Obese and losing inches but not weight for months

kaydensmom2009 · March 2020

I’ve drastically changed my lifestyle from the beginning of January,so over 2 months. I went from eating chips, pasta, pizza, and pop all day everyday to a much healthier diet. I ate out 5 times per week on average. I gave up pop completely, chips and eating out I only do once a week at most and in a small amount. I focus on proteins, fruits, and vegetables. Although I still am working on lowering carbs more because I love them.

After one month of no weight change I started measuring food with a food scale and IF to help stop the urge to binge at night. I was measuring before then but not with a scale. I never had a “cheat” meal until last night where I did go over my calories and eat fast food/chips. I drink only water besides a sweet tea once a day that fit into my calories but am now giving that up. I watch my sodium as well, and if I do go over then don’t weigh myself the next day.

I went from not exercising to exercising 4x’s/week in January. I do Cardio (running and recently added HIIT) and strength training. After one month I weighed myself and had no difference in weight, so I started weighing weekly. I try not to get discouraged because inches are going down and I feel so much better but it’s hard not to. I understand that you’re not supposed to pay too much attention to the scale but I’m not at a healthy weight, I’m not skinny fat, just fat so I feel like this shouldn’t apply to me. I’ve lost almost 4.5 inches from my abdomen, 2 inches from hips, 1.5 inches from chest, 2 from thigh, gone down one pants size but have literally lost zero pounds. I am 5’1 and 185lbs so I am obese and need to lose like 30lbs to even be considered overweight. And although I’m not perfect and average going over calories by about 300 calories one time a week you would think I would see some change. I eat between 1200-1400 calories a day and usually do not eat exercise calories back, I have an Apple Watch and it doesn’t calculate calories right with mfp. Thanks for any advice!

janejellyroll · March 2020

Are you weighing on the same scale at the same time each day? If you aren't weighing daily, how often are you weighing? From your post, I think it was just the one time at one month out, but I want to make sure I'm understanding.

If it's your own scale, are you sure it's working properly?

Lietchi · March 2020

You're new to exercising and new to strength training. You might be holding on to water weight, especially from the strength treating, and possibly have gained a bit of muscle too, which is masking fat loss on the scale. I would just keep on doing what you're doing. It's obviously working since you are losing inches, it's only a matter of time before the scale moves too.

kaydensmom2009 · March 2020

ThAnks for the input. I’ve been weighing once a month for the past month. I didn’t think about my scale possibly being wrong. It’s a Fitbit scale I’ve had for like 4 years and asks me to se up each time, it stays on so I have to take the batteries out each time after using it and have to move it around on my floor each time until it reads or it will just keep saying “sensing”. It’s just been consistently around the same number (plus or minus a few pounds) which is why I don’t think that’s the problem but I’ll get a new one and see if it changes anything.

janejellyroll · March 2020

So right now you've got one data point -- the weight you took at one month out. It's very possible that you did lose some weight but it has been masked by temporary water weight gain (if you have a period, know that many of us gain non-insignificant amounts of weight related to that once or twice a month). As @Lietchi said, there is also the possibility of temporary water weight gain from new exercise. Our bodies retain water to help us repair our muscles when we work hard or begin a new routine.

Since you're losing inches, it's clear that *something* is happening. It may be helpful to weigh more often to get an idea of what your weight is doing throughout the month. Many of us use an app to provide us with a weight trend -- it takes your daily weight and gives you a more averaged out number so you can focus on that. I use Libra (Android). I believe Happy Scale is the Apple version.

kaydensmom2009 · March 2020

I meant to say I’ve been weighing once a week for the past month, so I have 4 weights that are the same as my beginning weight a little over 2 months ago but I understand what you are saying. Thanks!

PAV8888 · March 2020

Your original weight can probably be thrown out, sorry

Your scale continuously saying sensing means that your current weights can probably be thrown out.

You don't have a weight loss issue. You do have a measurement issue.

Either your scale feet have an issue (dirt, something struck), or, more probably your floor is not even and unyielding.

Any measurement on a softer floor tends to randomly reduce the weight number you see. The operative word being randomly.

Even daily weigh ins would be hard to show you a clear trend under these conditions.

With monthly and weekly observations.... you really have no way of knowing.

Tape measurements are easy to flub too. However: Pants falling down and a full pant size at a higher weight? Say from 18 to 16 or 16 to 14? That's a LOT of lbs. Like in the 10-15, if not 20lb range.

So if you ask me you're probably looking at 5 to 10 lbs of water weight, and 5 to 10 pounds of scale errors.

Extremely speculative, of course.

cherys · March 2020

If you are losing inches but not weight, could you be building muscle? It's denser and so it's heavier. Some people go by tape measures not scales for this reason. You are obviously making brilliant changes and showing results. trust the tape measure, the way your clothes hang and how you feel.
FWIW I've been on MFP for the last 6 weeks. Lost nothing in the first three weeks then shed steadily. Over 6 weeks, I've lost 6lbs but they came off late.

brittanynicholex · March 2020

kaydensmom2009 wrote: »

ThAnks for the input. I’ve been weighing once a month for the past month. I didn’t think about my scale possibly being wrong. It’s a Fitbit scale I’ve had for like 4 years and asks me to se up each time, it stays on so I have to take the batteries out each time after using it and have to move it around on my floor each time until it reads or it will just keep saying “sensing”. It’s just been consistently around the same number (plus or minus a few pounds) which is why I don’t think that’s the problem but I’ll get a new one and see if it changes anything.

^ get a new scale. that is my first suggestion.
it seems like your error is there. I have a cheap(ish) one from walmart a family member got me some time ago now, but it still works great. I keep it in my kitchen which is a little weird I know but our bathroom is too small, and there is no where else in the house with solid noncarpeted flooring. Thus far it still provides me with pretty spot on weights (as compared to the doctors office).

Obese and losing inches but not weight for months

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