Losing weight, NEED to lose inches!!!

Options
hthrhrpr
hthrhrpr Posts: 29 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Anyone have tips on losing inches while losing weight? Do they typically go hand in hand? I'm much bigger in my midsection, and really want to lose in my waist (and upper arms). Anyone know if I should be doing certain excercises?

Replies

  • hthrhrpr
    hthrhrpr Posts: 29 Member
    Options
    Oh, and I also don't want to lost muscle weight, just fat. I'm not concerned with the number on the scale as much as I am the number on the tape measurer.
  • Kel5515
    Kel5515 Posts: 13
    Options
    im interested in what answers you will get here - im in exactly the same boat. All my weight is around my middle & bingo wings!!
  • favhrnstr
    favhrnstr Posts: 55
    Options
    I can't really add specific tips, but I can share my experience thus far. My husband and I have both lost inches as we've lost weight, but it's been extremely variable. We've lost inches in different places, and I've found certain body areas don't lose inches for weeks, then they seem to change rapidly. I can't say that we've found any good ways to really target particular areas, though.

    The only specific suggestion I'd add is to make sure you're doing some weight training. Building lean muscle (in addition to burning fat) is what changes the shape of your body from flabby to fit. I've seen some young women on this site complain that they still look fat even though they're almost underweight, and I suspect it's because they haven't done anything to build muscle.
  • ChristineDiet
    ChristineDiet Posts: 719 Member
    Options
    hey

    My understanding is that you can NOT target where you will lose weight/inches from. I'm not expert (still have a very long way to go myself) but I found that when I HIIT workouts (Insanity) I lost some weight, 3.5lbs not much but I did lose 7.5" and dropped a dress size.

    I'm now just starting Jillian Michael's body Revolution which is 4 days weights and 2 days cardio (2 weights, 1 day cardio, then the same again) and I think the combination of both will help more.

    Also just keeping your calorie intake not too low and obviously not too high. A lot of people (me including at the beginning of my journey) will set their goal at 1200 but then they eat less than 1200 to be within goal - you need to set it for 1400 minimum to make sure you are eating at LEAST 1200.

    Good luck. x
  • prokomds
    prokomds Posts: 318 Member
    Options
    In the simplest sense, eating at a moderate deficit is all that's required to lose fat (and therefore inches). However, unless you add in exercise, you're likely to also lose more muscle than you'd like

    The first thing to know is that losing inches takes TIME. How often are you measuring? I would say absolutely not more than once a week, but more realistically every few weeks. It's not a fast process

    For me, strength training with a little cardio has had the best results. My typical gym routine consists of 5-10 minutes of cardio to warm up and get the heart racing, 20-30 minutes of weight lifting, and if I have extra time after that I may do more cardio and eventually cool down. I rarely spend more than an hour in the gym. I also mix it up by playing sports, but that's just to keep me active and not bored. I also tried the 30-day shred at one point - I would pretty much guarantee that you'd get results from that, I just have a difficult time working out at home and prefer to get out of the house

    For reference, I started out around 150 pounds and measured 36.5" at my navel. Now, around 142 and measure 32" at the same spot. In US sizes, I was almost not fitting my size 8 pants, now I'm somewhere between 6 and 8. It's taken me since June to get there, but I'm pretty pleased with the results (and hope to take it a little further). Good luck!
  • hthrhrpr
    hthrhrpr Posts: 29 Member
    Options
    Thanks everyone! I don't mind to lose inches anywhere, for sure, but my waist is where it needs it most. Thanks for the tips. I'm only 5', so I don't think 1200 is too little for my goal calories, right? I don't usually eat all my calories, but I definitely eat when I'm hungry. Also, I know that is NET calories.
  • prokomds
    prokomds Posts: 318 Member
    Options
    I think 1200 might still be a little on the low side? How much weight are you trying to lose? How much weight did you set MFP to to lose per week? If you have a somewhat small amount of weight to lose (20 pounds or less?), you want to set MFP to lose no more than .5lbs/week. Since your daily number of calories is already going to be on the low side, you don't want to take an unreasonably large deficit from that.

    I'm guessing 1200 isn't a way low goal for you, considering your height, it's probably just at the low end of what is reasonable. You can try it for a few weeks, and if you're hungry/grumpy/lower energy than you'd like, I'd suggest trying adding 100-200 calories to your day. Just know that eating less than 1200 is probably veering into unreasonable territory :)
  • hthrhrpr
    hthrhrpr Posts: 29 Member
    Options
    I'm looking to lose a total of 35-40 pounds, and I set it to 2 pounds/week. Not sure if that is how much I will lose every week, or if that's even realistic, I know as I get closer, it will come off slower. But, I'm really not too concerned with the scale, as much as I am the inches. I want my clothes to fit better. It's hard to find clothes that fit well being so short. 3 c-sections have helped contribute to my midsection being the biggest issue for me. :(
  • onfiresis
    onfiresis Posts: 22 Member
    Options
    abs are made in the kitchen so eat clean!
  • lorraine_2015
    lorraine_2015 Posts: 42 Member
    Options
    i also want to loose inches not weight

Categories