Weight vs. Inches

My experience is that it's all a pain in the butt! I've been told that you should lose 1 dress size per 10 pounds lost. Well, I don't wear dresses and I can say from experience that I generally need to lose 20 or more pounds before I can fit into a lower size pant. For instance, I started this journey at 225 pounds and size 18 (tight). I am currently bouncing around 207 and 209 and the same size 18 pants are still tight. My shirts are still tight. My shoes are still tight. But, my face is a bit thinner and my ring doesn't fit any more. If my boobs are going to get smaller, they will be the last things to go. My waist is the second to last. It has always been that way for me, regardless of how much or how little I exercise, or what kind I do. So, I am one that tends to watch the pounds instead of the inches because at least with the pounds I know I'm still making progress. If I go by my clothes, I'll get discouraged and quit.

My best friend and I were just talking about this. She is down 15 lbs and in pants two sizes smaller. I am down 9 lbs and in the same pants. She has lost a lot of inches around her waist, and mine hasn't moved much. I think it just depends on your body, and where is sheds weight first. She may have a skinnier waist, but her butt is still huge. (lol, this is what she said). I think I lose from all over, so it might take longer for types like us to see results when it comes to clothes. Keep it up! We'll get there too!

I find it all a little frustrating as well. I tend to avoid the scale at all costs because when I see the numbers come up it is nothing short of depressing. For example; I faithfully excercise 6 days a week, I'm a runner and I love to bike....I have noticed my hips, thighs and butt have slimmed down because my pants/shorts, etc. all fit much better. I thought I'd jump on the scale to see what my weight was and discovered that I am 5 lbs heavier than last year at this time but clothing fits much better and much more comfortable. I used to be a numbers person but now I try to stay clear; if I went by the numbers, I'd never leave my home. I think it all comes down to body structure; I think some people build muscle and don't see it reflected on the scale while there are others who do see it on the scale but body size stays relatively the same....just more firm!

I am 5'8 In going from 228 to 178. I am male, so most of my extra weight collects around the middle.

My waist has gone from 43 to 36. An inch every 7 lbs
Hips/butt from 42 to 39.5 An inch every 14 lbs
Neck from 16 to 15.25. An inch every 66lbs


She is 5'2 In going from 150 to 120 my wife has gone from:

A smaller 36 c to bigger 34b and inch of band every 15 lbs and some cup size loss
Waist from 34 to 29.5 An inch every 6.66 lbs
Hips from 42 to 37.5. An inch ever 6.66 lbs
We never measured her upper arms but the difference is noticable. Maybe 1.5 to 2 inches less in circumfrence

I've learned that the scale is NOT the 'end all, be all' to measuring fitness. I, too, was a scale addict and it led me down some very dangerous paths in my mid-20s. I find it hard not to step on every few days, but I forced myself to stow it in the garage during a 90-day fitness program and not step on it once. BEST decision I ever made. I learned a lot about myself during those 90 days because in the end, I had dropped 2 pants sizes, but only 5 pounds. Seriously, went from a 14/16 to a 10/12. The scale can become the most discouraging aspect of your fitness journey if you allow it to be. Remember, a pound of muscles weighs EXACTLY the same as a pound of fat (NO, muscle does NOT weight more than fat...get that out of your head--a pound is a pound. Period). BUT...a pound of muscle takes up MUCH less space in your body than a pound of fat. So, while your weight may remain the same, you may be considerably smaller in size.

Here's a picture to illustrate the point:

http://fitnesssuccess4you.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/fatmuscle.jpg

Per volume, muscle weighs more than fat is why they say that. Just like a pound of feathers takes up a lot more room than a pound of lead. In the end we are losing a volume of less dense material (fat) and replacing it with a volume of more dense material (muscle). I personally prefer to think of my fat as feathers :P

However...I don't believe most people think about it that way. Many automatically assume (sometimes erroneously) that because they weight more this week than they did last week that they must've gained muscle because 'muscle weighs more than fat' without truly determining if they did, indeed, increase lean body mass and decrease body fat percentage.

LOL on the Fat = feather analogy. I prefer to look at the picture on the link I used in my post and say, "EWWW, gross!! I don't want THAT stored excessively in my body anymore!"

Have a fantastic day!