Losing Weight... but not inches

aliceofwonderland
aliceofwonderland Posts: 38
edited September 20 in Health and Weight Loss
Okay, so I've been on MFP about a month, and I've lost about 17 pounds. Great, right? Except what I HAVEN"T been losing is inches... I've lost 1 inch on my neck, only 0.3 inches on my waist, and 2.1 inches on my hips. Is that normal? Do you have any tips on losing inches, not just weight? I love seeing the number on the scale go down, but I'm really not getting much smaller....

Anyway, thanks for reading!

~Alice

Replies

  • Pariah
    Pariah Posts: 97 Member
    i can't tell you why you aren't, but i can tell you that if you do some strength training and work on toning you muscles, you will see better results.
  • Sacredmaiden
    Sacredmaiden Posts: 17
    My guess would be that you're losing water weight and "internal" fat - which is the most dangerous kind! So you're really doing good. Also, you are probably trading fat for muscle, which is naturally heavier than fat. Don't get discouraged! You're doing well. Keep up the good work. :0D
  • nerdman09
    nerdman09 Posts: 1
    Well its great that you have already dropped 17 lbs! that is a great start. to lose inches though, you have to engage in cardio workouts. that has worked best for me and usually works best if you can involve as much of your body as you can. i know there are tons of dvds out there with cardio routines but that is always necessary. just 30 minutes on the elliptical, treadmill, or stair-stepper will get you immediate results in two weeks. Good luck and keep it up!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    2.1 inches on your hips is losing inches, right?

    It would be nice if we could "spot reduce" - I would far rather lose inches on my waist than anywhere else, but it doesn't work like that.

    You will not be able to choose where the inches come off first. You will be losing fat in layers all over your body but not necessarily in your "preferred" places. Incorporate weights or resistance training to shape your figure and increase muscle tone.
  • elzettel
    elzettel Posts: 256
    Cardio has been the biggest help for me and I've noticed a change in about 2 weeks...nothing tremendous but a change all the same. I love my elliptical but just regular old walking helped a ton when I first had my son.
  • YogaRunner
    YogaRunner Posts: 652 Member
    Strength training is definitely key to losing inches. Muscle takes up less volume, or space, than fat. Therefore, the more muscle you have, the leaner and more compact you are.... The key is using heavier weights with fewer reps (10-12) when it comes to building muscle. My experience with doing an effective workout with this as the leading principle behind it led to losing 4 inches from my hips and 5 inches from my waist. The one inch from my chest, I didn't want to lose, but ah well, I guess I'll have to sacrifice :laugh: The workout does incorporate cardio and plyometrics as well to make it a very well rounded program.
    Risa
  • godblessourhome
    godblessourhome Posts: 3,892 Member
    no help, just wanted to tell you i can empathize!
  • KeriD
    KeriD Posts: 324
    Strength training is the best for losing inches. However the scale does not go down as fast (at least that's how its has been for me). You will be building muscle which burns the calories and tightens you up!!!! GREAT though that the pounds are coming off!!!
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    That's normal... I would say work on getting MORE cardio in and make sure you're strength training because muscle burns fat so once you build up your muscles... they'll burn fat for you! :)
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