Trying to lose inches rather than pounds

massoia

Hi all

New here. Used to be in really good shape but after a nerve injury in my leg I have quite a lot of work to do! I'm 5'7" and about 127lbs. I'm looking to lose inches rather than pounds, if that makes sense? I'd like to replace some of the body fat with lean muscle instead, so I won't be watching the scales as much as the tape measure.

I eat fairly healthily but I'm sure I could learn a lot from you guys. :-) I rarely drink soft drinks, preferring to drink water or tea (green or white, so no milk or sugar added) all day. We'll share a bottle of wine in the evening a few times a week. With main meals we tend to eat lots of salads with homemade dressings as a side dish, rather than potatoes. Potatoes just don't appeal to me as much as they used to, it's not a deliberate attempt to avoid carbs. Lots of fresh fruit and veg in our diets. I eat chocolate if I feel like it. I usually have homemade muesli (oats, almonds, sultanas, dried cranberries with fresh banana and apple juice instead of milk) for breakfast.

The idea of counting calories is totally new to me, because I've never had to think about it before. I used to be so active that weight and body fat were never an issue. My OH knows a lot more about calories than I do, so I'll try to follow his leadI have bipolar depression which can cause a few problems every now and again, and that's part of the reason I try to eat sensibly. Having said that, I was raised by parents who believed we should eat sensibly and therefore wouldn't feed us pizza, chips and fizzy drinks day in day out, so I got off to a pretty good start!

I hope that MFP will keep me motivated. It's been a difficult year for me, various family problems etc., and I want to start focusing on myself again.

Look forward to getting to know some of you!

Incidentally, I don't like to post photos of myself on the internet, so there won't be many, if any, of those... Nor do I use Twitter, Facebook or other social networking sites.

dtmtti6

It is so awesome that your parents started you out right!

gypsy_spirit

The best way to lose inches and get the body you want is to lift heavy. It's also the most empowering thing I have ever done. Stronglifts, New Rules of Lifting for Women, Starting Strength, are excellent programs.

geebusuk

What you want to do is generally described as 'body re-composition' - there's various resources around the 'nets about it.
As above, lifting weights is the way to go - if your weight is to stay the same and body fat to go down, you need muscle to make up for the lost weight.

toutmonpossible

You need to concentrate on losing fat. That usually means a diet that is high protein and low carb. You should also lift weights, but watch your development, muscle doesn't magically replace fat. If there are areas where you store a disproportionately large amount of fat that fat will come off last, or not at all.

You should not give up the scale. It's a useful tool. If you can, buy one that provides a body composition estimate that you can use as a baseline.

Mischievous_Rascal

You seem to have pretty close to figured out. Give this a read to help you get the rest of the way there:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

Lifting is the key to a recomp. That, and focus on hitting your macro targets, within your calorie goal. There is no need to go low carb, especially if you're going to start lifting. You need adequate protein for muscle growth and maintenance, but you also need a fair amount of carbs for energy, too. Before I started maintaining, I was getting 30% each for protein and fat (minimum), and 40% carbs. (And if you're getting enough fruit, veg and whole grains, you can have any other carbs you like. Wine and chocolate are my faves, too! ) Best of luck!

massoia

So many lovely replies! Thank you all so much. :flowerforyou:

Body re-composition, huh? It's always handy to have a technical term for the Goooooogle search box. :laugh: That's precisely what I'm after, thank you! I tend not to come out and say I want to lose fat because when a slim person says that very often people start to wonder if you have some kind of BDD, or (even worse) if you're saying it to get attention and fish for compliments. I once heard someone use the term "skinny fat", referring to a person who was very, very slender but had no muscle tone whatsoever, and I always remember that when I look at my wobbly bits in the mirror. I want to tone up and feel strong again.

Thank you for the tips and for the link Mischievous_R. I've had a look at some of the pinned topics for newbies, still lots to discover here on MFP.

We do have a set of scales that measure body fat percentage. Having tried them several times this morning, I got results ranging from 18% to 20% body fat. That surprised me and I thought it rather unlikely, but I posted about it on another thread and one member seemed to think it was possible given my build and the rather hazily remembered body measurements I posted. I have now found our tape measure and will take measurements later.

A teensy bit nervous about starting weight work. Although I've always thought it important to do strength work and like to think I've never neglected it, but as I wrote in another thread, my thigh muscles seem to develop very well, very quickly. As another MFP member said, perhaps I just need to deal with the fact that I'm pear shaped but if I could find a way to keep my body strong without feeling chunky around my thighs... oh, what a happy bunny I would be!

Thanks so much again to all of you for your supportive input!

toutmonpossible

I tend not to come out and say I want to lose fat because when a slim person says that very often people start to wonder if you have some kind of BDD, or (even worse) if you're saying it to get attention and fish for compliments.

It happens. I wouldn't think that.

We do have a set of scales that measure body fat percentage. Having tried them several times this morning, I got results ranging from 18% to 20% body fat. That surprised me and I thought it rather unlikely, but I posted about it on another thread and one member seemed to think it was possible given my build and the rather hazily remembered body measurements I posted.

Use it as a general guide. Those scales are aren't completely accurate, but they're better than nothing. I had a Tanita before my Omron. The former gave me a lower fat percentage reading. I always suspected the result was a little low.

A teensy bit nervous about starting weight work. Although I've always thought it important to do strength work and like to think I've never neglected it, but as I wrote in another thread, my thigh muscles seem to develop very well, very quickly. As another MFP member said, perhaps I just need to deal with the fact that I'm pear shaped but if I could find a way to keep my body strong without feeling chunky around my thighs... oh, what a happy bunny I would be!

If you're concerned about becoming more pear shaped from weights, which can happen, regardless of what some members here say, don't use direct weight resistance on your lower body. Restrict weights to your upper body and do cardio after your workout.

massoia

If you're concerned about becoming more pear shaped from weights, which can happen, regardless of what some members here say, don't use direct weight resistance on your lower body. Restrict weights to your upper body and do cardio after your workout.

Thanks for all your input. Regarding the section I've quoted, that makes sense to me. I'll stick to body weight/resistance only for lower body. I found a couple of good videos on Fitness Blender the other day and I do have a few Pilates books and DVDs around somewhere. We've had a lot of work done on the house over the last year and some things were packed into boxes. There are a few things I'm still looking for!

toutmonpossible

Good luck.