Talk to me about body measurements
logg1e
Posts: 1,208 Member
One thing I have learned about weight loss is it's not all about the number on weighing scales. I've used a tape measure and lost inches from everywhere.
But now I'm focusing on the weight-lifting, what should I be hoping for with the tape measure? From Before and After photos, I expect my waist and tummy to decrease, but what about arms and thighs and bum?
But now I'm focusing on the weight-lifting, what should I be hoping for with the tape measure? From Before and After photos, I expect my waist and tummy to decrease, but what about arms and thighs and bum?
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Replies
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If you are eating at a deficit everything should decrease. Even eating at maintenance won't cause noticeable gains except over the very long term (months or even years)*. You might notice measurements change a bit just because of how things sit (I am talking booty here) and if you measure the day after a hard upper body session your arms might be a little bigger because of water retention.
*assuming you are passed the newbie gains stage0 -
Thank you for replying. So even if a person gets very defined muscles on their arms, say, the arms will be slimmer than the un-toned, "skinny-fat" look?
I'm surprised by that, thinking of some of the bulky men I know, their shoulders are huge but their waists small, compared with other fat or skinny men.0 -
The dudes who have giant biceps have eaten A LOT and lifted A LOT to get their arms like that. What Llama is saying is that if you are lifting to lose weight, you won't gain an appreciable amount of muscle mass (because not enough extra calories), so your arms will measure smaller because you will probably lose fat off of them, even if they look more muscular.
However, if you pinch your arms vs your waist or hips, you probably have more fat on the latter, so if you lose a lot of weight, your waist should lose a higher percentage of its circumference than your arms will. Compared to now, your waist will look proportionally smaller than your shoulders and arms. Well, that's what I'm always hopeful for, anyway.0 -
But now I'm focusing on the weight-lifting, what should I be hoping for with the tape measure? From Before and After photos, I expect my waist and tummy to decrease, but what about arms and thighs and bum?
it's hard for me to tell objectively, because i took my first measurement at a little more than 132 pounds and i'm usually between 125 and 130 now - so not a lot of weight off. and for me, the tape measurements say the same thing regardless of what the scale does. but fwiw, here's what i'm noticing:
arms - i have GOT muscles in my arms and shoulders these days. i like it, personally. it's not a lot of bulk, but it's a definite nice 'even' layer of muscle, just overall, so i like the look a whole lot. it's more like i'm sort of smoothing and filling out my whole silhouette, more than getting either bigger or smaller anywhere. never measured myself there but i keep pinching just above/behind the elbow and there's definitely less fat.
bum - heh well. how does one measure one's bum exactly? i don't even look at mine all that much because contortionist. and i don't think i looked at it that much before. tape measure around lower pantsline/bum still the same but i've noticed this dramatic (to me) thing that i like. you know how when you clench your glutes any fat you've got has to ride either up or down? well, i used to get this real . . . divot between the top of my hip and the very upper/outer edge of my thigh when i did that. no more. i've just noticed it recently, so i keep clenching and then poking and exploring myself (when no-one's looking). it's another area that's really filled/evened out so more happy.
thighs - i'm just gonna say it. less jiggle. same measurements, much less flappiness.
i don't know how much that helps your measurements question, but i thought it was worth noting anyway ;-)
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Good idea canadian I hope everyone else shares what they've noticed too!
I'm a beginner to lifting, 5ft 6lb and 9st 5.8lb - precisely that, for four mornings in a row. Talk about maintenance.
Arms - definitely see the muscles in terms of biceps. Backs of arms still flabby. No change to measurements.
Bum - difficult for me to judge bu,t after granting him amnesty, my boyfriend compared today with Before photos and declared, "more pert" and "smaller". No change to measurements.
Thighs - my favourite one. They are getting hard and when I accidentally touch them I am still really surprised. No change to measurements.
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Thighs - my favourite one. They are getting hard and when I accidentally touch them I am still really surprised. No change to measurements.
how could i forget the thighs? quads like rocks, and i poke mine too. i could sign a cheque just pressing against my own thighs, and the bank would cash it.
even better, on the same note . . . you know that thing where you look down along your own body and the fronts of your thighs kind of curve out? okay, bulge if you're me.
gone. gone de gone gone gone.
i'm definitely goofy. no coffee for me after midnight from here on in. but, yeah. thighs.
good grief.
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