Weight vs Inches

I think ultimately, it's really about body fat percentage. Weight and even measurements can vary greatly from person to person depending on a lot of individual factors. When I chose my goal weight, I did so based on my ideal body fat percentage. I may have to tweak that number as I get closer to my goal and reevaluate my progress and my lean body mass. I don't really care much about what my weight is or what my measurements are as long as my body fat is in a healthy range.

I would say inches, body fat% and muscle%----weight(alone) can be a little misleading sometimes

Treat them all as metrics but realize that even in this discussion, context matters.

Methods of bodyfat assessment have all kinds of error attached to them.

http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=146
http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=162
http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=232


The scale can be tricky because it doesn't tell you body composition and you can have significant fluctuations from day to day, but one advantage the scale has is convenience. Secondarily, body weight changes are something that you should expect to happen at least somewhat regularly and frequently, so this metric is actually very, very useful. You just have to recognize that this metric only tells you your weight.

I'm making these distinctions because sometimes I'll see people who are significantly overweight, who will justify very long periods without weight loss, by claiming massive amounts of muscle gain. I'm not here to rain on anyone's parade by any stretch (trust me I want people to make progress and be happy), but I think that at some point you have to question the reality of the situation. (And without getting into a big debate, even in the presence of weight lifting, if you're very overweight and your goal is to lose fat, you should still be losing bodyweight even in the presence of whatever small amounts of muscle gain you may make).

Photographs and measurements are awesome metrics. They have the downside of not showing rapid progress like the scale would, but they are still great metrics.

I would argue that for most people in most contexts, if I had to choose one metric I would still choose bodyweight (the scale) as the best tool for assessing progress.

But fortunately, nobody has to choose only one.

So with that said, they are all metrics. They have their pros and cons. I think it's best to use them all but to recognize how they are applied.

Inches and bodyfat %

^ This. I focus on inches and BF% 2 times a month. But daily I pay attention to how my clothes fit when I get dressed. :happy:

Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat...a pound= a pound. However, fat takes more space than muscle, therefore muscle gained and fat lost= inches lost.

Fat doesn't take up more space than muscle.. 1 cm³=1 cm³. (see what I did there?) I think it's safe to assume that when someone says muscle weighs more than fat, that they also mean "for a given volume." 1 pound of fat weighs as much as 1 pound of muscle, but 1 cm³ of muscles weighs more than 1 cm³ of fat. Muscle is more dense than fat and as such, for any given volume, muscle WEIGHS MORE than fat.

Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat...a pound= a pound. However, fat takes more space than muscle, therefore muscle gained and fat lost= inches lost.

Fat doesn't take up more space than muscle.. 1 cm³=1 cm³. (see what I did there?) I think it's safe to assume that when someone says muscle weighs more than fat, that they also mean "for a given volume." 1 pound of fat weighs as much as 1 pound of muscle, but 1 cm³ of muscles weighs more than 1 cm³ of fat. Muscle is more dense than fat and as such, for any given volume, muscle WEIGHS MORE than fat.

This quote should pop up every time people debate whether or not muscle weighs more than fat.

This quote should pop up every time people debate whether or not muscle weighs more than fat.

You can quote me any time you like

Sure thing! Thanks

But you also need to gain muscle to increase your metabolism and if muscle weighs more then fat, should we focus on out weight or our measurements?

Hi!

Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat...a pound= a pound. However, fat takes more space than muscle, therefore muscle gained and fat lost= inches lost. This means you can weigh the same and lose inches if you are gaining muscle

Inches lost, BF% lost and muscle gained are always better than just a decreased number on the scale. Best of luck!

Yes and a square meter = a square meter - it's just semantics, we all know, thanks.

OP - yes I think measurements and how your clothes fit are much more important than what the scale says.

For me? I care more about inches, but I always assumed that was just because I sew my own clothes and costumes. Its a little harder to sew clothing for yourself when you don't know your own measurements.

I guess it just depends on how much weight you have to lose. If its under 50lbs I would say focus on inches, over 50lbs, focus on weight.

Inches is a more accurate indicator of your health. The scale can be misleading. Since muscle weighs more than fat one is able to slim down while actually gaining weight.

Inches! Muscle weighs more and I'd rather have smaller numbers on my clothes than smaller numbers on my scale.

DO NOT< I REPEAT DO NOT FOCUS ON THAT SCALE!!!!! Focus on how your clothes are feeling on your body!
The scale should not interfere with body fat loss, that's why I love my WW's digital. It does it all for me is easy to program for up to 4 people in the house! It gives you in this order...weight, body fat, body mass, water intake, and bone mass! MUSCLE DOES WEIGH MORE THAN FAT!!!!!!!!

Inches and bodyfat %

agreed:happy: