Losing Pounds, Not Belly

ericansweeney
ericansweeney Posts: 3 Member
edited November 24 in Health and Weight Loss
I’m noticing that my weight has changed on the scale, but I’m not seeing it on my body. While I know I’m used to seeing myself every day, I am just wondering what I’m losing first. It’s frustrating because I feel like the scale is lying because I can’t point out anything different despite the decrease in pounds. I need some words of enlightenment!
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Replies

  • ZRunner5Lulaica
    ZRunner5Lulaica Posts: 168 Member
    Take measurements. I know my middle is where I lose last (looking back, it's also where I developed puberty fat stores first). I plan to start taking monthly photos and measurements so when the scale slows, I have other ways of seeing change. I also factor in how clothes are fitting, how I'm overall feeling, and such. Definitely try to find some non-scale victories.
  • Redordeadhead
    Redordeadhead Posts: 1,188 Member
    How much weight have you lost and how much do you weigh now?
  • speedingticket
    speedingticket Posts: 73 Member
    How long have you been losing for? It took me 4 weeks to notice a difference, and I can only see it on my shoulders and upper back. But my BF is down 5% (caliper tested every 4 weeks) and other people insist my torso looks slimmer. Pictures and measurements are very useful- especially if you are doing any work in the gym, etc (I have only actually lost 1-2lbs in weight due to newbie gains in the gym).
  • ereck44
    ereck44 Posts: 1,170 Member
    yes, when I started losing weight....friends and family would make comments like....your face looks thinner. WTH! I wasn't trying to lose weight from my face, but the belly was the last to see results. I agree with monthly measurements and well as weighing on the scale. Also you should feel your clothes fitting differently around the waistline. Good luck. honey!
  • Jingsi84
    Jingsi84 Posts: 126 Member
    edited January 2018
    When I lost weight on the scale it took a while before it translated to inches lost on my stomach. But then it just started shrinking, even when I thought to be eating at maintanence. Maybe I was actually at a deficit and just had to lose more weight? Maybe I was still retaining water and that had to flush out? Maybe I had only lost water and not the fat at first? I have no idea but I do know that the scale and your body do not always match up. So perhaps your stomach will keep shrinking irrespective of when you lost these pounds.
  • Jessie24330
    Jessie24330 Posts: 224 Member
    The first fat you will lose is around your organs so you won't see that. After that, it could come from anywhere/everywhere. I had lost around 30 pounds before before I finally seen a difference (in pictures, I still look the same to me in the mirror), and it was from my back! There was a massive difference, rolls where missing lol. Def take pictures and measure like everyone has said.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    That's why we use a tape measure.

    I'm to the point where the scale won't move, measurements are the same, but I know I'm losing fat because I can feel little bones in places that were covered before.
  • Marykaylady2010
    Marykaylady2010 Posts: 69 Member
    It’s very frustrating the part of my body I hate the most is my stomach even though I carry my weight pretty well and no one believes me when I tell them I what I weigh my stomach will fold over my pants and I know it will be the last thing to go and my boobs will probably shrink first
  • ketome7
    ketome7 Posts: 21 Member
    hardest thing belly usually last to go...stay the course add cardio acceleration in to the exercise
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Most of us are not very skilled at detecting small body changes, especially with high expectations.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    The belly is the last to go usually :/ it takes time to see changes in our body. Do you have much weight to lose?
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    Measure. consistently.
  • missevil
    missevil Posts: 113 Member
    I know that most people suggest measuring and that's not wrong, however, it can totally happen that you lose like 70 pounds and still look basically the same as before. Your measurements will tell you that you've lost overall a bunch of inches, which is awesome and you even might be in a normal range BMI, but you still look the same.

    Nobody will look and me and say "wow, you're so lean and slender". If they knew me before, they will comment on my loss, because it *is* visible. People who didn't know me before will still call me chubby because although I've shrunken in general, I still have thunder thighs, two bellies, massive upper arms and so on.
    So yes, that can be super frustrating, but your clothes will show the change, your more and more noticeable hipbones, collarbones, and ribcage will show the change... The scale doesn't lie!
  • TravisJHunt
    TravisJHunt Posts: 533 Member
    As others have said, measure and make sure you do it in a way that you can be consistent about it.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    Modeling a person as a perfect cylinder, and assuming height is constant, Your

    weight = Pi * height * radius^2
    circumference = 2 * Pi * radius

    so your measurements (circumference) only change as the square root of your weight. A little more manipulation shows that, in fact, your fractional change in measurements would go as half your fractional loss in weight under the "cylindrical person" model.

    dC/C = (1/2)*dW/W

    So, you lose 10% of your body weight and you get a 5% loss in circumference.

    Math, bam!

    (This corresponds pretty well to my loss of 10% body weight last year when, in fact, I did lose about 5% of my circumference. Amazeballs.)
  • ma_bitts
    ma_bitts Posts: 16 Member
    Measuring, paying attention to the way clothes fit, and looking for non-scale successes are all good advice... HOWEVER... if you ARE doing all of these things and STILL not seeing results (like me, this time last year), please don't give up.

    I didn't see ANY difference in the way I looked until I'd lost about 30 pounds (which took six months... and even then, you could only see it in my face/neck/bust--I was trying to lose from waist/belly!!! Ugh!). Then, after about seven more pounds' loss, I could all of a sudden see an inch and a half loss around my waist. What a great day that was.

    So: I keep trying to remind myself: The inches WILL come off if I keep losing. So hang in there. We can do this.
  • MrsPinterest34
    MrsPinterest34 Posts: 342 Member
    I know the struggle op. I too want to get rid of my lower belly fat below my belly button. I started at 34 inches in Jan of last year and I'm down to 28.25 inches this month. It's slow but it comes off. I still have about 6 pounds to lose to get to a normal BMI. I'm praying half comes off from my belly and the other half from my hips. Hang in there. Keep maintaining your deficit. Patience and Perseverance are essential to your long-term success. Also, a measuring tape is your best friend for times like this. I measure myself bi-monthly or monthly. Unfortunately you can't measure every inch of your body, so the next best thing is seeing how your clothes fit.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    alicebhsia wrote: »
    I just read the book the Flat Belly Diet! and I think it has some good stuff in it. It's only been a couple days since I started applying the principles of the book and my stomach does seem to have shrunk a bit already. It's very simple. I would recommend reading the book. It basically says you need to eat a serving of monounsaturated fats at every meal and recommends keeping your calorie intake at or under 400 calories per meal at the same time. It also allows for a 400 calorie snack that also includes a serving of monounsaturated fats.

    None of that will do anything to make your belly flatter.

    Fat loss patterns are dictated by your genetics. For many people, the abdomen/belly is the last place it goes from and it can be very stubborn. All these silly fad diets can't alter your genetics or change the way humans lose fat.
  • ashliedelgado
    ashliedelgado Posts: 814 Member
    It took 50 pounds for me to even start to notice it, 60 for me to actually feel smaller.

    Progress pics and measurements are your go to.
  • JimmiRayCole
    JimmiRayCole Posts: 11 Member
    At first i didn't notice any changes in my belly...seems like all i see is belly...(insert sad face) but i started doing alot more sit ups and i'm now beginning to see a difference. Its taking a while but its getting there. :)
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    JimmiRayCole wrote: »
    At first i didn't notice any changes in my belly...seems like all i see is belly...(insert sad face) but i started doing alot more sit ups and i'm now beginning to see a difference. Its taking a while but its getting there. :)

    sit ups mainly work your hip flexors and really doesnt do much for abs.fat is lost on a deficit. you cant spot reduce fat so if you are losing it in your stomach then that means your genetic makeup makes it easier to lose in that area.
  • brittyn3
    brittyn3 Posts: 481 Member
    Just so you have another testimony - I lose weight from my fingers, knees, face, shoulders first. I wish you could spot lose. Keep up the good work!! Trust the process, stay true to it... it'll catch up.
  • CasperNaegle
    CasperNaegle Posts: 936 Member
    Stomach is the last thing to go typically, for some the thighs. Just keep plugging away. Use a tape measure, pictures, and calipers if you can.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,324 Member
    i hear you! so many of us can relate.. you're not alone. just when i feel good about the weight loss.. i stare at my stomach and think..'am i really losing weight?" i did take a before picture which does help.. Anyway...just keep doing what you're doing.. ..your stomach fat will go away as you lose more. We just aren't done...that's all.
  • Rebecca9048
    Rebecca9048 Posts: 14 Member
    My belly is my big problem area and I’ve been so focused on it (and butt/thighs) that I was really discouraged the other day. Until I put on a particular shirt and noticed my shoulders and back had slimmed considerably. And my arms are showing muscle definition. I’m assuming seeing big results in my belly will be near the end of my journey.
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