Loosing inches but not pounds

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CrystalP0401
CrystalP0401 Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've started changing my life style a few weeks ago. I have lost 6lbs but seem to be stuck already. I am loosing inches, I just measured and loss 2 but my weight flucuates so much that if I recorded my weight again today I'd be up a pound. I am very over weight so I wouldn't think I'd stop loosing already. I watch what I eat.....I'm even cooking fish and veggies for lunches lol. Any idea why? I was given a calorie goal of 2040....that seems like a lot to me. I don't use them all, sometimes I'm left with close to 500. I eat though, I never leave myself hungry. Suggestions?
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Replies

  • CrystalP0401
    CrystalP0401 Posts: 6 Member
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    Please Help!!!!!!
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    Hang in there!! Do you use a food scale? It will be hard to give you advice with your diary closed to the public.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    You indicated you started this a few weeks ago, and that you've lost 6 pounds and stalled. Its been ONLY a few weeks. Too soon to panic. Many things can cause a temporary water weight gain. High sodium, new fitness routine or increased intensity, hormones before during or after TOM (depends on the person), lack of sleep, extra stress, higher than usual carb intake. These things are temporary and not reason for concern.

    Living healthier & losing weight is a long term process. Not an overnight sensation. Compare your weight today to your weight 30 days ago. (Since hormonal fluctuations for women tend to be on a monthly cycle.) If your weight now is less than 30 days ago, you're moving in the right direction. Keep going. If not, assess what you're doing. If its not yet been long enough to have a 30, 60, 90 day trend: then its also too soon to panic.
  • shadowofender
    shadowofender Posts: 786 Member
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    Weight fluctuates and the scale is not the end all be all.

    Losing inches is way more important. THat indicates you're progressing in the correct manner.

    Time is important, as well. You're not going to have progress every week necessarily. It's about sticking to it long term and having the overall trend go down.
  • 4bettermenow
    4bettermenow Posts: 166 Member
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    I haven't lost in 3 weeks. HOWEVER, my clothes are fitting better. Keep moving forward...stay on track. I know the scale will move again for me soon, as it will you.
  • meritage4
    meritage4 Posts: 1,441 Member
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    If inches are shrinking the program is working! Weight loss will follow. Six lbs is a great start in a few weeks. Keep on doing what you are as it really does work for you!
  • 4leighbee
    4leighbee Posts: 1,275 Member
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    Unless you wear your number on your sleeve, that number is only in your head. I'm heavier than many of my peers who are the same size due to weight lifting. I fight my negative feelings about how much I weigh.

    Inches though ... inches lost is FABULOUS and makes you feel confident and like what you're doing is working, doesn't it?! Focus on that progress and keep moving forward!
  • jodielarms
    jodielarms Posts: 51 Member
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    Forget the number on the scale right now. Inches are a better indication of progress. I can step on the scale in the morning and again in the evening and be up 8 pounds by the end of the day.
    I have the opposite of what you're describing, I've lost weight but only 1 inch. I'm not sure how that is possible since I've lost about 15 pounds in the past 4 months. But I'm not giving up.
    Look at it like the positive that it is, you're making progress!
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    Inches are far more important than pounds, aren't they? A number on the scale is something only you can see. How many inches you are around is what everyone else sees and impacts how your clothes fit.

    A number on the scale is simply a measurement of progress, the same as body fat %, the measurement of body parts in inches, the number of pounds one can bench press or squat, how far or fast one can run, etc. I believe that any one of these measurements should not be the end-all-and-be-all of a person's efforts to become more healthy and fit but neither should any of them be discounted. We cannot out-exercise a bad diet. Running and weight lifting doesn't make one thin but neither does getting our body fat % below a certain point make us healthy and fit.

    The simple fact is, our society places a lot of emphasis on that scale number and it's one of the easiest and most obvious ways for a person to measure "progress". The number gets smaller, progress is being made, QED. There are TV shows built around people trying to make that number go as low as possible in the fastest amount of time. I abhor those shows. I think they've done at least as much to distort people's perceptions of what weight loss should be about as the diet industry has. I believe that another measure of progress is when one realizes that the scale number shouldn't be the only goal or even the most important one.

    Weight loss is not linear. You need to wrap your head around that concept. Some days it's going to go up, especially as you get closer to your goal. If that number is such a big deal to you, find another measurement without as much variability and volatility and use that instead.
  • 4leighbee
    4leighbee Posts: 1,275 Member
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    SueInAz wrote: »
    ... Weight loss is not linear.

    Great point.
  • Athos282
    Athos282 Posts: 405 Member
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    Just echoing the fact that losing inches > losing pounds. The focus should be fat loss, not weight loss in most cases.
  • Danny_Boy13
    Danny_Boy13 Posts: 2,094 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Use the mirror as your barometer and not the scale so much. Who cares WHAT you weight as long as LOOK how you want. And as others have said you have only been doing this a few weeks. This body transformation can takes months, or even years. As long as you look good and feel great that is what should matter most.
  • CrystalP0401
    CrystalP0401 Posts: 6 Member
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    The thing is, I started 3 weeks ago at 291.....I'm extremely over weight. I lost weight the first two weeks and now nothing. I'm not discouraged and I will continue. This is my time to do something for myself. I am a stay-at-home mom and 3 weeks ago I was eating everything in sight....no veggies and very few fruits. I ate cookies, bars, anything really and such an emotional eater. Also drank pepsi and lots of it. I changed dramatically and figured that the scale would also show a weight loss every week. Guess it's just good to know that that do not happen and it's normal when it don't happen. I only selected a weight loss of 1 pound per week and I also said exercise 4 times per week for 15 minutes. That has went up. I exercise almost every day for 1/2 hour. My body is getting better and I notice a difference with energy so I guess that's good enough.....for now! :) Thanks everyone!
  • jstout365
    jstout365 Posts: 1,686 Member
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    Normal weight fluctuations can be + or - 5 lbs in a single day and are related to how much water we are retaining. As has been mentioned, weight loss is not a linear process and you will have weeks where you lose, weeks where you maintain, and weeks where you gain. That is totally normal despite how difficult it can be to watch from week to week. Also understand that reducing size means that you are shifting your body composition (saying goodbye to fat) and increases in scale weight due to water retention can often mask what is going on inside. You have already lost some weight and losing inches is wonderful and an indication that you are doing things correctly. Keep up what you are doing and I would bet that you will see the weight start to move again soon. If you stop losing inches and don't see the scale move for a month, that is the time you need to reevaluate and figure some things out.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
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    CrystalP0401 wrote: »
    I've started changing my life style a few weeks ago. I have lost 6lbs but seem to be stuck already. I am loosing inches, I just measured and loss 2 but my weight flucuates so much that if I recorded my weight again today I'd be up a pound. I am very over weight so I wouldn't think I'd stop loosing already. I watch what I eat.....I'm even cooking fish and veggies for lunches lol. Any idea why? I was given a calorie goal of 2040....that seems like a lot to me. I don't use them all, sometimes I'm left with close to 500. I eat though, I never leave myself hungry. Suggestions?
    CrystalP0401 wrote: »
    Please Help!!!!!!

    First of all, I suggest patience. :)

    Second of all, if you're losing inches, why does the number on the scale matter?

    Finally, a pound or two can be nothing more than natural fluctuation.
  • 4leighbee
    4leighbee Posts: 1,275 Member
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    CrystalP0401 wrote: »
    The thing is, I started 3 weeks ago at 291.....I'm extremely over weight. I lost weight the first two weeks and now nothing. I'm not discouraged and I will continue. This is my time to do something for myself. I am a stay-at-home mom and 3 weeks ago I was eating everything in sight....no veggies and very few fruits. I ate cookies, bars, anything really and such an emotional eater. Also drank pepsi and lots of it. I changed dramatically and figured that the scale would also show a weight loss every week. Guess it's just good to know that that do not happen and it's normal when it don't happen. I only selected a weight loss of 1 pound per week and I also said exercise 4 times per week for 15 minutes. That has went up. I exercise almost every day for 1/2 hour. My body is getting better and I notice a difference with energy so I guess that's good enough.....for now! :) Thanks everyone!

    YES!! Be proud of your progress. And find ways to involve your family so you can get regular emotional support, too. Ultimately, you will need to dig deep - but it's very hard to do without support. xo
  • StephJC81
    StephJC81 Posts: 33 Member
    edited January 2015
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    If you're consistently working out and eating healthy,real food then you've probably added some muscle. Always remember, muscle weighs more than fat. So that's why you've been losing inches and not so much the weight. Stay focused, you're doing great! :)
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    CrystalP0401 wrote: »
    The thing is, I started 3 weeks ago at 291.....I'm extremely over weight. I lost weight the first two weeks and now nothing. I'm not discouraged and I will continue. This is my time to do something for myself. I am a stay-at-home mom and 3 weeks ago I was eating everything in sight....no veggies and very few fruits. I ate cookies, bars, anything really and such an emotional eater. Also drank pepsi and lots of it. I changed dramatically and figured that the scale would also show a weight loss every week. Guess it's just good to know that that do not happen and it's normal when it don't happen. I only selected a weight loss of 1 pound per week and I also said exercise 4 times per week for 15 minutes. That has went up. I exercise almost every day for 1/2 hour. My body is getting better and I notice a difference with energy so I guess that's good enough.....for now! :) Thanks everyone!

    Congrats to you for making the changes you know you needed to make. You have every right to be proud of yourself and what you have accomplished so far. Keep your eye on the goal and don't let tiny setbacks derail you. If you consistently put in the effort needed you will be rewarded with results.

    A few more thoughts:
    • Baby steps are key. You'll do better making small changes over time than try to change everything at once. Most people who try to completely overhaul their lives at once end up quitting because the change is just too much. It sounds like you're starting off slowly, which is great.
    • Get yourself into the mindset that you're making a lifestyle change and not something that you will eventually finish. When you've lost the weight you want to lose you won't be able to go back to the way you used to eat and you'll go back to the weight you were, too, and probably higher.
    • Get your family involved. Your husband and kids will benefit from your healthy changes, too. Now, don't become a food Nazi, either. If you husband doesn't need to lose weight or isn't interested in your changes, don't force them on him. Let him do his own thing but the meals you cook should fit your new dietary criteria and he can have his junk food on the side or perhaps an extra side dish that you don't eat.
    • If you haven't yet, purchase a kitchen scale. You can find a good one for $20-$30. Weight and inches come off easily at first when there's a lot to lose but as time goes on you have to be more accurate with your logging as the calorie deficit grows smaller as you do. Weighing your food portions is the best way to ensure accuracy (as much as calorie counting can ever be accurate) so you're better off getting used to that sooner rather than later.
    • Start strength training as soon as possible. In my opinion it's more important than doing cardio. It is much easier to maintain the muscle you already have than to build new muscle. When we lose weight it is a combination of water, fat and muscle. Strength training helps to retain the muscle you already have and your body has built up a lot of muscle mass to move around your extra weight. If you can keep that muscle as you lose weight you're going to look amazing when you've lost the fat that is covering them.
    • Patience is necessary. Keep reminding yourself that you didn't put on the extra weight in a few weeks and it's not going to come off in a few weeks, either. Slow and steady wins the race. You're creating the tools necessary to continue a healthy life after you achieve your goal and that doesn't happen overnight.
  • mojohowitz
    mojohowitz Posts: 900 Member
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  • 4leighbee
    4leighbee Posts: 1,275 Member
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    I'm not sure correcting someone's grammar when they're asking for support and help is the kindest thing to do.

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