LBS lost VS Inches lost

ShellGetsFit
ShellGetsFit Posts: 604 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
After reading lots of posts I'm wondering, for you, is it LBS lost or Inches lost that is most important? When I first joined MFP I was looking for LBS lost. I gave up numerous times and stopped trying to lose anything, except myself along the way. Anyhow, now I'm back and I'm doing it this time! I could honestly care less what my scale says, I admit it feels great to see the numbers sliding down but to feel my clothing getting loose is the BEST!!! The inches are coming off, my core is stronger, love handles are shrinking. I AM SO HAPPY!!! So what is it for you? Inches lost? LBS lost? A little bit of both?
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Replies

  • nikky731
    nikky731 Posts: 65 Member
    I'm still stuck on the scale....but what keeps me going is slipping into my jeans easier. I know I'm losing fat when my jeans feel roomier. I know I've lost the fat when I can get back into my skinny jeans.....so every few days I try and get into them!
  • CharityGC
    CharityGC Posts: 499 Member
    Numbers on the scale are nice because it's an easy thing to track but nothing beats zipping up my favorite jeans without spilling over the top.
  • kdt000
    kdt000 Posts: 27 Member
    Inches lost is the best guide, I think. Especially if you're working out on top of dieting. You may be adding muscle and losing fat, so the scale might not change like you want. My weight has only gone down about 16 lbs, but I've lost quite a few inches, so I'm still happy!
  • trin8ty75
    trin8ty75 Posts: 60 Member
    Definitely the scale for me. But maybe that's because I've never taken measurements so i wouldn't know how far I've come. Maybe after I get to goal and my main focus is toning, inches will be more important to me
  • Seaglass1123
    Seaglass1123 Posts: 500 Member
    Numbers on the scale are nice because it's an easy thing to track but nothing beats zipping up my favorite jeans without spilling over the top.

    This! I focused more on the scale and I was fortunate that I never really hit a plateau but as I near toward goal, some days I need to remind myself it isn't all about a # on the scale or bmi even. It's how I feel and I feel incredible.

    Oh and I am silly and never took official measurements. Sure wish I did.
  • corrinnebrown
    corrinnebrown Posts: 345 Member
    Its funny how the scale can hurt so bad.

    4 years ago I was 145 and a size 10-12.

    Today I am 175 and a size 12.

    This time I am seriously working out. My legs are firmer and smaller.

    BUT I still hate seeing that 175 on the scale. On the BMI scale I am overweight...actually close to obese. I cannot wait to get into a 12 again. Just wondering what size I would actually be if I was 145 again....
  • kaperlinger
    kaperlinger Posts: 66 Member
    I have focused on the lbs lost since starting in September. When I do reach my goal weight though I want to put the scale away and focus on losing inches. At that point as long as I'm losing inches I won't care what my weight is.
  • nlwilliams60
    nlwilliams60 Posts: 12 Member
    Not a slave to the scale, it's only one indicator of what's going on. I try on my "target outfits" they tell me everything I need to know. Scale is secondary IMO.
  • girlfromOklahoma
    girlfromOklahoma Posts: 129 Member
    Measuring to see how many inches i've lost and weighing to see much weight is lost to me is just a more scientific way to verify that what I'm seeing in the mirror and what I'm feeling when I touch myself is actually true. What I see and feel is what's important to me.
  • frompster
    frompster Posts: 27 Member
    This topic is perfect for me to read today. Wearing a pair of pants at work that were too tight a couple weeks ago. Haven't seen the scale move much lately, but the fact that these pants fit great tells me a lot. I'm trying to be patient with the scale, since that's what seems to matter to health professionals and everyone asking "how much have you lost"...

    Anyway. Feels good when your clothes are a smaller size and fit great!
  • Smackemdanno
    Smackemdanno Posts: 83 Member
    On the STP (same ten pounds) as last year but the fat keeps melting off as I lift weights. I still have 80 lbs to lose but I just fit into my college jeans last friday. Weight? Not as important to me as looking good and feeling good.
  • FP4HSharon
    FP4HSharon Posts: 664 Member
    For me, anything that you can measure that improves makes me happy. That said, pounds usually come off faster than inches or body fat. But I like to see any of my measurements going down.
  • ThisIsCharity
    ThisIsCharity Posts: 19 Member
    I'm a little of both. I like to see the number on the scale go down, but seeing my clothes bigger and baggier makes me feel just as good. Now if only the inches would come off around the middle lol
  • rfsatar
    rfsatar Posts: 599 Member
    I was exactly the same as the OP, and was getting downhearted that I semed to be stuck - then I started measuring once a month, and when the gym manager told me I looked great, and when I could fit into clothes that just gaped all the time before... give me inch-loss and a Body Fat % loss any day!

    I do want the scales to come down, and I think they did at first as I shifted lbs, and now things have slowed to maybe half a lb at a time when it comes off, and inches/body fat% the rest of the time.

    All moving downwards... all good!
  • determined_erin
    determined_erin Posts: 571 Member
    I really only pay attention the the pounds lost. It is easier for me to see a goal when I can just weigh myself on a scale and get the number lower and lower. The inches take much longer to come off and are smaller amounts, so it doesn't motivate me at all.
  • PaulJRaymond
    PaulJRaymond Posts: 100 Member
    Of course it's inches lost that is important. However it is a slow moving target and so I will use the scales for week to week progress. 3lb loss won't show much in the way of inches, but I still want to know I've lost 3lbs.
  • carrietehbear
    carrietehbear Posts: 384 Member
    I can get caught up with both. I would love to say the number on the scale doesn't bother me and it's just about the inches... but that would be a lie. Inches are slowly coming off and that's great! seeing more muscle definition in my legs/arms = awesome! Seeing my fat sag/pouch/overhang not disappearing = annoying. When I think about that I get more concerned about the number on the scale. I know I'm at a good weight now and I need to keep doing what I'm currently doing... but the scale taunts me!
  • wannabfitnevarez
    wannabfitnevarez Posts: 27 Member
    seeing the pounds become fewer on the scale is soooo great and feels like your really accomplishing your goal, i guess because you see the numbers coming down, but for me i am sometimes hard on myself especially when you work so hard to lose a pound and you miss a day of not working out and you see it come back overnight, thats harsh. So for me right now its pounds. I do love that i do see a change in my body and love how my clothes are fitting. i just cant wait till i reach my goal weight. so yes calories are my focus right now.
  • Angeleyes_simone
    Angeleyes_simone Posts: 28
    Its nice to see the numbers on the scale go down but I'm all about the inches.You may step on the scale one wee and see the same number from last week but you may have lost a couple of inches. Inches determine how your clothes fit and I'm sure we all heard that you may be gaining muscle which weighs more than fat and that could be a reason why the numbers on the scale are not moving. So far i have only lost 6 lbs but i lost a lot more inches and my new jeans i just brought are already getting to big for me :)
  • icimani
    icimani Posts: 1,454 Member
    Since I still have quite a ways to go, the scale is very important. Especially when you go to the Dr. and that's all they look at!

    But I take my measurements once a month, and if I haven't lost any pounds I can still usually see some difference in inches, so it keeps me from getting too frustrated.
  • tanashai
    tanashai Posts: 207 Member
    I use both: LBS for tracking trends (it's nice to see when I'll get more weight and more importantly, WHY so I can either prep for it or avoid it) and inches to feel good about what I'm doing XD. I approach my weight loss a bit clinically though, so numbers don't bother me.

    Fitting into smaller pants though..... ahhhhhhhh, lol!
  • katimama
    katimama Posts: 191 Member
    both are important and sometimes it's the inches lost that keep me going when the scale doesn't move. Until I am closer to a healthy BMI the pounds on the scale is what is most important to me right now.
  • katy_trail
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
    a combo of how I feel and inches lost. How much energy I have, how strong I feel, and improving my fitness are important too, even more important in many ways than what size we are.
  • tinah1126
    tinah1126 Posts: 49 Member
    Both are equally important to me as I have set goals for each. I weight in once a week and measure every 10 days right now because I am doing the 30 DS and want to know how I have done at the end of each level. Once I finish this 30DS I will go to measuring just once a month. I have to say that the inches lost have been the best though because I can tell a difference in my clothes as well as the mirror!!
  • ShellGetsFit
    ShellGetsFit Posts: 604 Member
    Both are equally important to me as I have set goals for each. I weight in once a week and measure every 10 days right now because I am doing the 30 DS and want to know how I have done at the end of each level. Once I finish this 30DS I will go to measuring just once a month. I have to say that the inches lost have been the best though because I can tell a difference in my clothes as well as the mirror!!

    30DS definitely gives a reason to keep the measurements going! I love the inches lost so far! :smile:
  • danger_kitteh
    danger_kitteh Posts: 301 Member
    Both!

    I measure once a month both measurements and weight. The scale and tape measure are sliding down this month, which makes me happy. It's been a while since seeing any progress.
  • stevenbatl
    stevenbatl Posts: 23 Member
    Putting in my two cents. I go by both. I'm a numbers kind of guy, so I like the data. Officially, I weigh in on Mondays, but I keep weighing throughout the week to mentally track how things are progressing. I only break out the tape measure once every 2-3 weeks. The tape doesn't move as quickly or drastically as the scale, so I don't like to overdo it there.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Inches. Absolutely inches. I wouldn't even have a goal weight if MFP didn't force me to make one up in order to create an account.
  • sue817
    sue817 Posts: 3 Member
    I too used to think LBS matter the most but I have changed my mind! Losing the inches and feeling better have made all the difference in my weight loss journey!
  • jennerlnz
    jennerlnz Posts: 12 Member
    I started out really concentrating on the scale, but in recent weeks I've switched my mindset completely. I think it's silly, for me at least, to be focussed on a goal weight when that number has no meaning in my real life. Ie: I have been slimmer before, but I was not fit at all. So I might get just as slim as that, but being more fit now I could weigh ten pounds more than I did at that time, kwim? So now I have a goal size in jeans. I still get on the scale, but I'm learning to let it go. For weeks now, actually, the scale hasn't budged a bit (and I was getting *really* frustrated), but I got out the tape measure and voila! I've lost another inch off my waist and a half inch of my stubborn hips. :)

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