losing body fat but not weight?

chr0nicbookworm

I've been working with a trainer to create a plan of weights and cardio. My body fat is consistently dropping. It's gone down 11.5% since September. I've only lost 6lb so far though, and not many inches. My trainer keeps telling me that it might take some time for my fat loss to over take my weight gain, and not to worry about the scale number so much. I'm trying to do that, but it's gotten pretty frustrating. I'm eating very well - eating healthy and staying under 1100-1200 calories (I'm 5'0" and currently 148lb.) Does anyone have any ideas about why this might be happening? Thanks!

Hype

Your probably putting on weight in muscle as your loosing the fat weight

ashley0616

I'm kind of having the same thing happen. My trainer tells me it is all because I am gaining muscle that is replacing the fat, so I'm not going to see dramatic drops in the scale all the time. In the last 4 weeks, I have lost 2% body fat but only like 2lbs on the scale and while my waist and bust are seeing dramatic inches lost, my legs aren't - i.e. I am retaining muscle in my legs and losing fat in my gut and chest. Works for me! Stick to it and you will see the numbers fall, just probably slowly.

chr0nicbookworm

thanks! i feel better knowing i'm not the only one. it's just so frustrating you know? maybe we need a body fat counter not just a weight counter on this site.

jdg1mfp

Muscle weighs more than Fat.
An 11.5% drop in body fat is awesome.
Congratulations!

dfresh050

Muscle weighs more than Fat.
An 11.5% drop in body fat is awesome.
Congratulations!

hellz yeah nice job dont look at the stupid scale

gmoneynquote

The scale is irrelevant. Stayed focused on body fat and measurements.

chr0nicbookworm

thanks for the support everyone, i really appreciate it!

flash53

I would say don't worry about the number of weight lost. I know its tough but Muscle weighs a lot more than fat and takes up less space than fat. If you lost 11% body fat you may have lost about 12 to 16 lbs. of fat.

mannyfresh79

This thread is pretty old, but it's still true!

I've been working out pretty consistently (5-6x/week) for the past 8 months and while I have dropped inches at the waist, my weight has not dropped. I've also bulked up in the chest/legs/shoulders which must account for this.

In order to truly understand if you're making progress, you should also take measurements like waist, arms, legs, etc. Weight is not the only indicator that you're progressing.