scale vs measuring

Options
SherryR1971
SherryR1971 Posts: 1,170 Member
in Motivation and Support
Okay, so most people say their scale is not moving and people suggest measuring...my problem is the opposite. My scale is slowly going down but I'm not noticing a difference in my measurements...I do lose weight in my face first, but not 17 pounds...where is it coming from???

Replies

  • LINIA
    LINIA Posts: 1,108 Member
    Options
    My best guess is that if you have lost 17 pounds and you still wear the exact same clothing sizes, then you must be losing very evenly overall.

    Do you feel better and/or have more energy?
  • margrobins
    margrobins Posts: 98 Member
    Options
    Okay, so most people say their scale is not moving and people suggest measuring...my problem is the opposite. My scale is slowly going down but I'm not noticing a difference in my measurements...I do lose weight in my face first, but not 17 pounds...where is it coming from???

    I wish my scale budged like that :/ I ditched my scale last year, only weigh once every few months now. My measuring tape is my friend - it's way nicer than the scale lol.
  • titanium2012
    titanium2012 Posts: 64
    Options
    I'm having a similar issue. I'm almost at 20 pounds lost, but my measurements are barely moving. I guess I'm losing pretty evenly, but it's weird because most people on here emphasize the measurements and how they look in the mirror more than the #s. I haven't noticed a significant change in those areas though.
  • SherryR1971
    SherryR1971 Posts: 1,170 Member
    Options
    Thanks, I'm glad it's not just me!!!
  • amann1976
    amann1976 Posts: 742 Member
    Options
    i've read that if you are losing weight and your clothes are not falling off or people are not noticing you that you are losing "water weight". i dont have that problem my measurements change even when the scale keeps showing the same numbers.
  • vtmoon
    vtmoon Posts: 3,436 Member
    Options
    Are you doing 13 point measurements or what are you measuring?
  • thomasxaviersayles
    thomasxaviersayles Posts: 47
    Options
    Get rid of the scale and use it only once per month. Your success will be found in the daily discipline of nutrition and exercise. Measure the calf, the thigh, the waist above and below the belly button, the bicep and the chest. You will tend to lose weight off the legs first, the face and arms, the torso will be last usually. Additionally, water weights 8.4 lbs per gallon and the bigger you are the more water you can lose without noticing it. Losing water does not count in weight loss as we will all agree.
  • SherryR1971
    SherryR1971 Posts: 1,170 Member
    Options
    @vt-what is 13 point measuring?
    @thomad-I thought water weight was lost the first few weeks, I have been doing this for over two months now...
  • Simone_King
    Simone_King Posts: 467 Member
    Options
    I'm using the scale. I am losing the weight.

    I think it depends on the person. o_o

    However, I weigh myself everyday just because I may need to twick my food intake for the day.
  • amann1976
    amann1976 Posts: 742 Member
    Options
    I'm using the scale. I am losing the weight.

    I think it depends on the person. o_o

    However, I weigh myself everyday just because I may need to twick my food intake for the day.

    the only thing that will affect you daily weight going up and down is how much water you have in your body...

    to gain 1lb or to lose 1lb of fat you have to have a deficit or surplus of 3600 calories
  • vtmoon
    vtmoon Posts: 3,436 Member
    Options
    @vt-what is 13 point measuring?
    @thomad-I thought water weight was lost the first few weeks, I have been doing this for over two months now...

    Neck, Shoulder, across the chest, waist, Abdomen, hips, thighs, Knee, Calfs, Ankles, Biceps, forearms, and wrist. I ended up using it during P90x to get a feeling to where all the changes on my body were happening.
  • SherryR1971
    SherryR1971 Posts: 1,170 Member
    Options
    @vt-what is 13 point measuring?
    @thomad-I thought water weight was lost the first few weeks, I have been doing this for over two months now...

    Neck, Shoulder, across the chest, waist, Abdomen, hips, thighs, Knee, Calfs, Ankles, Biceps, forearms, and wrist. I ended up using it during P90x to get a feeling to where all the changes on my body were happening.

    thanks!!
  • pickledginger
    pickledginger Posts: 172
    Options
    People do lose differently, though there are general patterns. (I always lose from the bust first; for one friend, that's the last place to slim. Fink.) If it's mostly coming off your legs, or upper arms, or lower chest, or belly below the waist, it might not be obvious for a long time, unless you do a *lot* of measurements.
  • Simone_King
    Simone_King Posts: 467 Member
    Options
    I'm using the scale. I am losing the weight.

    I think it depends on the person. o_o

    However, I weigh myself everyday just because I may need to twick my food intake for the day.

    the only thing that will affect you daily weight going up and down is how much water you have in your body...

    to gain 1lb or to lose 1lb of fat you have to have a deficit or surplus of 3600 calories

    I know however, I have a habit of uhh...eating things at work I am not suppose to eat. I can't help it. As a janitor, people love to hand me food.

    I fear the day after Halloween.

    Still I would rather use the scale than just measurements. In this house hold I can go "I lost weight look at my measurements."

    To my parents that means nothing. To them it's the numbers.

    I am find with that. I know it's a number.

    Again, I think it depends on the person. There is no right or wrong way in this. That's where I stand.
  • sarahmichelle876
    sarahmichelle876 Posts: 94
    Options
    Look up visceral fat. Fat around your organs. Maybe you are losing it first.
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    Options
    Okay, so most people say their scale is not moving and people suggest measuring...my problem is the opposite. My scale is slowly going down but I'm not noticing a difference in my measurements...I do lose weight in my face first, but not 17 pounds...where is it coming from???

    Neither the scale or measurements are perfectly accurate for telling you how your body is changing. Calories are the only thing that changes your fat levels. Exercise, especially lifting weights, changes your lean body mass. Then you have water changes in your body; water retention, digestion, hormones, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on.

    One of the best ways to see changes is in pictures, front, side, and back profile pictures taken every month or so. Many times you will see changes in the pictures even though you don't see changes in the scale or measurements. Sometimes you will only have changes in the scale, or only in certain measurements, or only in how your clothes fit.

    Other than pictures, inaccurate body fat measuring devices, scales, and a measuring tape, the only real accurate way to know what is happening is a DXA scan which will show changes in your lean body mass and exactly where the fat is in your body, but most of us don't have enough money to have a DXA scan done all the time.
  • SherryR1971
    SherryR1971 Posts: 1,170 Member
    Options
    Thank you all for your input, I do appreciate it!!

Categories