Possible to lose 10 inches in 2.5 weeks?

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asilmegan34
asilmegan34 Posts: 256 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Am I measuring incorrectly or is it possible to lose 10 inches in 2.5 weeks? I started doing HIIT 3 days a week with strength training and ab work 4 days a week. I am getting 12K steps a day, so I've started being a lot more active. I am under my calories every day, though my diet needs to be cleaned up on the sweets front. I'm measuring:

1. Across nipple
2. Under breasts
3. Waist
4. Belly button
5. Hips
6. Thighs


I dont want to weigh myself as I hold on to weight and the scale gets me discouraged.

Replies

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,584 Member
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    Well an inch of each area would be 6". I'm gonna say possible, but not probable. I mean one could deplete glycogen to lose inches, but that's not excessive fat tissue which is what people are trying to get rid of.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • asilmegan34
    asilmegan34 Posts: 256 Member
    edited February 2017
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    So is it likely that either
    A: I was retaining fluid during initial measurements compared to now
    B: I am taking measurements incorrectly
    or C: All of the above?

    Edited to add: Plugging my measurements into a BF calculator, it says I am 33.5%. So maybe because I have so much to lose?
  • asilmegan34
    asilmegan34 Posts: 256 Member
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    Here are my initial measurements:

    1/15
    Nipple: 41
    Under breast: 36
    Waist: 37
    Belly button: 44
    Hips: 41
    Thigh: 25

    2/1
    Nipple: 39
    Under breast: 34.5
    Waist:34
    Belly button: 42
    Hips:40.5
    Thighs:24.5
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,584 Member
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    asilmegan34 wrote: »
    So is it likely that either
    A: I was retaining fluid during initial measurements compared to now
    B: I am taking measurements incorrectly
    or C: All of the above?

    Edited to add: Plugging my measurements into a BF calculator, it says I am 33.5%. So maybe because I have so much to lose?
    C. An accurate measurement of body fat percentage would be done better by Dexa scan or even a Bod Pod using the breathing tube. You can get a decent reading with calipers if used by someone who's well experienced with them too.

    But are you saying you lost 10 inches in 2.5 weeks or you're trying to?

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • asilmegan34
    asilmegan34 Posts: 256 Member
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    ninerbuff wrote: »
    asilmegan34 wrote: »
    So is it likely that either
    A: I was retaining fluid during initial measurements compared to now
    B: I am taking measurements incorrectly
    or C: All of the above?

    Edited to add: Plugging my measurements into a BF calculator, it says I am 33.5%. So maybe because I have so much to lose?
    C. An accurate measurement of body fat percentage would be done better by Dexa scan or even a Bod Pod using the breathing tube. You can get a decent reading with calipers if used by someone who's well experienced with them too.

    But are you saying you lost 10 inches in 2.5 weeks or you're trying to?

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png


    My measurements are showing I've lost 10 inches in 2.5 weeks.
  • mlinci
    mlinci Posts: 403 Member
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    asilmegan34 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    asilmegan34 wrote: »
    So is it likely that either
    A: I was retaining fluid during initial measurements compared to now
    B: I am taking measurements incorrectly
    or C: All of the above?

    Edited to add: Plugging my measurements into a BF calculator, it says I am 33.5%. So maybe because I have so much to lose?
    C. An accurate measurement of body fat percentage would be done better by Dexa scan or even a Bod Pod using the breathing tube. You can get a decent reading with calipers if used by someone who's well experienced with them too.

    But are you saying you lost 10 inches in 2.5 weeks or you're trying to?

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png


    My measurements are showing I've lost 10 inches in 2.5 weeks.

    Ah - I think the confusion to some of us when reading your thread is that you added up the reduction from all six areas to get to 10. Reading your title, it's easy to interpret it as losing 10 inches from one area, which would be almost impossible. For comparison, it took me over a year to lose 8 inches off my waist.

    Mathematically, I think it might be better to talk about your loss as average - you lost just over 1.5 inches on average from each of the areas you measure. To refer to it by the total, 10 inches, is confusing without the underlying additional information (i.e. 10 inches in total across six areas of measurement).

    PS great job - and don't get discouraged if your loss slows down, it slows down for most people.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,584 Member
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    asilmegan34 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    asilmegan34 wrote: »
    So is it likely that either
    A: I was retaining fluid during initial measurements compared to now
    B: I am taking measurements incorrectly
    or C: All of the above?

    Edited to add: Plugging my measurements into a BF calculator, it says I am 33.5%. So maybe because I have so much to lose?
    C. An accurate measurement of body fat percentage would be done better by Dexa scan or even a Bod Pod using the breathing tube. You can get a decent reading with calipers if used by someone who's well experienced with them too.

    But are you saying you lost 10 inches in 2.5 weeks or you're trying to?

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png


    My measurements are showing I've lost 10 inches in 2.5 weeks.
    Well shedding subcutaneous water from underneath the skin (which is NOT impossible when paying attention to diet) COULD reduce circumference by an inch in each area. I'm trying to think about what 10 inches of actual body fat would entail mass wise, but that would still be a very high calorie deficit to lose that much in a couple of weeks time. So, I'd chalk most of it up to losing water and possibly glycogen reduction.
    Just continue though. If the measurements keep going down, then you're doing it right.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • subcounter
    subcounter Posts: 2,382 Member
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    I think you should focus on long term goals. Don't worry about few inches in the first weeks. As long as you're steady with your nutrition, you will lose weight.
    Don't be discouraged by the scale either. Its not a measurement of your self worth, its just a number that you either wanna increase or decrease. It is up to you to change that number really. Don't worry about small fluctuations.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
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    I lost a bunch of inches in my first few weeks and then it steadied to a slower pace. I think it's pretty normal when you first start working out and everything tightens up!
  • asilmegan34
    asilmegan34 Posts: 256 Member
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    Okay thanks everyone! This is helpful for me

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