suggest eating more. And weighing your food properly. Somethings going on with what you’re saying, but I cannot figure out what. But 1200 is not enough calories. Or you’re eating more and not logging properly.1 -
Losing inches is better than losing pounds. Means you are gaining muscle and losing fat, which is the most ideal outcome.4
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Don't concern yourself with #'s on a scale, measurements are the true guide to how your routine is working... so if clothes are feeling more slack then you're doing just fine. Remember muscle weighs more than fat so if you're building lean muscle by exercising and eating right the #'s probably won't drop off like you'd expect... all that really matters is how you feel so don't get discouraged by the scale
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... and like Deb said, drink lots of water0
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I have been exactly the same. I've been eating 1,200 calories most days since Jan 1st and exercise classes/weight around 3-5 times a week. I didn't lose any weight for the first 4 weeks, which was frustrating but I definitely have lost some inches around my hips which feels really good. But in the last 10 days or so, I have managed to drop a few lbs so like the others have said on here, I think it can be the body building muscle etc. Also make sure you definitely hit the 1,200 target of cals and eat enough. I found another area that might have been causing issues was not sleeping enough. I am trying to get more sleep now which seems to help with energy levels. And also making sure I eat the right food after workouts, as I would tend to come home and snack and now I am trying to have protein where I can. Its definitely trial and error, but keep going - keep motivated! Try some old clothes on that were feeling tight or didn't feel brilliant, and hopefully now you will feel so much better wearing them - find the positives!
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leandra23xx wrote: »I have been exactly the same. I've been eating 1,200 calories most days since Jan 1st and exercise classes/weight around 3-5 times a week. I didn't lose any weight for the first 4 weeks, which was frustrating but I definitely have lost some inches around my hips which feels really good. But in the last 10 days or so, I have managed to drop a few lbs so like the others have said on here, I think it can be the body building muscle etc. Also make sure you definitely hit the 1,200 target of cals and eat enough. I found another area that might have been causing issues was not sleeping enough. I am trying to get more sleep now which seems to help with energy levels. And also making sure I eat the right food after workouts, as I would tend to come home and snack and now I am trying to have protein where I can. Its definitely trial and error, but keep going - keep motivated! Try some old clothes on that were feeling tight or didn't feel brilliant, and hopefully now you will feel so much better wearing them - find the positives!
Thankyou so much for your comment. i dont get alot of sleep due to my toddler not sleeping but i do agree maybe tweeking afew things pointing me in tbe right direction xx1 -
oliviageorge93 wrote: »Thankyou so much for your comment. i dont get alot of sleep due to my toddler not sleeping but i do agree maybe tweeking afew things pointing me in tbe right direction xx
You don't need to tweek to point yourself in the right direction. You're already losing inches which is the goal. You're already going in the right direction. Would you rather the number on the scale move but you still wore the same size?
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Are you logging your food on this app using a food scale/picking verified database entries? if not you have no way of knowing how many calories you are really eating. 4 weeks is usually enough time to see some loss unless that is being masked by TOM/ new exercise etc. Loss of inches is what others see so that's a great non scale victory (NSV).
If another few weeks goes by and you still haven't lost any weight then you need to reassess your calorie intake as not losing means you are eating more than you think.0 -
Losing inches is better than losing pounds. Means you are gaining muscle and losing fat, which is the most ideal outcome.
Um....no, no it doesn't. We don't know what kind of "proper" exercise the op is doing (no idea if there's any resistance training), but with that said it's still highly unlikely that muscle is being built fast enough to offset gains, ESPECIALLY with how little the op claims to be eating. It most likely water weight from the new exercise regimine.4 -
Losing inches is better than losing pounds. Means you are gaining muscle and losing fat, which is the most ideal outcome.
Um....no, no it doesn't. We don't know what kind of "proper" exercise the op is doing (no idea if there's any resistance training), but with that said it's still highly unlikely that muscle is being built fast enough to offset gains, ESPECIALLY with how little the op claims to be eating. It most likely water weight from the new exercise regimine.
this. she is not putting on appreciable muscle mass in 3 weeks eating 1200 calories per day. most likely water weight.3 -
Losing inches is better than losing pounds. Means you are gaining muscle and losing fat, which is the most ideal outcome.
Um....no, no it doesn't. We don't know what kind of "proper" exercise the op is doing (no idea if there's any resistance training), but with that said it's still highly unlikely that muscle is being built fast enough to offset gains, ESPECIALLY with how little the op claims to be eating. It most likely water weight from the new exercise regimine.
I gained an inch on my arms while losing 6 inches on my gut on 1200-1500 calories/day (as a male). I lift twice as heavy than I could at the start and went from not being able to do a single pushup to doing ~25. It's definitely possible to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, even on low amounts of calories. Everybody is different though.
Either way, I'd take losing inches over losing weight any day of the week. People see inches, people don't look at your scale. 3 weeks isn't really long enough to see results though.5 -
Losing inches is better than losing pounds. Means you are gaining muscle and losing fat, which is the most ideal outcome.
Um....no, no it doesn't. We don't know what kind of "proper" exercise the op is doing (no idea if there's any resistance training), but with that said it's still highly unlikely that muscle is being built fast enough to offset gains, ESPECIALLY with how little the op claims to be eating. It most likely water weight from the new exercise regimine.
I gained an inch on my arms while losing 6 inches on my gut on 1200-1500 calories/day (as a male). I lift twice as heavy than I could at the start and went from not being able to do a single pushup to doing ~25. It's definitely possible to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, even on low amounts of calories. Everybody is different though.
Either way, I'd take losing inches over losing weight any day of the week. People see inches, people don't look at your scale. 3 weeks isn't really long enough to see results though.
Even though I really don't buy that you "packed it on" at 1200-1500 cals..... did you do it in a month? That's what we talking about.
Sorry, but it just isn't possible to gain muscle fast enough to offset fast loss, especially when the OP is female and eating as little as she states she is.
I'm glad you went from not being able to do pushups to being able to do 25, but that doesn't mean you gained muscle. Gaining strength =/= gaining muscle.
I too agree that you can gain muscle and lose fat at the same time, just not at low calories (and in this case we don't know if OP is doing any resistance training). Recomps are definitely a thing and there are some cases where "some" muscle can be gained in a large deficit, but not a lot.5 -
Losing inches is better than losing pounds. Means you are gaining muscle and losing fat, which is the most ideal outcome.
No resistance training and female means this is a really really really unlikely scenario.
OP, it's likely water retention. Give it a bit longer. When I return/start new/increase intensity the scale stalls for a good bit.3 -
Get 7-8hrs good sleep, drink plenty of water or until urine is clear, don't depend on the scale it's evil and creep in your mind and destroy you. Last be happy!0
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If your urine is clear you're going a bit OTT on the water. And will probably get fired for the amount of time you spend going to the bathroom.0
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VintageFeline wrote: »If your urine is clear you're going a bit OTT on the water. And will probably get fired for the amount of time you spend going to the bathroom.
lol find a new job! :-)0 -
blackmantis wrote: »VintageFeline wrote: »If your urine is clear you're going a bit OTT on the water. And will probably get fired for the amount of time you spend going to the bathroom.
lol find a new job! :-)
Or just stop drinking far more water than is necessary? Straw coloured. Clear and you're flushing much needed electrolytes out.1 -
Hi everyone thankyou for your comments, it was really just a post as to why some people can sit on their bottoms all day and still lose weight off justdieting (being alot bigger in size than i am) but some people (me) have to work really hard exercising and eating good to see results xx0
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While I can lose weight from dieting alone (everyone can) I find it unsustainable - and miserable. I am just not going to go through life eating that little.
If I'm exercising, however, it "allows" me to eat enough to be happy. Plus, I just feel better in general, and overall my self esteem makes measurable progress. Additionally, my body really seems to respond to being active - the losses may be a bit slower, but eventually they happen! And I'll feel a heck of a lot better at the end than I ever would from just dieting the weight away.2
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