stopped exercising ... lost lbs. and inches????!!

Interesting - I've noticed something similar - I've been eating well and exercising seriously 5-6 times per week (running and weights, primarily), and while I have been losing weight very slowly (6 pounds over 4 months), I have not noticed any change in the way my clothes are fitting. I know the weight loss isn't water because it's a slow but steady decline over time that is pretty stable. I know muscle weighs more and can slow weight loss, but aren't you supposed to be losing inches??? Curious to know if other people have experienced this. Like you, I only have about 15 pounds to lose - I wonder if that factors in?

It sounds like you're getting the rest you need and giving your body time to recover. With an hour and a half of cardio you may not have been eating enough to fuel your body.

Enjoy the break and when you get back to the exercise try a new strategy. You'll have to find out what works for you.

Muscle gain can equal inches and weight gain for the first little bit - especially with as much exercise as you are doing. You will have muscles developing quickly in spots under the fat that is not disappearing as quickly as the muscles are growing. And muscles weigh more than fat. Give your body time to adjust. if you plan on continuing to exercise to that degree, great!, but if your long-term exercise plans are more moderate, maybe slow down a bit to help your body adjust. I had the same thing happen when I started going the the gym. I was working out an hour+ 5 days a week and gained a ton of weight right off the bat. When I slowed down to 3 days a week and started watching what I ate, I lost it over a couple of months and now I think I'm in a good place of balancing diet and exercise and life.

What happens is that when you start working out, your body has to adjust to the changes. These changes cause cortisol release and for women that tends to make inches appear around the middle. Frustrating, yes. If you can get past this for a few weeks and continue drinking water, the adrenal glands will calm down and the kidneys will flush out the excess. You might have trained too hard too quickly. Maybe next time just ease into it. That way your body can adjust better. Weight training is better for overall loss of inches anyway. You shouldn't focus on weight because muscle is more dense. Focus on the inches. When you train cardio the benefits stop once you get off that treadmill. But with weights, your muscles have to repair themselves afterwards and this takes tremendous energy. This will keep your metabolic burn well after you stop lifting. Just experiment and see what works best for you. Every body is different. I gain weight with cardio, but lose inches, fat, and tone up with weights. Good Luck!