Losing inches, not pounds!

sometimes_blondie

I've been back on MFP for about 3 weeks now. I've been tracking everything faithfully and doing my exercises about 5-6 days a week. I do several Jillian Michaels workouts. I noticed I am getting stronger and I have lost inches on my waist and hips, but so far have only lost a pound. I just wonder how long before the muscle I am gaining burns fat and I lose actual pounds. I am trying not to be discouraged because I know it's working, but it's very frustrating to not see the scale move at all!

LorinaLynn

I'll never understand why people think this is a problem. :laugh: Who can see the number on the scale? You, and only you. Who can see the inches lost? Everyone!

That said, if you're new to your exercise routine, you're likely retaining fluid. Exercise creates tiny microscopic tears in the muscle, and as the muscle heals, it holds onto fluid (inflammation). It's normal and temporary and will go away in a few weeks.

Personally, I find it much more rewarding to track my progress by how clothes fit, measurements, and in photos. Sometimes the scale doesn't go down. Sometimes it goes up. Sometimes it stays the same. But if you're tracking your progress in other ways, you can see the changes you've made.

paigemarie93

Losing inches is better than losing pounds. Plus, you'll be gaining weight in muscle.

dianacannon89

I'll never understand why people think this is a problem. :laugh: Who can see the number on the scale? You, and only you. Who can see the inches lost? Everyone!

That is exactly what I was going to say!!! YAY to losing inches!!

mckshowie

I'll never understand why people think this is a problem. :laugh: Who can see the number on the scale? You, and only you. Who can see the inches lost? Everyone!

That said, if you're new to your exercise routine, you're likely retaining fluid. Exercise creates tiny microscopic tears in the muscle, and as the muscle heals, it holds onto fluid (inflammation). It's normal and temporary and will go away in a few weeks.

Personally, I find it much more rewarding to track my progress by how clothes fit, measurements, and in photos. Sometimes the scale doesn't go down. Sometimes it goes up. Sometimes it stays the same. But if you're tracking your progress in other ways, you can see the changes you've made.

^^this

my mother always used to say "i dont care if i weigh 400lbs as long as my clothes still fit and i can lift my children with ease..." granted, that was a gross exaggeration (the 400lbs part), but i never knew what she meant until recently. i have only used the scale recently for my own personal curiosity. i don't sweat it if it's higher than the day or week or month before because *i* know that im working my @$$ off and ive never felt better

to add to this... ive only lost 4lbs - give or take - but i dont think that with p90x NOTHING is happening with my body. that's just crazytalk

huntindawg1962

Unfortunately "losing weight" has the implication that it is all about what the scale says solely. Dr's also promote this by only looking at the scale, too. You will likely see the movement on the scale soon but the fact you have seen the tape measure changes and are feeling better is the true non-scale victory!

psuLemon

I'll never understand why people think this is a problem. :laugh: Who can see the number on the scale? You, and only you. Who can see the inches lost? Everyone!

That said, if you're new to your exercise routine, you're likely retaining fluid. Exercise creates tiny microscopic tears in the muscle, and as the muscle heals, it holds onto fluid (inflammation). It's normal and temporary and will go away in a few weeks.

Personally, I find it much more rewarding to track my progress by how clothes fit, measurements, and in photos. Sometimes the scale doesn't go down. Sometimes it goes up. Sometimes it stays the same. But if you're tracking your progress in other ways, you can see the changes you've made.

I love this girl. She knows her stuff.


Op, how many calories are you eating? Also what is your weight loss goal per week? You should be at 1 lb per week based on your ticker and should aim to eat an extra 200 calories days you exercise. I say 200 because the average person i have seen doing Jm burns from 200-300

sometimes_blondie

I'm at 1200 cals a day. According to MFP, when I do my workouts, I supposedly burn about 450 cals. I always have a whey protein shake after. I am a vegetarian, so it's difficult to eat that much protein otherwise. Sometimes on workout days it seems impossible to eat that many calories back, but I do so I don't go into starvation mode.

sometimes_blondie

@PaigeMarie, I looooove your ticker photo!

wolfehound22

Agree with everyone else, inches are so much more important. Let me ask you this if the scale dropped ten pounds, but your cloths still fit the same, and u looked the same would that be better. I understand where you are coming from, as I tend to do the same things some times, but really if your losing weight and not inches you can't see the change, but if the inches are coming off and the weight isn't moving you'll still see changes.

psuLemon

I'm at 1200 cals a day. According to MFP, when I do my workouts, I supposedly burn about 450 cals. I always have a whey protein shake after. I am a vegetarian, so it's difficult to eat that much protein otherwise. Sometimes on workout days it seems impossible to eat that many calories back, but I do so I don't go into starvation mode.

Do yourself a favor. Either preplan your workout or include it into your lifestyle calculation and dont worry about exercise calories. Or on days you workout, eat 200 extra calories during the day. Even if you dont work out the extra calories will probably benefit your body.

sarafil

I would LOVE to lose inches over seeing the scale move!!!! It took me a long time to realize the scale just messes with you....I now measure myself, and measure my body fat percentage. SO much more an accurate picture of what is going on with your body.

gumigal82

I used to feel the same way-I hated the fact the number one the scale barely moved! But when I started to measure inches, I noticed major improvement:)

sarahs440

in the past 3 months, I have lost ZERO pounds, but I also went down an entire jean size. I get frustrated too with the scale, so I put it away. For at least 3 weeks. Hang in there!!

Altruista75

I agree with everyone on here!! Inches are so much more rewarding!! It took me FOREVER to realize that but now that I have, I have never been happier and more proud of myself for what I've done and what I've continue to do. I've been on a serious plateau for about a month now but the inches still keep coming off so I consider it a WIN!!

Helloitsdan

Congrats on dieting correctly!

CindyRx

Natalie, I'd encourage you to look at some success stories for 30 Day Shred or Ripped in 30 or any of the Jillian Michaels workouts. One consistent theme you'll see is that the people say they saw more inch reduction than weight loss. Their pictures are very motivating too. It is for that reason that I joined a group that started Ripped in 30 that just started Monday. You'll see by my ticker, I have plenty of weight to lose, but because I never took before pictures I didn't notice the 26 lbs I lost before that. That's a lie sort of, my clothes fit better, but I didn't actually measure anything with a tape measure or take pictures. When I joined the group I made sure to take those pics and measurements so I could see the results myself.

Anyway, my point is, losing inches is awesome and the weight will come with it. If you stick with what you are doing your body will look and feel amazing since you've added the strength component right from the start. Maybe alternate from a JM workout one month and then take a month off to focus more on cardio if you want to see the scale move quicker. But don't take out the strength training alltogether just to see the scale move. As the earlier post stated, you're the only one who sees the scale, everyone else sees those inch losses and better toned body! Keep up the good work!!!

mmapags

Congrats on dieting correctly!

This! You are losing fat and maintaining lean mass. What's not love? Forget that lying b*tch, the scale!! You're doing great!

dawnmariern

Great post I am doing a 10 week body transformation challenge at a local martial arts studio and have only lost about 4 lbs in 8 weeks but have lost over 2 inches in the waist and the hips ... after the weigh in today I was very frustrated but after reading this thread I realize, I feel better and my clothes are fitting better. Keep up the good work.

nursegoochie313

This has made me feel MUCH better...my clothes are fitting better and I am back in stuff I have not worn in a year, yet the scale doesn't move. All of your comments made me feel motivated and my discouragement evaporated! Thanks to everyone. I am putting that B#$%^ the scale away...I am going to continue with counting calories, my nutrition and exercise log, and make this the lifestyle change that is needed. Thanks guys! :flowerforyou:

SibyllKingsley

Thank you so much for this! I am having the same problem I recently started walking 6.2 miles a day and was feeling discouraged with the scale until I measured myself and found i had lost and inch on hips waist and neck

auntmandi

I have lost only 5 lbs. and it is very frustrating. Eventually I eliminated sugar, flour, and excess carb I feel better, but the scales are awful and the belly is still there bigtime.

The comment about working out is a good one. I have a history of working out, and I hit the gym etc pretty hard both to slim and as therapy. (and to show off.....shh!!!!} 60 year old women are very competitive!

Those of us with a history of exercise and fitness will respond quickly because of something called muscle memory. The mass, nerves, etc. are all there and just waiting to train. This includes people who did well in sports in school - the muscle is diminished, but the stuff is still there.We have an advantage over starting from scratch. We have trained before and are used to the focus and dedication, even if it was decades ago.

Someone said that you cannot build muscle mass in 2-3 weeks; well, I beg to differ. I may be a senior, but there are cuts and definition already. We crave protein. No turkey salad or greek yogourt is safe from us!

But exercise retains water. I heard a woman in a WW meeting say she gained 5lbs. in a marathon. There ya go.

Friends are commenting that I look slimmer. What really brought it home was finding some pictures from March of this year - whoa!