Why do you lose inches but not weight?

PunkyDucky
PunkyDucky Posts: 283 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
If someone is eating at a deficit and it's been said that there's no way anyone can gain muscle on a deficit, then how does someone lose a ton of inches but the scale remains the same? Even when they drink water to stay hydrated and don't lift weights.

I've been doing T25 for a few weeks now and mostly have lost inches. T25 is basically interval training


I'm a Curious George..i like learning :p

Replies

  • aquarabbit
    aquarabbit Posts: 1,622 Member
    First of all, bump to find out more. I've googled the heck out of this and there are so many different reasons for it. Fat loss, muscle gain, water retention, body recomposition, not weighing food. :grumble: So much! Weight loss is strange sometimes. I went down my first pant size when I lost 20 lbs, then my second size losing 5 lbs. But my body had changed so dramatically. I'm doing T25 too and have only lost 2 lbs (about halfway through Beta), but there's a lot less jiggly parts! I'd rather take an inch loss than a weight loss now, but I'd still like to know what's going on too!
  • PunkyDucky
    PunkyDucky Posts: 283 Member
    Yeah i feel the same way. :)
  • megsasb
    megsasb Posts: 29 Member
    Bump.. For answers!
  • anupriyasin157
    anupriyasin157 Posts: 40 Member
    Bump for answers.
    I am in the same boat. Been doing T25 for some weeks now. Eating under 1200 Kcals. Have been losing inches but no weight.
    Surprisingly, lose some weight on rest days but gain it back on the days i exercise!
  • PunkyDucky
    PunkyDucky Posts: 283 Member
    bump

    no one has an answer or somewhat of an idea?
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Well, if you are new to working out, there could be some minor initial muscle gains....
  • cici1028
    cici1028 Posts: 799 Member
    Blows my mind. My first year of yoga the scale didn't budge but easily 3 pant sizes. Mind boggling.
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
    Because saying you can't gain muscle in a deficit is not entirely correct. It's just mostly correct.

    True noobs can do it.
    People who used to be fit, stopped working out, and picked it up again, can do it.
    Drug users can do it.

    But this guy says it with a little more finesse than I can.

    http://ontheregimen.com/2013/05/02/can-i-gain-muscle-and-lose-fat-at-the-same-time/

    That being said, you can lose fat and retain water in your muscles at the same time. It'll eventually go away when you're not so new to it. (T25 is more cardio than strength, FWIW, but it has great bodyweight components)
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    It is normally due to water retention.

    When you start a workout program, or increase the intensity of a current program your body can/will retain water for muscle repair until it has adjusted to the workout.

    Also, dependent upon the exercise, if you're lifting you're working to retain muscle mass, so when you lose it's mostly water and fat. Mixed with the water retention and losing mostly fat and some water you can see the inches come off without the scale moving much.

    Also, as stated above, you can see some initial muscle gain (noob gains) that can affect the scale for a short time, but that effect can be pretty minimal.
  • 1Cor1510
    1Cor1510 Posts: 413 Member
    Have any of you checked your BF% before and after? Here's my situation, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, I've never paid attention to macros before when I dieted and this time I am...

    I started 55 days ago. About 20 days in, I upped my protein, I try to hit 100g a day. I also started working out. My scale hasn't moved much so I ran the numbers and here they are:

    I have been running on average a deficit of 750 cals a day per fitbit (which is what I've been shooting for.) I have lost 7.7 lbs which is below my goal of 6 lbs per month.

    I have also been weighing and measuring, (food and myself :) and there has been a significant difference. I am down 10 inches overall and when I reran my BF calculations (fat2fit.com) it showed an increase in LBM of 4.3lbs, and a LOSS of BF of 12 lbs. I am down 4.5% BF overall (42% to 37.5%). This works out to the 7.7 lbs I have lost.

    12 lbs was my goal for 2 months, and I suppose if I lost that in fat, then I'm right on the money. I'm a little disappointed that I can't say at this point, HEY I LOST 12 LBS!

    I'm glad I measured and took pics and the time to figure out all my numbers before I started, or I would be really discouraged right now.
  • 2013sk
    2013sk Posts: 1,318 Member
    Bump for answers.
    I am in the same boat. Been doing T25 for some weeks now. Eating under 1200 Kcals. Have been losing inches but no weight.
    Surprisingly, lose some weight on rest days but gain it back on the days i exercise!

    Eating under 1200 calories??? Why??
  • skinny4me2be
    skinny4me2be Posts: 358 Member
    Bumping. to get others experience with this. I'm doing T25-lost 3lbs but have lost 15 inches overall. Not complaining by any means.. Just curious. Doc says inches comes before the weight loss. Does the weight loss happen once the inches lost stalls? What have others experienced?
  • CiciRoscoe
    CiciRoscoe Posts: 38 Member
    I did T25 last year and completed all of the first phase so Alpha and I lost 5lbs but also 12 inches. Now I haven't really researched why I am or was losing inches and not fat because IMO inches lost is way better then lbs sometimes because of muscle and also toning of the body. Most people I have asked that have used T25 said that it over all toned them, created small amounts of muscle gain but that they really just didn't see a crazy scale drop. I think if you are looking better stop stressing the scale so much! GOOD LUCK!!
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    edited October 2014
    PunkyDucky wrote: »
    If someone is eating at a deficit and it's been said that there's no way anyone can gain muscle on a deficit, then how does someone lose a ton of inches but the scale remains the same? Even when they drink water to stay hydrated and don't lift weights.

    I've been doing T25 for a few weeks now and mostly have lost inches. T25 is basically interval training


    I'm a Curious George..i like learning :p

    A lot of false things have been said on the subject of dieting. Well that is not correct perhaps. Many things said today on the subject of dieting was consider TRUE in the 1960's. :)

    I went the first 70 days without dropping a pound then it started and now has paused again. I did drop an inch in the waist during the 70 days with no drop in pounds. From what I gather from research there still is a ton of things we do not understand about the human body when it comes to weight loss.

  • crisb2
    crisb2 Posts: 329 Member
    edited October 2014
    .
  • ScottDowell
    ScottDowell Posts: 95 Member
    Make a Google search for the weight loss process, but while searching also there are many such things you find through which you cant reduce your fats, so the alternative of that is to take some guidance from a specialist about your diet issue.

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