Confused about measurements...

Vain_Witch
Vain_Witch Posts: 476 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Ok, I'm hoping all of you fitness geniuses can help me understand something...

I've been strength training for about 6 months now and month after month the measurements on my thighs don't change very much (if anything, they've gotten a tiny bit bigger according to the measurements). This isn't the problem...I accept this and realize that I just have big legs and they're turning muscular, at least.

But here's my question...Last night I realized that shorts that used to be super tight on my thighs are now REALLY loose on my thighs...so, if they're not getting smaller, then why do clothes fit me differently there?

Not a bad thing...just kind of confusing...lol

Replies

  • dirtnap63
    dirtnap63 Posts: 1,387 Member
    Three reasons I can think of:

    1) You are losing fat and gaining muscle. They will not replace each other in exactly the same place. Therefore some areas that were big and tight will be looser, other areas that were smaller and looser will be tighter

    2) Your shorts are getting a little stretched out from wear and tear

    3) Someone snuck in to your room and replace your shorts with a smaller size.
  • holothuroidea
    holothuroidea Posts: 772 Member
    Fat and muscle are distributed differently. If you gained muscle on the middle of your thighs and lost fat around the top of your thighs, you'll see an increase in inches (depending on where you measure) but your clothes will still fit differently.

    That or your measurements are inaccurate.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    if you are eating in deficit I doubt you gained muscle..

    More than likely you have lost fat in thighs and it is revealing more muscle....
  • huisfi
    huisfi Posts: 60 Member
    Three reasons I can think of:

    1) You are losing fat and gaining muscle. They will not replace each other in exactly the same place. Therefore some areas that were big and tight will be looser, other areas that were smaller and looser will be tighter

    2) Your shorts are getting a little stretched out from wear and tear

    3) Someone snuck in to your room and replace your shorts with a smaller size.

    Best answer ever! :)
  • Pinkylee77
    Pinkylee77 Posts: 432 Member
    it is hard to accurately do your own measurements and if you measure in different place each time you can get a different measurement. an inch up or down can change you measurement. But the important thing is the shorts are now loose and that is what counts way to go!
  • tomcornhole
    tomcornhole Posts: 1,084 Member
    I have the same situation. I have lost 70 lbs and my thighs have gone from 21.5" to 21" (this is over a one year period). I started squatting and deadlifting in March and my thighs are still 21", but they are shaped differently and my shorts seem to fit different. Looking at them, they look different. They aren't round anymore. The individual muscles seem to be more defined because there isn't as much fat around them. So instead of just being round, they are bumpy, if that makes sense. Even when relaxed. I can only assume that is the result of an upper leg recomposition resulting from the squats and deadlifts.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Most likely you are not measuring the exact same part of the leg to get an accurate reading of the actual change. If cloths are looser, you lost size.
  • tbrain1989
    tbrain1989 Posts: 280 Member
    you can do an experiment to this nature,

    next time you measure said thighs, draw an discreet line where you measure, only has to be a tiny mark but use a permanent pen,

    then when you next measure you can find the same place again.

    also, depending on your shorts, try marking the fabric inline with the mark on your leg, see if the shorts are skating around your body
  • baileysmom4
    baileysmom4 Posts: 242 Member
    I find that my clothes are getting looser but my measurements aren't changing so much. I am noticing as I'm losing fat in the biggest areas they become squishy. My stomach is really squishy where I hold my weight. I think its hard to measure that. And stuff seems to be shifting or maybe the muscle is pushing stuff around making some areas smaller and others bigger. Its weird!

    Oh, and did you notice I used the words loose and lose properly? LOL
  • Vain_Witch
    Vain_Witch Posts: 476 Member
    if you are eating in deficit I doubt you gained muscle..

    More than likely you have lost fat in thighs and it is revealing more muscle....

    I didn't say I gained muscle. I said they're turning more muscular. As in the fat is going bye bye and I can see definition now....
  • Vain_Witch
    Vain_Witch Posts: 476 Member
    Three reasons I can think of:

    1) You are losing fat and gaining muscle. They will not replace each other in exactly the same place. Therefore some areas that were big and tight will be looser, other areas that were smaller and looser will be tighter

    2) Your shorts are getting a little stretched out from wear and tear

    3) Someone snuck in to your room and replace your shorts with a smaller size.

    Dammit! I thought that guy stopped sneaking in my room with smaller sizes when I stopped gaining weight! :laugh:
  • Vain_Witch
    Vain_Witch Posts: 476 Member
    Thanks for all of the ideas! Like I said, I don't necessarily consider it a bad thing that they're not getting smaller...just confused about the clothes part. I guess it's possible that they're doing the measurements wrong (my trainer does them once a month), but I would think at SOME point he'd have to hit the same spot again. lol
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    4) Your tape wasn't straight
    5) You didn't measure in the same place
    6) You didn't measure with your legs in the same position/tension
    7) You measured the wrong leg
    8) You previously pulled too hard on the tape and depressed the skin
    9) Water fluctuation
    10) Temperature fluctuation
    11) You used a different tape measure
    12) You misread the measurement
    13) You're comparing to the wrong previous data (wrong date or wrong person e.g.)
    14) The tape has the ability to stretch

Categories