trainer used inches to determine fat loss---why not pounds?

tennetubbie
tennetubbie Posts: 312 Member
edited November 19 in Fitness and Exercise
I am at 80 pounds loss now--35 to go to normal BMI. Goal has been 2 pounds a week, and I am one pound ahead--so right on schedule. My trainer (who is the one who turned this all around for me and is helping me get this weight off finally), weighs and measures everything every 4 weeks (I weigh myself once a week or more).

I have dropped many inches and he says 'one inch is a pound of body fat'. All about the inches!!!

My legs are looking good--I am leg curling 90 pounds. extensions 80 pounds etc etc. Running 10K---it's that dam stomach that I have to plug away at.

Yesterday, I dropped one inch off my waist and half inch of my chest---legs stayed same. So despite 8 pounds loss in 4 weeks, he says I lost 1 1/2 pounds of body fat. My questoin to him was "WHAT WAS THE EIGHT POUNDS---it sure as hell isn't muscle--my weight lifting is going up! " He ponders this--and I could see I had raised a question that maybe nobody had asked him, and he says that this is what the American Sports Council uses as a guide.

Misguided? I am taking that 8 pounds as FAT LOSS!!!!! Agree??

Replies

  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    edited June 2017
    Perhaps he's not very good at measuring....

    To be honest, there's lots of variables to determine what you lost, and what he's measuring. I don't think you can say X inches equates to a certain amount of fat....

    You can also get stronger without gaining muscle (or perhaps losing muscle)

    Well done on the weight loss, inches loss and motivation though!
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    Congrats on the weight loss, I agree that inches and lbs should both be used, but that whole 1" = x lbs is nonsense.
  • kieranar
    kieranar Posts: 57 Member
    Weight is not a really good indication as you get fitter you put on more muscle mass and this weights more that fat , so you get disappointed by the lack of weight loss when in fact your loosing fat and gaining muscle mass.

    However you will see a reduction in your tummy measurements, measure across your navel , if this is decreasing then things are working
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    If you are in a calorie deficit, are eating adequate protein, and lifting, then as time goes on, most of your scale weight loss will be fat. At this point, you are likely not gaining much muscle--most "not-fat" changes will be transient fluid shifts.

    The "rule" he is using to estimate fat loss is not accurate, to my knowledge. I've never heard of it before.
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
    weight loss has a lot of variables and lots of ways to measure progress. Dont stress the details, just stay on a healthy journey of eating right and exercising, and dont worry about the numbers.
  • loulamb7
    loulamb7 Posts: 801 Member
    I can't comment on your trainer's assessment of how much fat was loss but, it also not likely that all 8 lbs were fat. As already mentioned there are to many variables to determine how much of that 8 lbs were fluid, fat, waste or muscle. However, since the trainer seems to have turned thing around for you and you still have 30 lbs to lose, stick to the plan and don't sweat the small stuff.

    I would recommend daily weighing with a trend app, such as Happy Scale or Libra.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,743 Member
    Having the measurements is a very good way of gauging progress, especially when the scale doesn't seem to be moving. His method is very simplistic as it can't include all the areas of your body that are slimming down, but it doesn't really matter. Just be happy that you are losing both pounds and inches.
  • tennetubbie
    tennetubbie Posts: 312 Member
    Thank you everybody---I sure as heck am sticking with him and just keep plugging away---I feel awesome!!!
  • Ann262
    Ann262 Posts: 266 Member
    It sounds like you have a great program going on there!
This discussion has been closed.

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