Smaller Weight But No Smaller Clothes

smbodman
smbodman Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys, I'm kind of new to myfitnesspal but have been dieting for about 3 months and have dropped 20 pounds! I'm very happy as I haven't been able to get the weight off since birth of my son a year and a half ago. In the beginning I started exercising but stopped because I hate it and have still managed to drop the 20 pounds. The horrible part about it though is that I still can't fit into a smaller size. I figured 20 pounds was significant when I only have 50 to lose but I'm still wearing the same jeans I bought post pregnancy. Its a total motivation killer when you can't get into the next size down after 20 pounds. I've lost about 3 inches in my waist and 4 inches in my hips. So what gives? Anyone else have a similar experience? Any suggestions? I really hate exercise and don't want to take the time away from my son.

Replies

  • JamieRebecca23
    JamieRebecca23 Posts: 99
    i lost 20 lbs and am still in same size as I was postpartum. I think its just having my second kid gives my body the spare tire look. I'm holding fat differently. so my thighs, chest, etc are getting smaller but i haven't officially moved a pants size. i feel like muffin top area is just holding fat. so i'm just going to keep at it until it changes. good luck to you!
  • JessiAnn88
    JessiAnn88 Posts: 73 Member
    Same here, i've lost 27 lbs since the birth of my daughter and i'm still in the same pant size, i figured I'd at least be down by 1 at that point but that baby body is hard to reshape and I just think i'ts going to take longer to notice a differance since at least for me my belly still is pretty loose around my stomach.
  • holothuroidea
    holothuroidea Posts: 772 Member
    Unfortunately, you've probably lost a lot more muscle than fat. Because muscle is so dense, you won't loose inches when you loose many pounds of it. However, I've seen women on MFP who've stayed at the same weight but dropped 3 dress sizes just by increasing muscle mass (through heavy lifting and eating food!).

    Muscle tissue is expensive for your body to maintain, and if you eat a very large deficit without any resistance training it will consume muscle first to conserve energy.

    Were you eating at a very large deficit to loose this weight? You're at about 1.7 lbs/week loss, and that's very fast for someone who is not obese.
  • Hexahedra
    Hexahedra Posts: 894 Member
    The body puts (and takes) fat wherever it wants. I went down two pants sizes, but as far as the mirror is concerned I still have the same pot belly that I started with. Don't be surprised if you have to go down the entire 50 lbs before you can size down your clothes.
  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
    Unfortunately, you've probably lost a lot more muscle than fat. Because muscle is so dense, you won't loose inches when you loose many pounds of it. However, I've seen women on MFP who've stayed at the same weight but dropped 3 dress sizes just by increasing muscle mass (through heavy lifting and eating food!).

    Muscle tissue is expensive for your body to maintain, and if you eat a very large deficit without any resistance training it will consume muscle first to conserve energy.

    Were you eating at a very large deficit to loose this weight? You're at about 1.7 lbs/week loss, and that's very fast for someone who is not obese.

    this post is full of win
  • emih29
    emih29 Posts: 21 Member
    Start lifting heavy and doing HIIT
  • DefyGravity1977
    DefyGravity1977 Posts: 300 Member
    Unfortunately, you've probably lost a lot more muscle than fat. Because muscle is so dense, you won't loose inches when you loose many pounds of it. However, I've seen women on MFP who've stayed at the same weight but dropped 3 dress sizes just by increasing muscle mass (through heavy lifting and eating food!).

    Muscle tissue is expensive for your body to maintain, and if you eat a very large deficit without any resistance training it will consume muscle first to conserve energy.

    Were you eating at a very large deficit to loose this weight? You're at about 1.7 lbs/week loss, and that's very fast for someone who is not obese.

    I completely agree! I have been running and just added weight training. My current weight (as of this morning) was back over 200 but I'm wearing a 14/16. You definitely need to add some resistance training of some sort to your routine.
  • smbodman
    smbodman Posts: 2
    Thanks for the tips everyone! Its good to know I'm not the only one experiencing this problem.

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