Why do people lose inches but not pounds?

Ilovepeppers
Ilovepeppers Posts: 396 Member
edited September 28 in Health and Weight Loss
I've read that its more important to look at how clothes are fitting / measure inches lost than to obsess about the number on the scale. I haven't lost great numbers lately but my clothes keep getting looser and looser.. Why does this happen?

Replies

  • golferd
    golferd Posts: 400 Member
    Because 1 pound of fat and 1 pound of muscle weighs the same. However, muscle takes up less room.

    In your mind picture a bag with 1 pound of feathers vs 1 pound of steel. steel will be much smaller bag.

    So, if your turning fat to muscle, the weight could be the same, but your smaller in inches.
  • jmula
    jmula Posts: 38
    It depends on what you are doing to loose weight. for example If you are lifting weights as part of your weight reduction plan, you'll gain weight for the first few months. Ive gained 6 in the first month alone. But my waist shrunk half an inch. Muscle is a lot heavier then fat. So bottom line is use the mirror and your clothing as a guide. I look at the scale once a week as a guide to make sure i'm on track for my overall goal weight. But I use the mirror and clothes as my fat loss progress.
  • msbrownbeauty87
    msbrownbeauty87 Posts: 34 Member
    I've read that its more important to look at how clothes are fitting / measure inches lost than to obsess about the number on the scale. I haven't lost great numbers lately but my clothes keep getting looser and looser.. Why does this happen?

    Bump im in the same position
  • cschnepf
    cschnepf Posts: 12
    I found this video on YouTube a few months ago that I thought explained weight vs. fat % pretty well.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozt-V0PPJaw

    She shows the 5lb fat and 5lbs muscle models in the video. She also talks about how 1 pint of water weighs a pound but your not actually any bigger even though you would weigh more after drinking water. Hope it helps.
  • miriamtorason
    miriamtorason Posts: 208 Member
    I've read that its more important to look at how clothes are fitting / measure inches lost than to obsess about the number on the scale. I haven't lost great numbers lately but my clothes keep getting looser and looser.. Why does this happen?

    Bump im in the same position
    So am I, and for me the "gaining muscle!" explanation just doesn't fly. In the last 21 days, I've lost 26.75" over my body, 4" from my belly alone. There is no WAY I gained enough muscle to compensate for that kind of loss, but I'm not seeing the difference on the scale.
  • tbrown1025
    tbrown1025 Posts: 165
    Yes, this happens as you gain/build muscle. Since muscle is leaner than fat, I think it takes a different "shape" (for lack of better words) and this makes your clothes fit looser. This has been happening with me for the last 5-6 weeks. I've lost only 2-3lbs but have lost about 4-5inches all over. I've also gone down a pants size. I should be happy about this, but the stupid scale number still irks me.
  • BabyDuchess
    BabyDuchess Posts: 353 Member
    I found this video on YouTube a few months ago that I thought explained weight vs. fat % pretty well.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozt-V0PPJaw

    She shows the 5lb fat and 5lbs muscle models in the video. She also talks about how 1 pint of water weighs a pound but your not actually any bigger even though you would weigh more after drinking water. Hope it helps.

    Thanks for the video....I knew a lb was a lb...etc., but I hadn't given much thought to the density factor of muscle vs. fat.....eye opening. :flowerforyou:
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