Losing inches but not pounds?

That happened for my first six weeks. Did not lose even one pound but lost inches.

I am in the same boat, losing inches but not pounds yet. Just be patient,clearly it's working!

Being an old man it never cross my mind to measure because I thought if fat was leaving the scales would be dropping. I had lost 20 pounds earlier by the starvation method but people started to saying things like I looked healthier/smaller and I thought they were just making fun of me being fat because I knew the scales were not moving. Finally I realized my fat face was gone and my belt bucket had moved one inch smaller.

I lost many inches before pounds. I know it's hard but be patient. The pounds will come off too.

V

catterkane wrote: »

brb_2013 wrote: »

I am in the same boat, losing inches but not pounds yet. Just be patient,clearly it's working!

brb_2013 wrote: »

I am in the same boat, losing inches but not pounds yet. Just be patient,clearly it's working!

meritage4 wrote: »

How much weight are you trying to lose? You look pretty small in your avatar photo.

same here, I haven't measures but see a big difference. Scale is stuck and pants aren't loser yet? Been 2 months of 1200 calorie, 4-5 days week at gym - seems discouraging but weight will eventually go right?

catterkane wrote: »

V

catterkane wrote: »

brb_2013 wrote: »

I am in the same boat, losing inches but not pounds yet. Just be patient,clearly it's working!

brb_2013 wrote: »

I am in the same boat, losing inches but not pounds yet. Just be patient,clearly it's working!

meritage4 wrote: »

How much weight are you trying to lose? You look pretty small in your avatar photo.

same here, I haven't measures but see a big difference. Scale is stuck and pants aren't loser yet? Been 2 months of 1200 calorie, 4-5 days week at gym - seems discouraging but weight will eventually go right?

@catterkane do you have a way to check your blood glucose levels. If Insulin levels are high then it improbable that fat loss will happen per some reports.

BenWellburn wrote: »

Doing long, slow exercise such as your walking will force the body to create and convert muscle to "endurance" muscle.

This muscle is much smaller in size, but also more efficient. This would support the reasons why you are losing inches, but not pounds, as muscle weighs more than fat.

Realistically there's so many factors at play here, are you eating the right amount of calories, how much water are you drinking, exercise amounts, salt intake etc etc.

Having a higher percentage muscle burns more calories gram for gram than fat so it's not all bad.

If you wish to lose weight, it cannot be done over one week. For weight loss, it's a long haul trek, not a ride to the market.

I may need a citation on that one.

Also, if you are exercising and gaining muscle, remember that muscle weighs more than fat.

Some of your difference in weight may be due to how much food or water is in your system at a given time. Weighing first thing in the morning after you use the bathroom is a good way to get a steady reading from day to day. Not sure if this is what's wrong but it's possible.

Also! You've only been dieting for 2 weeks, you said. So my guess is that most of it is water. You're just starting out, and your loss will start to become more steady and reliable with time.

Two weeks? That simply isn't enough time to really say for sure. You are still in flux, and dealing with changes in water retention etc. Also, the "losing inches versus pounds" thing is kind of a crutch/cop out/myth anyway. At a certain point, if the scale isn't moving, you either are not measuring your calories accurately or need to cut a little more....or change something in your exercise program. I would continue with what you are doing for another couple of weeks and see if the scale moves. Also do continue taking other measurements; however, mostly importantly, do everything you can to accurately count your calories. I lost 45lbs in a little over a year (and gained a bit of muscle, because I did no cardio and just lifted weights) and I attribute my results mostly to counting my calories accurately. There were other factors too, but that is the most important.

rachelelser wrote: »

3bambi3 wrote: »

rachelelser wrote: »

Also, if you are exercising and gaining muscle, remember that muscle weighs more than fat.

How much muscle do you think she can gain in 2 weeks without any resistance training on a calorie-restricted diet?

I don't know, it depends on what her muscle mass was before hand.

The correct answer would be a virtual zero.

Drinking lots of water, low carbs, increased protein and eating lots of veg

Wanted to check in. Had only lost a couple inches and woke up to a whoosh, down like 3lbs over night.

stephensmb wrote: »

I am having the same problem I do cardio and weight training 5 days a week and have been under my calorie goal since I started my journey. I have not lost a pound I know muscle weights more than fat but starting to question why I have not even lost a pound.

Keep at it!! How long has it been? See my post above, I lost 3lbs yesterday and another 2 today. I've been "good" only 5 days a week for the past 3-4 weeks or so, saw inches lost from my waist about a week ago but not scale changes. Then suddenly this week (so far) I'm down 5lbs.

I'm guessing it takes our bodies time to catch up, it uses up fat stores each day that you're in a deficit but I read about fat cells being filled with water until the body is ready to let things go, perhaps a week or two of hanging onto it. perhaps our bodies are expecting us to fill them back up, and when we don't the body says "okay I guess since we're not using it we better throw it out! Time and patience and persistence.