Losing inches, not weight... How do i change this?

embclark
embclark Posts: 186 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I am 5'7" and I weight about 168. I have lost about 23 pounds so far which I am very happy with. But I have lost and gained the same pound for about 3 weeks now. I am still losing inches, so not all is lost, but I want to concentrate on losing more weight before I start to form a lot of muscle...

Currently I eat about 1400 calories and I eat back most of my exercise calories.

I have been doing 4 days a week of EA Sports Active for the Wii. Lately that means about 45 minutes of a mix of cardio, strength and core.

And I started the 30 day shred 5 days ago and have been doing it everyday and plan to continue doing it 7 days a week.

Is my problem too much strength?

Should I being doing more cardio? In four days my EA Active program will be done and I can customize my workouts to be more cardio and less strength. Do you thik this would help?

I would really like to lose a bit more. My 5 year anniversary is this August and I was hoping to be back around 150 like when I got married...

Any advice would help!
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Replies

  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    losing inches is much better then losing weight, as the scale only shows a number, the inches lost can be seen by you and everyone else.

    And no, you are not doing too much strength. What may be happening is that your muscles are retaining water to protect them and to aid in recovery from the exercise. Ignore the scale and pay attention to how you look and feel and how your cloths fit.
  • emcohen
    emcohen Posts: 46
    Why is this a bad thing? Losing inches is way more important that the number on the scale. What does it matter how much you weigh before gaining muscle? Sounds like you are doing a great job and I wouldn't change a thing.
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    You would rather lose weight than inches? I would keep going with what you are doing. I would also change your settings to lose .5-1 pound a week.
  • KacieHetrick
    KacieHetrick Posts: 259 Member
    My advice is to not focus on the number on the scale, losing inches will make you look better and the weight won't be far behind. Congratulations on your inches lost!
  • 10acity
    10acity Posts: 798 Member
    losing inches is much better then losing weight, as the scale only shows a number, the inches lost can be seen by you and everyone else.

    Yeah... no matter how long I'm on MFP I'm never going to understand these threads.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Lol!
    You are doing it right!
    Throw away the scale!
  • kitkat4141
    kitkat4141 Posts: 379 Member
    Why is this a bad thing? Losing inches is way more important that the number on the scale. What does it matter how much you weigh before gaining muscle? Sounds like you are doing a great job and I wouldn't change a thing.


    Couldn't have said it any better!
  • Wilson336
    Wilson336 Posts: 76
    My suggestion is to not worry much about weight, as long as you are losing inches. Muscle has a higher density than fat, so yes, if you are gaining muscle if will offset the loss of fat, and you will not lose weight. However, the increased density of muscle also means that 1 pound of mucle will take up less physical space than 1 pound of fat, so you will lose inches.
    BMI measurements do not account for this, which is why a lot of pro fotball players would rate as obese on a BMI scale, even though they have very low body fat percentages. The muscle mass they have isn't measured in the BMI scale, so the scale falsely reports them as obese. A better measure for you, or at least a second measure to go with BMI, might be a body fat % calculator such as found here: www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator which will give you a rough estimate of your body fat%. This tends to bring a little more accuracy for those who are muscluar, and puts BMI in perspective.
  • MistyMtnMan
    MistyMtnMan Posts: 527 Member
    Losing inches means you are actually lowering your body fat. That's what you want! Numbers on the scale really shouldn't matter as much. If you read about any fitness model or someone in really good shape, 9 times out of 10 they barely ever weigh themselves and rely more on how they look.

    Get the scale thing out of your head. I only weigh myself about once a month or so. As long as you feel good and notice a visual difference, you don't need the scale.
  • Microfiber_wechange
    Microfiber_wechange Posts: 640
    I would love to lose inches around my waist :smile:
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    If your'e losing inches, you're losing fat.

    If you're not losing weight, but losing inches, you're just retaining a bit of fluid from all the strenuous exercise. It's temporary and will fall off on it's own.
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    Nobody is going to stick you on a scale to decide if you're attractive. Your body is getting stronger and dispensing with bodyfat. Keep doing what you're doing.
  • FriendsR4EverTreasures
    FriendsR4EverTreasures Posts: 179 Member
    Forget the scale, inches is the way to go and your body will love you for it!
  • caramammal
    caramammal Posts: 147 Member
    Losing inches means you are actually lowering your body fat. That's what you want! Numbers on the scale really shouldn't matter as much. If you read about any fitness model or someone in really good shape, 9 times out of 10 they barely ever weigh themselves and rely more on how they look.

    Get the scale thing out of your head. I only weigh myself about once a month or so. As long as you feel good and notice a visual difference, you don't need the scale.

    like this...need to remind myself more often of the ridiculousness of scales!
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    Think about it this way. If you are losing weight, even if it is just fat (and not muscle loss), you still get fewer calories to maintain. But when you lose inches without losing weight, it is most likely fat loss coupled with increased muscle mass, which keep your calories at the same level. So you get to look good, be healthier, and still eat a bit more :laugh:

    In all seriousness, I think you are doing it the right way. It is healthy for you to replace the fat with muscle, which is tighter, leaner, and healthier than the same mass of fat. Keep doing what you are doing, or maybe change it up a bit with higher intensity cardio here and there, and you'll probably see the number on the scale drop again soon. In the mean time, celebrate your NSV of lost inches!
  • sara1923
    sara1923 Posts: 53
    I have been struggling with this. I lost inches and can wear a different pants size even and have only lost 4 lbs. It is hard to have noticeable results and still weigh the same. I wasnt eating back my calories and determined my net calorie averages and realized I was pretty low so I am trying doing this first. There are articles out there that suggest calorie cycling (really low for a couple days, really high for a couple days and then have it average to where you should be). Varying your routine might help. Not sure what you do for your workouts but you could change intensity for cardio by alternating using moderate effort and heavy effort. You can change intensity for strength training by resting less between sets or trying to use a different amount of weight. You could also focus on just doing cardio. Pretty much summed up these websites

    http://www.ehow.com/how_4831908_break-weight-loss-plateau.html

    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/
    ( go to the weight loss sound clip)
  • AyanaSan
    AyanaSan Posts: 93 Member
    Just like everyone else said.. ignore the scale. Inches is where you really see CHANGE. In the last 3 months, I've only dropped 6lbs but my overall body fat % is down considerably. I went from a sz 10 to a 6 and you can actually SEE my muscles now because I lost layers of fat. Hang in there and keep up the great job. Eff the scale!
  • Whisperinghorse
    Whisperinghorse Posts: 202 Member
    Sod the scale - gimme inches (or centimeters... not fussy :wink: )
  • still_crafty
    still_crafty Posts: 682 Member
    I think you should revise how you are looking at this. I don't have any example pics to show you but there are tons of threads on MFP that show pics of people that go from "skinny fat" to lean, toned & fit but WEIGH MORE. They may only weigh 130 lbs to start but don't look toned or fit and actually look like they weight more than what the scale says. Then there is usually a second pic where they weigh like 145 pounds but are very toned and fit and look like they weigh much less and are fitting into smaller sized clothing.

    Throw away the scale or lock it in a closet. I have 5 days left of the 30 Day Shred and have only lost about 2 pounds during the month but the change in the shape of my body is AMAZING. I can see it with my eyes and so can those around me. My friends think I've lost 10 pounds in the last month.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    Would you rather lose weight and not inches? Then you'd be big and hollow.
  • evans72002
    evans72002 Posts: 89 Member
    bump
  • spitfire1962
    spitfire1962 Posts: 347 Member
    Why would you rather lose weight instead of inches? Weight is just a number on the scale. Inches are what people see. The inches lost will allow you to fit into smaller clothes. The weight will soon follow. Don't be down about this, it's really a good thing! You're doing awesome!!!
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
    Losing inches is still AMAZING.

    I would not change a thing.

    You want to lose fat not muscle and that's just what you are doing.

    So, congrats!
  • StarvingDiva
    StarvingDiva Posts: 1,107 Member
    This happens to me and it's hard not to be frustrated at the scale, but I've learned that as long as I'm losing inches, it means that fat is shrinking and muscle (which takes up less space than fat) is growing therefore making me look slimmer. Much better. I at one time in my life weighed 160 lbs and went from a 16 to almost a 10 and my scale never moved off of 160.
  • emstaley4
    emstaley4 Posts: 76 Member
    I have not been losing alot of weight either but I have lost inches and my clothes are fitting so much better. I'm trying really hard not to be bugged by the # on the scale since it really seems like it's not mattering in terms of my clothes fitting better. I've tightened up and gotten smaller by doing cardio and lifting weights. I'd like to see the # go down a bit faster but I'll take what I've got because I know that I do look better. According to my husband and people who have not seen me in awhile.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    My mind is boggled. Sounds like your doing an awesome job, dont stop what u r doing.
    Nobody is going to stick you on a scale to decide if you're attractive. Your body is getting stronger and dispensing with bodyfat. Keep doing what you're doing.
    This
  • keesh1123
    keesh1123 Posts: 229 Member
    Nobody is going to stick you on a scale to decide if you're attractive. Your body is getting stronger and dispensing with bodyfat. Keep doing what you're doing.

    I love this!!! ^^^
  • kevin3344
    kevin3344 Posts: 702 Member
    What others have said...plus you're 5 days into 30 DS...I promise by the end you'll love the results. Don't forget to take before and after pics.
  • AntShanny
    AntShanny Posts: 359 Member
    Losing inches and feeling my clothes getting too big makes me much happier than a couple pounds down on the scale does! I'm learning that what the scale says does not define who I am...
  • crudd123
    crudd123 Posts: 244 Member
    The same thing has happened to me! I've been dieting for 2 years and only lost 25 pounds! The scale wouldn't budge for a year but I've gone from a 20 women's jean to a 16 women's jean and a 2x top to a 14/16 top! Don't get discouraged! Just keep doing what you are doing! Check out the group Eat More to Weigh Less! I started eating a lot more and the last few days the scale moved 1.5 pounds down for the first time in over a year! Good luck to you!

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