Lost an inch but gained weight?

I weighed myself yesterday and found out that I went from 67.7 kg to 68.8 kg (from 148 to 151 lbs) and while that isn't the end of the world, I am still confused because even though I gained weight, I lost 2.5 cm ( 1 inch ) around my thighs and I actually feel much lighter (most of my weight is in my butt/thighs). Am I just being weird or has this happened to some of you before?

Replies

  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    Are you weight training? Have you added exercise to your routine, or upped the intensity lately?

    Also a 1kg (2lb) weight fluctuation is well within normal. I can gain or drop 4lbs from one day to the other, dependent upon how heavy a lifting day I had, or what I ate.
  • OtiWanKenobi
    OtiWanKenobi Posts: 340 Member
    Totally normal! you gained muscle and lost fat. Congrats! Muscle takes up less space than fat...that's why you are getting smaller but still gained a pound.
  • cdahl383
    cdahl383 Posts: 726 Member
    Sounds like whatever you're doing is working. Probably added a little muscle and dropped some fat. I wouldn't get too discouraged, the fact that your clothes fit better mean you're on the right track.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    Totally normal! you gained muscle and lost fat. Congrats! Muscle takes up less space than fat...that's why you are getting smaller but still gained a pound.

    Doubtful muscle gain. Maybe a little, but it takes a ton of work to add 2 lbs of muscle.

    Most likely muscle retention (maybe a little noob gain, that's why I asked my question), water retention from the exercise, and fat loss. But fluctuation of 2lbs it completely normal.

    Can't say for sure as we don't know what OP is doing for exercise.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Totally normal! you gained muscle and lost fat. Congrats! Muscle takes up less space than fat...that's why you are getting smaller but still gained a pound.

    Gained more than a pound of muscle in a deficit since they joined in July would be incredible, and very unlikely, unless all the newbie stuff applied, but not even at that rate.

    Because to go up in weight while losing inches, would imply more muscle was added than just the weight would indicate. And sorry, that's not going to happen in a deficit at all.

    OP, I'd suggest it was easily water weight, when it's part of new glucose stored, it's also a part of LBM, which muscle is too.
    It's also an increase in metabolism, even though it's not likely muscle at all.
    You can increase water weight with glucose in a deficit.
  • Are you weight training? Have you added exercise to your routine, or upped the intensity lately?

    Also a 1kg (2lb) weight fluctuation is well within normal. I can gain or drop 4lbs from one day to the other, dependent upon how heavy a lifting day I had, or what I ate.

    Argh I almost reported your post instead of quoting *lol* um I bike about 4 times a week at 23-26 mph for 30-45 minutes and I started Blogilates about two weeks ago for toning. I only have a dumbell at home and can't afford to go to a gym, so I haven't done much with it except arm curls, but i think I will look into different excercises to do with it.
  • Sounds like whatever you're doing is working. Probably added a little muscle and dropped some fat. I wouldn't get too discouraged, the fact that your clothes fit better mean you're on the right track.

    Oh I'm not discouraged at all, I'm pretty happy about the loss, I was just wondering if that happened to other people too. :smile:
  • agdyl
    agdyl Posts: 246 Member
    Same thing happened to me yesterday. I was up 1.5lbs, but down like 1/2" on my hips and waist and like 1/4" on my thighs. Today I'm down to a new low weight.

    It doesn't make sense sometimes. I'm sure it was water weight, but you'd think you'd be able to find where you're retaining water with the tapemeasure, you know? But don't drive yourself crazy with it. It happens.
  • dangerousdumpling
    dangerousdumpling Posts: 1,109 Member
    This happens to me. I lift weights and lose inches. I've lost over 8 inches in the past 8 weeks but haven't lost more than a pound or two. It's hard to say how many pounds I've lost because it fluctuates and I don't weigh myself very often. Anyway, it will benefit you to know that our weight fluctuates and it's normal. Also, you may not lose your predicted pound or two every week despite your calorie deficit and exercise. Don't let the fluctuations bother you. Keep working hard and keep using your tape measure.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    Are you weight training? Have you added exercise to your routine, or upped the intensity lately?

    Also a 1kg (2lb) weight fluctuation is well within normal. I can gain or drop 4lbs from one day to the other, dependent upon how heavy a lifting day I had, or what I ate.

    Argh I almost reported your post instead of quoting *lol* um I bike about 4 times a week at 23-26 mph for 30-45 minutes and I started Blogilates about two weeks ago for toning. I only have a dumbell at home and can't afford to go to a gym, so I haven't done much with it except arm curls, but i think I will look into different excercises to do with it.

    Biking can be a culprit for water retention, especially if you have just upped the intensity or resistance. Doing curls with a dumbbell isn't going to do much for you as far as retaining muscle or gaining, so the weight was probably water, and again well within normal fluctuation.

    There also isn't a such thing as toning.... "Tone" comes from the definition of your muscles as your body looses body fat. I'd recommend looking into some sort of body weight regimen to go with Pilates to make sure you maintain as much muscle mass as you can if you want to look "toned" when the fat is gone. Biking will definitely help the legs as there is a resistive factor there, but I would still look into some sort of resistance program, whether it be body weight or lifting.
  • Miss_Hiker_Pants
    Miss_Hiker_Pants Posts: 229 Member
    If your clothes are getting larger don't worry too much about the scale. My weight on the scale has become much more gradual than the loss on my body.
    My weight jumps up and down by a couple of lbs. every week. I found myself weighing in every 2 weeks rather than, every couple of days like I used to.
  • rabblerabble
    rabblerabble Posts: 471 Member
    A pound of muscle is about 1/5 the size of a pound of fat. If you gain a lot of muscle and lose that much in fat (or even lose a little less in fat) you're going to be smaller (but denser and healthier).
  • Totally normal! you gained muscle and lost fat. Congrats! Muscle takes up less space than fat...that's why you are getting smaller but still gained a pound.

    Gained more than a pound of muscle in a deficit since they joined in July would be incredible, and very unlikely, unless all the newbie stuff applied, but not even at that rate.

    Because to go up in weight while losing inches, would imply more muscle was added than just the weight would indicate. And sorry, that's not going to happen in a deficit at all.

    OP, I'd suggest it was easily water weight, when it's part of new glucose stored, it's also a part of LBM, which muscle is too.
    It's also an increase in metabolism, even though it's not likely muscle at all.
    You can increase water weight with glucose in a deficit.

    Interesting, especially the lat part, didn't know about that. It is probably a bit of both, My friends' birthdays all happen to fall in September, for some reason, and I have a really hard time tracking when I go out with them, even though I excercise beforehand.

    About the muscles: usually I bike on my hometrainer between 30-45 minutes at 23-26 mph, but I've done that since before I started tracking my calories with MFP and I also go to physiotherapy, where they do some sort of thing to my legs where they put wet pads on them and then send electric waves in small intervals, I've been told that helps building muscle too, though I don't know how much.
  • Are you weight training? Have you added exercise to your routine, or upped the intensity lately?

    Also a 1kg (2lb) weight fluctuation is well within normal. I can gain or drop 4lbs from one day to the other, dependent upon how heavy a lifting day I had, or what I ate.

    Argh I almost reported your post instead of quoting *lol* um I bike about 4 times a week at 23-26 mph for 30-45 minutes and I started Blogilates about two weeks ago for toning. I only have a dumbell at home and can't afford to go to a gym, so I haven't done much with it except arm curls, but i think I will look into different excercises to do with it.

    Biking can be a culprit for water retention, especially if you have just upped the intensity or resistance. Doing curls with a dumbbell isn't going to do much for you as far as retaining muscle or gaining, so the weight was probably water, and again well within normal fluctuation.

    There also isn't a such thing as toning.... "Tone" comes from the definition of your muscles as your body looses body fat. I'd recommend looking into some sort of body weight regimen to go with Pilates to make sure you maintain as much muscle mass as you can if you want to look "toned" when the fat is gone. Biking will definitely help the legs as there is a resistive factor there, but I would still look into some sort of resistance program, whether it be body weight or lifting.

    I'll look into it myself too, but what sort of resistance program would you recommend? Like I mentioned above, I can't really go to the gym because it's too expensive, unfortunately. :/
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Interesting, especially the lat part, didn't know about that. It is probably a bit of both, My friends' birthdays all happen to fall in September, for some reason, and I have a really hard time tracking when I go out with them, even though I excercise beforehand.

    About the muscles: usually I bike on my hometrainer between 30-45 minutes at 23-26 mph, but I've done that since before I started tracking my calories with MFP and I also go to physiotherapy, where they do some sort of thing to my legs where they put wet pads on them and then send electric waves in small intervals, I've been told that helps building muscle too, though I don't know how much.

    Your body has no need to increase muscle unless you progressively overload it with weight that it can't handle, then it will grow more if your diet allows.

    Otherwise you are just using your current muscle for endurance, and that asks the body to store more glucose in the existing muscle so it can go farther next time.

    That would increase your weight, it would increase your LBM, it would increase the size of your muscle, but it would not literally increase the muscle fibers. Now, if you want to include glucose in the muscle as saying you increased muscle mass, you could do that though it's not true. Because one good workout and that "muscle mass" is gone until you eat again.

    That's why so many get confused, it's easy to increase LBM in a deficit, for a time anyway, not so easy muscle mass unless you have a bunch of factors dead-on correct. Lifting heavy, enough protein, minor deficit, new to lifting, plenty of fat to spare. True for many starting MFP, but not at the rate of pounds a month.

    One study had men, so better hormones, eating at maintenance, start lifting, with some fat to lose - trade fat and LBM (they didn't measure muscle mass sadly but likely some gain in there) at the rate of 3.5 lbs over 16 weeks.
    Not fast at all, less than a lb a month.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/778012-potential-muscle-gain-lifting-and-metabolism-improvement

    Put a deficit in there, or woman, and even less traded.

    For strength training program - look up Convict Conditioning.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    Are you weight training? Have you added exercise to your routine, or upped the intensity lately?

    Also a 1kg (2lb) weight fluctuation is well within normal. I can gain or drop 4lbs from one day to the other, dependent upon how heavy a lifting day I had, or what I ate.

    Argh I almost reported your post instead of quoting *lol* um I bike about 4 times a week at 23-26 mph for 30-45 minutes and I started Blogilates about two weeks ago for toning. I only have a dumbell at home and can't afford to go to a gym, so I haven't done much with it except arm curls, but i think I will look into different excercises to do with it.

    Biking can be a culprit for water retention, especially if you have just upped the intensity or resistance. Doing curls with a dumbbell isn't going to do much for you as far as retaining muscle or gaining, so the weight was probably water, and again well within normal fluctuation.

    There also isn't a such thing as toning.... "Tone" comes from the definition of your muscles as your body looses body fat. I'd recommend looking into some sort of body weight regimen to go with Pilates to make sure you maintain as much muscle mass as you can if you want to look "toned" when the fat is gone. Biking will definitely help the legs as there is a resistive factor there, but I would still look into some sort of resistance program, whether it be body weight or lifting.

    I'll look into it myself too, but what sort of resistance program would you recommend? Like I mentioned above, I can't really go to the gym because it's too expensive, unfortunately. :/

    The best advice I can give you is to google bodyweight training exercise.

    The only one I can think of off the top of my head is "convict conditioning"
  • Thanks for the info and the link, convict conditioning *does* look interesting, so I'll try it out and see if I like it. :happy:
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    You could probably search youtube too. I'm sure there's tons of bodyweight stuff there too.