Size loss without weight loss

FitFoodieMomBillie

Hello MFPers!

I have a really good friend who is going through a pretty emotionally stressful time and has had quite a bit of size loss without any weight loss.

Let me tell you that she is doing absolutely no exercising at all and in fact I would consider her sedentary, so I find it doubtful that she is building muscle. She has gone from a size 14 to a 7/8 in jeans - from the same store and within 6-7 months time. Her weight has remained almost exactly the same. (At the Dr.s office even, so it's not the scale.) Her eating habits have changed a bit. Due to the stress, she was unable to keep food down, though now she has switched to eating small things and can also keep down small shakes. She has been consuming a lot more water than she EVER has.... maybe even close the recommended 8 glasses at this point.

So in telling you all all of this, what I am hoping to gain is perhaps a bit of your insight and possibly experiences.

Any Ideas? :huh:

FitFoodieMomBillie

Anyone?

treetop57

I'm not sure what you're looking for. Can you clarify your question?

thepanttherlady

I think she wants to know how her friend can go down several sizes in pants without actually losing weight or doing any exercises that would promote muscle/toning.

I'm sorry, I don't have an answer.

hope516

Well some people don't lose much weight but go down in inches. She is losing "weight" perse if she is not eating.

Fit40Freak

Small meals are better for you and so is drinking lots of water. It's hard to understand why she wouldn't be losing pounds but still be losing inches because usually (unless you are building muscle) you don't lose inches without losing pounds. It's a nice problem to have though.

dreawest

maybe she is redistributing. Have her inches gone up anywhere? Maybe its a more proportionate body shape than it used to be? That does seem like a large size decrease and I would expect weight loss or muscle mass to accompany it.

FitFoodieMomBillie

maybe she is redistributing. Have her inches gone up anywhere? Maybe its a more proportionate body shape than it used to be? That does seem like a large size decrease and I would expect weight loss or muscle mass to accompany it.

I agree... but she is also loosing shirt size. Since she doesn't wear those as tightly it's not nearly as exact, but she is definitely down in shirt sizes also.

Also, her face has thinned out a bit. Noticeably - in pictures. I would swear she is loosing weight, but the scales aren't moving!

FitFoodieMomBillie

Small meals are better for you and so is drinking lots of water. It's hard to understand why she wouldn't be losing pounds but still be losing inches because usually (unless you are building muscle) you don't lose inches without losing pounds. It's a nice problem to have though.

Ha ha! I agree, a nice problem to have! That's pretty much what I told her, but I can assure you she is not exercising at all, and not directly building muscle .. and not indirectly by what I can tell.

katielauren2001

She's losing inches, so she is losing fat and not muscle or fluids That's like me, the scale will go down eventually but it does take time.

FitFoodieMomBillie

She's losing inches, so she is losing fat and not muscle or fluids That's like me, the scale will go down eventually but it does take time.

Is it possible to retain that much fluid ... she has lost SEVERAL sizes, but not the weight, so could the lack of change on the scale be the loss of fat in combination with water weight from the extra water she has been drinking (for the first time in her life)?

lynette111

Have you seen her get weighed on the scales yourself?She may be lying. I don't know why she would except maybe she doesn't want anyone to harass or worry about her. When I divorced I lost a ton of weight and people were concerned. I didn't care about anything at that time and probably wouldn't have been hard to lie to get someone off my back about eating right. Just a thought.

katielauren2001

I'm not entirely sure, she is losing weight which is a good thing. Are the scales accurate? Sometimes they may be wrong. However it would be best to consult a doctor or health professional

firedragon064

It's IMPOSSIBLE to go down 3 size without losing any weight.

samntha14

It's IMPOSSIBLE to go down 3 size without losing any weight.

Why do you say that? I'm walking proof that's possible.I do heavy lifting, only lost a lb but two pant sizes so far. Muscle isn't heavier than fat but it does take up less room (denser)

As for her friend, something isn't stirring the kool-aid. If she was randomly loosing weight I'd be concerned and if there wasn't a mental factor causing a disturbance in her eating habits or looking at a thyroid problem. I hope she's at least spoken to her doctor about what's going on with her body and People especially with heart conditions, can retain HUGE amounts of water.

embclark

If she had muscle before and isn't moving much at all could she be losing her muscles and therefor shrinking but not losing weight?

FitFoodieMomBillie

Have you seen her get weighed on the scales yourself?She may be lying. I don't know why she would except maybe she doesn't want anyone to harass or worry about her. When I divorced I lost a ton of weight and people were concerned. I didn't care about anything at that time and probably wouldn't have been hard to lie to get someone off my back about eating right. Just a thought.

She's not lying. I have seen the scale.

FitFoodieMomBillie

I'm not entirely sure, she is losing weight which is a good thing. Are the scales accurate? Sometimes they may be wrong. However it would be best to consult a doctor or health professional

We thought her scale was broken, and then perhaps my scale was, and then she went in for a normal check up and had the same weight at the Dr.'s office also. The dr (a GP) was pretty stumped as well, so I don't see that as helpful unless she went to a specialist? But then who wants to go see a dr because they are loosing sizes (needed, mind you). "Um, excuse me dr, but I seem to be loosing a few clothing sizes without really dieting or exercising. Trouble is, I'm not actually losing any weight." Sounds a little off, doesn't it?

FitFoodieMomBillie

If she had muscle before and isn't moving much at all could she be losing her muscles and therefor shrinking but not losing weight?

Don't your muscles turn to fat form misuse first? Unless in starvation, and then they are immediately broken down into fuel for the body.

FitFoodieMomBillie

It's IMPOSSIBLE to go down 3 size without losing any weight.

Why do you say that? I'm walking proof that's possible.I do heavy lifting, only lost a lb but two pant sizes so far. Muscle isn't heavier than fat but it does take up less room (denser)

As for her friend, something isn't stirring the kool-aid. If she was randomly loosing weight I'd be concerned and if there wasn't a mental factor causing a disturbance in her eating habits or looking at a thyroid problem. I hope she's at least spoken to her doctor about what's going on with her body and People especially with heart conditions, can retain HUGE amounts of water.

I agree - something just isn't right. I am worried, but I also get the feeling that it is bad to 'look a gift horse in the mouth'.

mfpcopine

But then who wants to go see a dr because they are loosing sizes (needed, mind you). "Um, excuse me dr, but I seem to be loosing a few clothing sizes without really dieting or exercising. Trouble is, I'm not actually losing any weight." Sounds a little off, doesn't it?

Well, despite American attitudes towards being overweight, losing weight can be a sign of disease. Your friend should consult a specialist, but she also should have records of things like her weight, body fat percentage and measurements.

waffleflavoredtea

drinking more water could mean that she's shedding a lot of the extra water weight she'd been carrying around. Stress can make you hold onto water weight like crazy.

enewsome2

It's IMPOSSIBLE to go down 3 size without losing any weight.

Why do you say that? I'm walking proof that's possible.I do heavy lifting, only lost a lb but two pant sizes so far. Muscle isn't heavier than fat but it does take up less room (denser)

As for her friend, something isn't stirring the kool-aid. If she was randomly loosing weight I'd be concerned and if there wasn't a mental factor causing a disturbance in her eating habits or looking at a thyroid problem. I hope she's at least spoken to her doctor about what's going on with her body and People especially with heart conditions, can retain HUGE amounts of water.

Me too. In the last month, I've gone from a size 12 to size 8 and have only lost 1 lb. But I am also lifting weights. I don't know how it would happen if she wasn't building muscle, though.