Inches not pounds... explanation?

BioQueen
BioQueen Posts: 694 Member
edited September 29 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello! So recently I've been able to shrink down two belt holes (holla!), but my weight is staying the same. I know it's because I have been running and my newish job is pretty active. I am SOOO excited that everything is fitting better, and I would rather see these kinds of results rather than a change in number. But my questions are, how long until the scale starts moving from other's experiences and why does it happen in the first place (probably muscle gained vs. pounds, but are there other reasons?)?

Thanks!

Sio

Replies

  • gjulie
    gjulie Posts: 391
    lucky you!Ive been doing all the right things,uped my water intake,stay well within my calorie allowance swim 70 lengths in 30 mins and in 3 weeks havnt lost a pound or an inch,if I wasnt enjoying what Im doing I would give up!!!:laugh:
  • lausa22
    lausa22 Posts: 467 Member
    This has just happened to me :O I lost an inch on my waist, but no lbs? I'm thinking it's just more muscle toning up in that area
  • MumBeckyM
    MumBeckyM Posts: 2 Member
    First of all...way to go! I'm just getting started..so I haven't lost much of either...but its definately a muscle gain thing...your body tissue is becoming denser and stronger...so less mass=more strength! Don't worry too much about the scale...the mirror doesn't know if you've lost those few extra pounds...as long as you're liking the new you...the numbers aren't worth the stress!!
  • welloiledmachine
    welloiledmachine Posts: 1,147 Member
    Sometimes if you under eat, that can have an effect on your weight. Depending on how much you plan to lose, you shouldn't lose more that 1lb a week. 2lbs tops, but that's for very overweight people. You need to have a 3500 cal deficit buy the end of the week to lose a pound whether it be exercise or food.
  • formeonly
    formeonly Posts: 8 Member
    Congrats!! You have replaced wobbly fat with nice lean muscle! No weight loss because muscle weights more than fat. Inches lost because muscle takes up less room than fat. good job, keep it up!
  • mamaboobear
    mamaboobear Posts: 52
    I just posted a topic about this yesterday. Its so confusing to me, I think you have replaced the pound of fat with a pound of muscle, which muscle takes up less room so hence the inches lost, ..my question I posted was at what point will the scale move down then. sorry im not much help...

    Editing to add, and not trying to sound rude, but i just noticed that someone wrote that muscle weighs more than fat, but it doesnt. a pound is a pound. however, maybe because a pound of muscle takes up less room, maybe you added two pounds of muscle to where that one pound of fat was...does that make sense better..

    ..or maybe i just need more coffee still lol
  • BioQueen
    BioQueen Posts: 694 Member
    Thanks for the positive responses! It's nice and encouraging to see a difference in the mirror and on how my clothes fit, especially since I have been at a plateau for a few months. I just hope the numbers do start going down - although there won't be any complaining from me if I start to look better hahaha.
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
    Nobody gains pounds of muscle overnight. I would put money on it being water. When you start to workout, your muscles need to repair themselves, and to do this, water rushes to them. I have read that this initial water weight gain sticks around between 1 week and up to 2 months.

    But you are losing body fat which is why you are smaller in inches. I don't know a comparison of the weight of water vs. fat by volume, so I don't know what to tell you with how much water you are keeping in. But, what I do know is that once your body gets rid of that water, you will see a big drop in the scale. I remember I went through this when I started Power 90 back in 2007. I didn't lose squat for a whole month. I think I dropped 2 pounds? But I was losing inches from everywhere! And then in the second month, the inches came off at about the same rate as the first month but I dropped 10 pounds. And then after that, it was all steady going...inches and pounds at the same time much slower than that other month.
  • BioQueen
    BioQueen Posts: 694 Member
    Nobody gains pounds of muscle overnight. I would put money on it being water. When you start to workout, your muscles need to repair themselves, and to do this, water rushes to them. I have read that this initial water weight gain sticks around between 1 week and up to 2 months.

    But you are losing body fat which is why you are smaller in inches. I don't know a comparison of the weight of water vs. fat by volume, so I don't know what to tell you with how much water you are keeping in. But, what I do know is that once your body gets rid of that water, you will see a big drop in the scale. I remember I went through this when I started Power 90 back in 2007. I didn't lose squat for a whole month. I think I dropped 2 pounds? But I was losing inches from everywhere! And then in the second month, the inches came off at about the same rate as the first month but I dropped 10 pounds. And then after that, it was all steady going...inches and pounds at the same time much slower than that other month.

    Good to know!! Do you know why the body holds all that extra water?
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
    The water weight is part of DOMS. We know it by soreness (which doesn't even happen every time) but during exercise, we cause tiny tears in the muscle. During the repair process, the cells basically flood themselves. It helps in the repair process, and because the tears in the tissue is muscle, this is why they say that it is important to have protein and water after a workout because that is exactly what the cells need to repair themselves. The water goes away once the body becomes more efficient at performing the repairs, and it also takes less time for the repairs to happen. (basically it is a function of a healthier body raising its metabolic rate...as long as the exercise and proper eating continues). We can tell that this is happening because the soreness of DOMS doesn't last as long or isn't there at all after frequent exercising.
  • BioQueen
    BioQueen Posts: 694 Member
    The water weight is part of DOMS. We know it by soreness (which doesn't even happen every time) but during exercise, we cause tiny tears in the muscle. During the repair process, the cells basically flood themselves. It helps in the repair process, and because the tears in the tissue is muscle, this is why they say that it is important to have protein and water after a workout because that is exactly what the cells need to repair themselves. The water goes away once the body becomes more efficient at performing the repairs, and it also takes less time for the repairs to happen. (basically it is a function of a healthier body raising its metabolic rate...as long as the exercise and proper eating continues). We can tell that this is happening because the soreness of DOMS doesn't last as long or isn't there at all after frequent exercising.

    Oh wicked! Thanks - and that makes a lot of sense.
  • gjulie
    gjulie Posts: 391
    Heres a funny update! being in sore need of some nice new bras I measured myself,my ribcage has gone from 40 to 36 Im delighted with this at least its some progress!!!:laugh:
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