Losing Inches but not weight. Discouraged.

lplotkina
lplotkina Posts: 4
edited September 30 in Motivation and Support
Ok, so, I've been at it for about a month. I've lost about 2.5 inches on my waist and hips, each...but only 2 lbs. I feel nervous that I just lost water bloating, and I'm doing this all wrong...that it'll stop soon. Mom suggested low carb, but it makes me discouraged to think that running 3x/week, horseback riding 2x/week, barn chores 1x/week, and staying under 1540 calories daily isn't enough. Now I have to stop eating carbs, too?? It's hard enough with the diet I am trying to follow now.

Just felt really discouraged and wanted to rant.

Replies

  • aj_rock
    aj_rock Posts: 390 Member
    I'll say out-and-out that theres no way you lost 2.5 inches from water alone. I'm guessing you might be building some mucle.

    Forget about the weight, and concentrate on those lost inches! That's the important part!
  • HoopFire5602
    HoopFire5602 Posts: 423 Member
    Not so much getting rid of carbs...look at it as eating more fruits and veggies. Try one day eating 500 cals worth of veggies....you have to eat ALOT. It fills you up faster too. it's hard to get rid of the carbs, I agree. But I have been doing well for three weeks on it. it broke my plateau, and I have steadily lost 1lb a week without changing my workouts.
  • njean888
    njean888 Posts: 399 Member
    I have hardly lost any weight myself but I don't care. I love the fact that my legs are rock hard, my stomach is pretty flat, and my back is starting to get defined. I know its hard but don't get caught up on the number on the scale. The loss of inches is better in my opinion. Sooner or maybe later, the pounds will drop as well.
  • MzMiller1215
    MzMiller1215 Posts: 633 Member
    I'll say out-and-out that theres no way you lost 2.5 inches from water alone. I'm guessing you might be building some mucle.

    Forget about the weight, and concentrate on those lost inches! That's the important part!

    I totally agree!
  • farfalledibaciodinotte
    farfalledibaciodinotte Posts: 181 Member
    Ok, so, I've been at it for about a month. I've lost about 2.5 inches on my waist and hips, each...but only 2 lbs. I feel nervous that I just lost water bloating, and I'm doing this all wrong...that it'll stop soon. Mom suggested low carb, but it makes me discouraged to think that running 3x/week, horseback riding 2x/week, barn chores 1x/week, and staying under 1540 calories daily isn't enough. Now I have to stop eating carbs, too?? It's hard enough with the diet I am trying to follow now.

    Just felt really discouraged and wanted to rant.

    I'll tell you from experience you need your carbs and calories to do all of that barn work.. it's tough.. and it's summer. just focus on the positive... you lost two inches!!!
  • dragonflydi
    dragonflydi Posts: 665 Member
    Don't be discouraged ... the fact that you have a loss means that what you are doing is working and while Iknow that a month seems like a really long time, it's a relatively short amount of time in the overall scheme of things (my weight loss took nearly 2 years). The slower it comes off, the longer it stays off :)

    One suggestion? Eliminate the word "diet" from your vocabulary :)

    You don't have your food dairy open, but take a look at the amount of sodium you are consuming ... that causes water retention which could account for a lack of numbers on the scale to go with those inches you so incredibly lost!

    Don't give up ... you CAN do it. One day at a time, start small and move forward and be persistent :)
  • MsKeelah919
    MsKeelah919 Posts: 332 Member
    OMG!!! 2.5 WHOLE INCHES ARE GONE FROM YOUR WAIST AND HIPS??!?!? Who cares about that scale? You are physically active, eating well (I'm presuming). YOu're doing your body good!! Keep up the good work! Inches matter more than the scale, when it comes to body size. I dont care how heavy I am, how much SPACE do I take up? :) Enjoy the day and congrats on your changes!
  • Compass04
    Compass04 Posts: 24 Member
    Is it possible that you are gaining muscle from all of these activities? Since muscle weighs more than fat you could be losing a good amount of fat and therefore be smaller but not be losing any weight. That happened to me after joining a boot camp class. I didn't lose any weight for awhile (like a couple months) but I did get thinner and felt a lot better/stronger. Now after several months I think my metabolism is picking up from having more muscle and I've lost 12 pounds in the last 2 months. Hope this helps! Stay motivated!
  • jen31889
    jen31889 Posts: 121
    Maybe try amping up the fitness a little? Sounds like you've always been active, maybe add in a little strength training and a few more minutes of cardio? Your body is probably used to your fitness level.
  • BenJHandy
    BenJHandy Posts: 1
    Forget about that "no-carb" nonsense. Carbohydrates are the ideal fuel for our body, and they are as necessary as protein and (to an extent) fat. Removing carbohydrates from your diet makes it harder for your body to efficiently digest food, so you feel fuller longer. That can help in weight loss, but often results in severe constipation, and in the long run total renal failure (seriously, that's according to the surgeon general).

    You're doing great, it will all fall into place, and inches are really your goal if you think about it. On the Moon you'd weigh a third of what you do now, but that wouldn't reflect your actually condition. We use weight as a point keeping system because inches are harder to track, but what nearly everyone wants is fewer inches, unless you're a wrestler or a jockey or some other thing where your actual weight makes a difference. (Wait, you mentioned horse back riding. Are you a jockey? Because if you are you might want to ignore most of what I said.)
  • aimelee
    aimelee Posts: 216 Member
    Forget about the weight, and concentrate on those lost inches! That's the important part!

    Yes, this!!
    don't get discouraged, please! inches mean way more than the number on the scale. you should be damn proud of those 2.5 inches. i have only lost 11 pounds in 5 months, but people say i look like i've lost 25. its all because of the inches lost & muscle built. keep doing what you're doing and it will pay off, i promise. congrats!!
  • ChantalGG
    ChantalGG Posts: 2,404 Member
    I would choose inches over lbs any day. that are what people notice. I weight train so i know i will be heavier then the average girl that is my size but i will look better. :)
  • Rikki444
    Rikki444 Posts: 326 Member
    Inches lost = fat lost.

    What good is to have lost 10 lbs and 8 of those were water and only 2 were fat? You're doing great. The scale will catch up next. Give yourself margin to gain muscle. Did you know that a pound of muscle is only the size about a gum ball? A trainer gave me that fun fact. Wrap your mind around that one and this will all make sense and you should feel incredibly encouraged! Why? Because muscle BURNS fat, makes you look fitter and more toned and overall.... healthier. Don't over-focus on the scale numbers. And......

    Don't give up just yet. KEEP ON!
  • lplotkina
    lplotkina Posts: 4
    Wow--I can't believe the awesome response I've gotten to this already!

    I didn't think that I could be building muscle--especially since running is the only exercise I've added since I started my weight loss journey. Is it possible to build muscle just running? Not that much, at that...we just recently got up to the 9 minutes at a time mark.

    I'll open up my food diary so you guys can take a look. Don't judge me too much on the past few days. I'm working on my senior thesis as well as interviewing for my first full time job out of college, and life is majorly stressful right now.
  • deanadimples
    deanadimples Posts: 419 Member
    I know it's easy to get discouraged, but the inches show you are getting SMALLER. Isn't that really what you want?

    I HATE getting on the scale only to find it didn't budge. But the scale isn't a tell all of your body.

    What would you rather be? At your goal weight but in your starting size pants? Or in the size clothes you want to be in but weigh a number that's big? Forget the number on the scale. The one on the tape tells the real success story!
  • shellyxxxxx
    shellyxxxxx Posts: 143
    you go girl congrats on the inches, i hate the scales the tape measure is much better friend x keep going you will soon get there x
  • Lolyballs
    Lolyballs Posts: 180 Member
    when I started working out I gained weight. My doctor told me that I am building muscle, which weighs more than fat. He told me to keep it up though because I would see the numbers start coming down. So this could be what is happening with you. You are losing the fat and inches, but gaining muscle.
  • DonM46
    DonM46 Posts: 771 Member
    Don't be discouraged.
    I've been losing about a pound (sometimes 2) per week until about a month ago.
    Now, I lose only a fraction of a pound per week.
    However, my clothing is becoming steadily looser. I noticed this morning that I had to go one more notch smaller with my belt, even though the scale doesn't show it that much.
    Your body is still ridding itself of fat (loss of inches) and you are adding muscle (due to exercise).
    Continue with what you are doing -- the scale will catch up soon.
  • Lolyballs
    Lolyballs Posts: 180 Member
    I know it's easy to get discouraged, but the inches show you are getting SMALLER. Isn't that really what you want?

    I HATE getting on the scale only to find it didn't budge. But the scale isn't a tell all of your body.

    What would you rather be? At your goal weight but in your starting size pants? Or in the size clothes you want to be in but weigh a number that's big? Forget the number on the scale. The one on the tape tells the real success story!


    you said it much better than I did... I love this!
  • SweetStrawberry
    SweetStrawberry Posts: 72
    OMG!!! 2.5 WHOLE INCHES ARE GONE FROM YOUR WAIST AND HIPS??!?!? Who cares about that scale? You are physically active, eating well (I'm presuming). YOu're doing your body good!! Keep up the good work! Inches matter more than the scale, when it comes to body size. I dont care how heavy I am, how much SPACE do I take up? :) Enjoy the day and congrats on your changes!

    Reading this cracked me up! :) I wish there was a "like" button cause I would of done it.
  • j_courter
    j_courter Posts: 999 Member
    2.5 inches is an incredible loss!!!

    i'm at the same place... i have only lost 2 pounds since i started my journey. at first i was okay with it, because really i just want to BE fit... but let's face it, sometimes those scales look at us and taunt us. have you measured your body fat? i would suggest getting access to scales that measure body fat. even though i only lost 2 pounds, i went from 26% to 19%!

    i've also heard that when you initially gain muscle it holds a little more water, but it will even out over time. don't give up just because the scales aren't moving. be sure to eat healthy, track all your calories, set small attainable goals and one long term goal. YOU CAN DO THIS!
  • _Sonia_
    _Sonia_ Posts: 40
    I think you can definitely build muscle just through running and walking... I'm in a similar position, in that I'm losing weight fairly slowly, BUT I can already fit into clothes that haven't fit me for years. Before I started walking daily (sometime in late May), I could barely zip knee-high boots up all the way. Now it's no problem. And those daily three-mile walks are the bulk of my exercise. So yeah, I think we are building muscle. :)

    It sounds like you're doing great--don't be discouraged!!! And if you get to feeling that way, that's what we're here for! :)
  • sykin
    sykin Posts: 1,676 Member
    I have the opposite problem - I can lose the weight, but I NEVER lose the inches! I'm pretty sure you gained muscle, which is why you would not have lost as much weight as you had anticipated. Keep it up and it'll work out :)
  • livesthere
    livesthere Posts: 71
    Trust me, you would be much more discouraged if you lost weight but no inches. Sounds like you're doing great! You are probably gaining muscle as you lose fat. Just try to enjoy your clothes fitting better and your body feeling better! Although, I know it's easy to say but it would feel much better if the scale reflected it as well. It'll happen! Good luck and keep it up!:wink:
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