Losing inches but not weight...help!

Losing inches is good - means you're probably losing fat but gaining muscle.. nothing wrong with that. I had to learn that the scale isn't the 'tell all' - your body image is. By that I mean how your clothes feel (loose, etc) - the inches lost as per the measuring tape....
However - I will ask if you use the TDEE method? I'm the same height and 176lbs - although my loss usually happens sporatically (like 1-2 lbs one week then nothing for a couple of weeks) I've found that most of my loss has occurred since using the TDEE method.

I'm supposed to eat about 1670 cals/day - I rarely get to that amount but I try to get close - maintaining my macros in proteins (which are 0.8 x my body weight) and carbs (I try to keep below 100grams/day).

Just some suggestions...

Can I ask why you need to lose weight if you are losing inches? Wouldn't you rather fit into your old jeans and have a lower body fat percentage than a lower number on the scale?

How long have you been working out? It takes me a couple months on a new routine before the scale goes down. I admit, it can be depressing. But for me, I am more concerned with gaining muscle and losing fat, which will make me lose inches not always weight. I imagine after a while the scale will go down for you.

If you have been doing this a while and still not losing, are you weighing everything? I weigh everything from butter to bread.

Good luck! I am 5'4" and I weigh a bit more than you. It seems like forever, but I believe patience is key. :-)

that's good it means you are losing fat. i seriously doubt you are gaining muscle given your workout especially since muscle is extremely hard to build (if it were that easy to gain on the elliptical then why are bodybuilders busting their butts taking supplements and lifting weights?).

think of it this way, it's not like you're going to drag a scale around with you to show off your weight, right? so if you're getting physically smaller why is the scale number important?

Losing inches is just as good if not better than losing weight.

Yes! But it's not that's my problem my BMI is too high and my percentages are high as well!

Take BMI with a grain of salt. If I go by BMI I'm obese.

If you're losing inches, then how are you the same size jeans?

I just read a great article today! If you want tone, you must lift - at least some sort of weight lifting. Muscle is what it's all about.
If you are losing inches, you should also be dropping your BF%. Are you measuring that?

http://sophieologie.me/2013/09/26/1200-calories/

Yes! But it's not that's my problem my BMI is too high and my percentages are high as well!

Eh, never mind-- Read it wrong!

Yes! But it's not that's my problem my BMI is too high and my percentages are high as well!

Take BMI with a grain of salt. If I go by BMI I'm obese.

If you're losing inches, then how are you the same size jeans?

Yes BMI does not take into account for muscle weight. All bodybuilders would be obese if they followed their BMI! but obviously they are not You are losing inches!! The Weight will follow!!

Your intake is probably higher than you think it is, especially if you don't weigh and/or measure your food. Buy a food scale and use it for everything. A tablespoon of peanut butter, for example, is deceiving, even measured with a tablespoon. That 16g measure isn't as big as you think it is.

Losing inches is a really good thing though. That's probably coming from your exercise. But weight loss IMHO is all about intake vs. output: Intake < output.

Good luck!

Hi there I am 30 year old female, I'm 5'4" and weigh 170lbs. In the past 5 years I have had 3 babies and gained 35lbs, in my pre-pregnancy days I was about 110lbs. I would like to be 125lbs again but am having a very hard time. I am eating healthy consuming about 1300-1400 calories a day I also workout daily for an hour. I run 3-4 miles or get in the elliptical. I have lost inches but not a single pound. Does anyone have any suggestions?! I really could use some I would like to start shedding some weight. I have been working out religiously since August.

With that kind of workout, no you aren't gaining muscle.

Depending on how long you are doing it though, you could still be increasing glucose storage, and that combines with water.
That's more LBM, that's higher metabolism, still a good thing.
Blood volume will also increase if this is newer exercise.

That increasing while losing fat keeps the weight the same.

So basically you are eating at maintenance, and therefore getting the most out of your exercise.

So you can either figure out why your are eating at maintenance, either your logging of intake is inaccurate, and you need to weigh everything except liquids which are measured for volume.
Or your logging of exercise is inflated and when you correctly eat that back to keep a reasonable deficit, it's actually more than you think.

Or, you have slowed down your metabolism, or in addition which usually happens first, you've burned off some muscle mass because of eating too low for level of activity.

End result is the same, you are currently eating at maintenance. Either a suppressed maintenance because you body has adapted, or real maintenance and your calorie logging is just bad.

Starters on setup, if those kids are still at home and you are active, I hope you selected Lightly Active as honest level.

But you need to cut probably 250 calories from what you eat in total. So on exercise days when you correctly eat more, leave out 250 calories.
Non exercise days the same.

If you do that method, do NOT try to get more accurate on your food logging and exercise logging. Leaving out 250 calories on sloppy logging will take care of the issue - because you are obviously eating more than you think.

Or, keep your goals where they are, and get a scale, and really see how much you are eating.
Then for exercise, how are you getting exercise calories for eatback?

Hi. I was in a similar situation as you and what changed for me was doing LESS long drawn out cardio and switched to HIIT (high intensity interval training) for only 30 minutes and changing WHAT I was eating...I have cut back drastically on packaged processed foods, always get in fruits and vegetables, low fat proteins, and healthy carbs...I still indulge in a little piece of chocolate, ice cream, or glass of wine but maybe once or twice a week. I lost 15lbs since May of this year and see muscle definition now which is so exciting. Muscle is more dense and takes up less space than fat so be happy for the first signs of progress in your transformation. You are gaining muscle like people are mentioning but is on a small scale and evident from losing inches. (body builders eat alot more and weight train intensively to gain muscle mass so you don't have to worry about that)... I started with Jillian Michaels "ripped in 30" which varies work outs over 4 weeks time so no thinking required, just turn it on and do it...I did work with a kettle bell trainer for 3 months (all I could afford) and that was 45 minutes at a time but again no long drawn out cardio...I have found the right balance for me and I hope you do too :-)

Who cares what the scale says if you're getting smaller???? For the love of all that's holy, just be grateful for the inches lost.