Losing weight, but NOT inches. Why?

bellasera973
bellasera973 Posts: 16 Member
edited October 4 in Health and Weight Loss
I've started dieting/exercising regularly since July. I workout at least 4-5 times a week, for 30 mins to 1 hour. So far I've lost about 20lbs, but I'm having a really hard time losing any inches.

My thighs have actually lost the most inches: 2.
My waist? 1 inch.
Hips? 1 inch.
Arms? 0.5 inch.
Neck? no inches.

I do 1/2 hour of cardio every time I go to the gym, and then I sprinkle in 1/2 hour of weight training throughout the week (one day I'll focus on my arms/chest, the next day I'll focus on my core, etc...)

What am I doing wrong? Why am I losing weight, but not losing any inches? :\

(As far as food, I eat anything. Meat, dairy, veggies, fruit... I'm not interested in going on any fad diets, or highly restricted ones.)

Replies

  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
    You are losing inches tho :O
    Takes time :flowerforyou:
  • prettyinpetite
    prettyinpetite Posts: 8
    It could be water weight?
    Or, are you specifically doing cardio? Because lifting weights creates muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat but takes up a lot less room than fat. Create muscle, you'll probably gain weight but you'll certainly lose inches.
    I'm not a professional though, that's just an educated guess.
  • adamswife23
    adamswife23 Posts: 52 Member
    Don't get frustrated yet, we all go through plateaus during our workouts. When was the last time you took measurements? Don't get discouraged because the inches will come off. Have you tried switching up your workouts to give your body some muscle confusion?
  • khua0808
    khua0808 Posts: 95
    You may not be losing inches because you are eating more carbs lately? which increases water intention in muscles. That may be it. Otherwise then just keep sticking to diet and it will slowly melt
  • AZackery
    AZackery Posts: 2,035 Member
    You may not be losing inches in the area that you measure, but it doesn't mean you aren't losing inches in other areas.
  • finchase
    finchase Posts: 174
    I've had the same issue. It seemed that my hips stayed at the same width for months, although perhaps I didn't measure them well because my pants gradually became too loose. Then a few weeks ago, I suddenly lost around 6 inches in my hips, in a very short time. My neck has lost one inch since the beginning of June, and yet I can look in the mirror and see that I have more definition in my throat and my collarbones are a bit more prominent.

    I don't know what it is 'cause I'm doing both cardio and weight training. It's more gradual than I'd like but I trust that it will come.
  • finchase
    finchase Posts: 174
    You may not be losing inches in the area that you measure, but it doesn't mean you aren't losing inches in other areas.

    Yes, my feet were among the first things to look thinner. I'd like to lose weight in my calves because pants that are a little loose in the hips are snug around my still too-large calves. A trainer told me that this is often one of the last places people lose weight since it is lower on the body. Great, because that's one of the places I most need to lose.
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