Losing inches but not lbs
CassieJones104
Posts: 76 Member
I have been doing a 1200 calorie diet. Actually last week my calories for the week averaged more like 1100. I have not lost a lb but feel like I am losing inches. Anyone else have this experience?
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Inches is what you want to lose, not necessarily pounds. The scale can be influenced by so many factors, so it's better to have a few methods of measuring progress.
With that being said, is there a reason you're eating so little?2 -
mfp gave me 1200 a day0
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Feel like you are losing inches so you aren't sure? Measuring tapes are your friend
also food scales? Do you weigh your food? 3 -
I haven't been using a food scale but I have been using measuring cups, spoons, etc... I'm usually really busy and at dinner time I eat like smart ones, or lean cuisine so it's already measured out for me.0
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It's only possible to lose inches but not weight if you eat at maintenance and strength train. And for at least a month.
How are you measuring your calories? Do you weigh your food?2 -
gebeziseva wrote: »It's only possible to lose inches but not weight if you eat at maintenance and strength train. And for at least a month.
How are you measuring your calories? Do you weigh your food?
I would disagree. You can lose inches off your waist but retain water in muscles.8 -
Are you working out as well as dieting? If so there's a simple explanation. Muscle weighs more than fat. You're losing fat but gaining muscle. That's why you see the loss but not the lbs droppingcassiekimbrough104 wrote: »I have been doing a 1200 calorie diet. Actually last week my calories for the week averaged more like 1100. I have not lost a lb but feel like I am losing inches. Anyone else have this experience?
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Are you working out as well as dieting? If so there's a simple explanation. Muscle weighs more than fat. You're losing fat but gaining muscle. That's why you see the loss but not the lbs droppingcassiekimbrough104 wrote: »I have been doing a 1200 calorie diet. Actually last week my calories for the week averaged more like 1100. I have not lost a lb but feel like I am losing inches. Anyone else have this experience?
Careful how you say that. Muscle is more dense than fat, so less volume per pound. It doesn't "weigh less".3 -
Are you working out as well as dieting? If so there's a simple explanation. Muscle weighs more than fat. You're losing fat but gaining muscle. That's why you see the loss but not the lbs droppingcassiekimbrough104 wrote: »I have been doing a 1200 calorie diet. Actually last week my calories for the week averaged more like 1100. I have not lost a lb but feel like I am losing inches. Anyone else have this experience?
lol. you think she is gaining muscle on an 1100 calorie a day diet? no.6 -
Are you working out as well as dieting? If so there's a simple explanation. Muscle weighs more than fat. You're losing fat but gaining muscle. That's why you see the loss but not the lbs droppingcassiekimbrough104 wrote: »I have been doing a 1200 calorie diet. Actually last week my calories for the week averaged more like 1100. I have not lost a lb but feel like I am losing inches. Anyone else have this experience?
^ Not this.
OP isn't going to gain any significant muscle eating 1100 calories/day. And muscle gain doesn't happen nearly as quickly as you apparently think it does.
OP, you say you "feel" like you're losing inches. Have you measured? Are you weighing all your foods using a food scale and measuring all liquids? Without those things, you have no idea if you're really eating the calories you think you are, or if you're really losing inches.3 -
cassiekimbrough104 wrote: »I haven't been using a food scale but I have been using measuring cups, spoons, etc... I'm usually really busy and at dinner time I eat like smart ones, or lean cuisine so it's already measured out for me.
If you aren't using a food scale, you don't know for certain; how many calories those prepackaged meals're! I once had a Hot Pocket, that was suppose to be 270 calories but was 524 calories, when I weighed it!2 -
@DeficitDuchess is this even w meals like lean cuisine and weight watchers smart ones??0
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cassiekimbrough104 wrote: »@DeficitDuchess is this even w meals like lean cuisine and weight watchers smart ones??
Yes & also meals at restaurants, that offer Nutrition Facts!1 -
grmckenzie wrote: »
Are you working out as well as dieting? If so there's a simple explanation. Muscle weighs more than fat. You're losing fat but gaining muscle. That's why you see the loss but not the lbs droppingcassiekimbrough104 wrote: »I have been doing a 1200 calorie diet. Actually last week my calories for the week averaged more like 1100. I have not lost a lb but feel like I am losing inches. Anyone else have this experience?
Careful how you say that. Muscle is more dense than fat, so less volume per pound. It doesn't "weigh less".
I'm assuming you meant to say "weigh more" as in "muscle weighs more than fat." You're arguing that muscle doesn't weigh more than fat...the thing is...doesn't it though? If you compare an inch cube of muscle and an inch cube of fat, the muscle cube would weigh more. When someone says something "weighs more" it should mean they're comparing the weights of 2 substances using equal volumes. If you were to take a pound of fat and a pound of muscle and ask which weighs more, obviously they weigh the same but their volumes would be different due to their densities. So muscle should actually weigh more, no?
I see this argument all the time on these forums and have always wondered why people say "muscle doesn't weigh more than fat."3 -
gabigirl21 wrote: »grmckenzie wrote: »
Are you working out as well as dieting? If so there's a simple explanation. Muscle weighs more than fat. You're losing fat but gaining muscle. That's why you see the loss but not the lbs droppingcassiekimbrough104 wrote: »I have been doing a 1200 calorie diet. Actually last week my calories for the week averaged more like 1100. I have not lost a lb but feel like I am losing inches. Anyone else have this experience?
Careful how you say that. Muscle is more dense than fat, so less volume per pound. It doesn't "weigh less".
I'm assuming you meant to say "weigh more" as in "muscle weighs more than fat." You're arguing that muscle doesn't weigh more than fat...the thing is...doesn't it though? If you compare an inch cube of muscle and an inch cube of fat, the muscle cube would weigh more. When someone says something "weighs more" it should mean they're comparing the weights of 2 substances using equal volumes. If you were to take a pound of fat and a pound of muscle and ask which weighs more, obviously they weigh the same but their volumes would be different due to their densities. So muscle should actually weigh more, no?
I see this argument all the time on these forums and have always wondered why people say "muscle doesn't weigh more than fat."
It's because we measure weight, by the pound; not density/volume but acknowledge, that the density/volume; of the weights aren't the same!1 -
You have to be prepared for fluctuations in your weight - these happen naturally from day to day for a number of reasons.
Inch loss is good but eat your full 1200 calorie allotment and if you exercise, eat some of those cals back as well. 2 -
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cassiekimbrough104 wrote: »mfp gave me 1200 a day
Did MFP give you 1200 calories to lose 2 pounds a week? That is their default number, I believe. What does it tell you to eat in order to lose 1 pound a week or 0.5? If you are petite or have under 20 pounds to lose your weight loss will be much slower. The daily water fluctuations can easily cover small losses. Give it a month on plan and see. Even 0.5 pound a week is great if you don't have a big deficit to work with.0 -
cassiekimbrough104 wrote: »I haven't been using a food scale but I have been using measuring cups, spoons, etc... I'm usually really busy and at dinner time I eat like smart ones, or lean cuisine so it's already measured out for me.
Lean cuisines are full of sodium. You could be holding onto lots of fluid which although isnt fat, wont make the scales go down until you get rid of it.0 -
Chilli7777 wrote: »cassiekimbrough104 wrote: »I haven't been using a food scale but I have been using measuring cups, spoons, etc... I'm usually really busy and at dinner time I eat like smart ones, or lean cuisine so it's already measured out for me.
Lean cuisines are full of sodium. You could be holding onto lots of fluid which although isnt fat, wont make the scales go down until you get rid of it.
You can still lose weight while retaining water. While high sodium foods can add water weight, weight loss will still happen if one is consistently in a deficit.1 -
cassiekimbrough104 wrote: »@DeficitDuchess is this even w meals like lean cuisine and weight watchers smart ones??
Personally, I have never once weighed out a pre-packaged food and had no issues losing weight. I use the scale for "bulk" items and calorie dense items...yes, there can be some discrepancy in packaging, but I've never found it to be outrageously crazy. Usually issues here arise from the fact that people aren't correctly reading the nutrition label...they're just looking at XXX calories and neglect to look at the fact that the package is more than one serving and such.
Keep in mind that those ultra processed food items contain a *kitten* ton of sodium which is going to cause you to retain fluids which could explain why you're losing inches but not scale weight...that fluid weight is going to show up on the scale. Mind you, even with fluid retention you should over time see a trending decline on the scale...you don't mention how long you've been doing this....if it's only been a couple of weeks, this could very well be the issue.
Also understand that you're going to fluctuate up and down and all around...body weight isn't static...this is why it's important to look at the trend line over time...if it's only been a couple of weeks, that's not really long enough to look at any kind of trend, particularly if you're only weighing in once per week or something...very little data to analyze.
Also when you weigh in, make sure you're doing it at the same time of day and under basically the same/similar conditions. Most people weigh in first thing in the morning, naked, and before they have ingested food/drink and after they have relieved themselves from waste. If you're weighing in at different times of day or with clothes on, etc, the weight of any food/drink you've ingested as well as the clothing is going to muddy the waters. All of that stuff has mass and thus weight and will show up on the scale.0
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