Is it possible to lose inches but not weight??? HELP!

Malia725
Malia725 Posts: 6
edited September 20 in Health and Weight Loss
HELP! I weighed in today (weekly weigh-in) and I gained 2.4 lbs from last week. I ate under my calorie count everyday, I didn't eat bad stuff at all (ok maybe once, lol), excersized everyday, and I still did not lose anything. It's weird because I lost inches...not sure how many but all my clothes are extremely loose now. I got dressed for work this morning and my slacks were literally sliding off my butt as I walked up the stairs. What am I doing wrong...or right? LOL, I'm confused.

Replies

  • CasperO
    CasperO Posts: 2,913 Member
    Yep, you can lose inches and maintain or gain weight. I've been messing around with the same 5 pounds for 6 months, but my measurements have changed significantly.

    So how do you feel? How are you looking? I can't imagine you prettier than your pix... :smile:
  • bennettv
    bennettv Posts: 152 Member
    Don't fret about the scale. Just rejoice that you're taking up less space. Keep doing what you should be and everything will come together. I've lost 25 pounds, but have lost a disproportionate amount of inches due to exercise. People assume I've lost much more than I actually have.
  • james2009
    james2009 Posts: 1
    YES YES YES!!! I am going through this right now! I have been doing a boot camp for about 5 weeks now and I feel great, my clothes are fitting differently and I love it! The thing is, my weight is staying exactly the same, however, when we took measurements after 4 weeks I had lost inches! I was super excited and still don't fully understand it but still happy that I am at least losing something! I am right there with you though on the work clothes! People I work with are teasing me because my clothes are so baggy right now. Way to go!
  • sazziecee
    sazziecee Posts: 143
    It is definitely possible to lose inches and not weight, I have read lots of threads with a similar story to yours :)

    I wish I had taken measurements before I started, as I have only lost 10lb since January but have recently been getting a few compliments that I have lost weight, especially round my rib-cage, which I had never realised.

    It would be nice to have an actual record to see if its true, but buying a fabric tape measure just keeps going out of my scatterbrained mind! lol
  • crking
    crking Posts: 175
    Yes It's possible. I am doing ChaLEAN Extreme. I've lost 20in all together and lost little amounts of weight but inches are much more important to me than weight! Losing inches isn't a bad thing at all!
  • Yurippe
    Yurippe Posts: 850 Member
    1 pound of muscle takes up about 1/3 of the space as 1 pound of fat. At rest muscle burns more calories than fat so losing inches is much more important than losing weight. It means you are a smaller person which is really the point. Wouldn't you rather weigh 150 in a size 10 pants than 150 in size 12 pants?

    http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/muscle-to-fat.html
  • jillcwhite
    jillcwhite Posts: 181 Member
    I dont know about you.....but I am more concerned with the weight number. I think it's a mental thing. I am fitting better in my clothes and feel healthier, but want the smaller number on the scale to feel successful.
  • Malia725
    Malia725 Posts: 6
    THANKS EVERYONE!!!! :smile: Your comments are great. I really should have taken my measurments before I started MFP but it didn't cross my mind until now. I was just concerned about the LBS. I'm going to buy some fabric tape today. I'm in week 3 of P90x so I guess it would make sense that I am toning and building muscle. Thanks again, it all makes sense now. :happy:
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    YEP! When you do strength training, you're building muscle... and sometimes you don't lose weight because of the extra muscle...but muscle burns fat, so keep doing the strength training and you'll lose the weight. No worries!
  • BrookeAnisse
    BrookeAnisse Posts: 5
    I have done the same thing. My mother informed me I was building muscle instead of shedding pounds. Frustrating, because I'd rather be losing the weight.
  • SweetCharity
    SweetCharity Posts: 83
    I dont know about you.....but I am more concerned with the weight number. I think it's a mental thing. I am fitting better in my clothes and feel healthier, but want the smaller number on the scale to feel successful.

    I wish this wasn't the case! When you think about it, the only reason we care about the scale is because we've been told to. What if it didn't exist? What if the ONLY way to measure weight loss was with a tape measure - wouldn't those numbers be super important? We've been conditioned to believe that low weight = smaller person, but that's just not true! What do you care what the scale says if your clothes fit better? Are you more concerned with wearing smaller jeans or how heavy you might feel if somebody tries to pick you up? Lol. Personally - I will take lower numbers on a tape measure vs. lower numbers on the scale any day!
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