Can someone exlplain inches vs. pounds to me?

AlyRoseNYC
AlyRoseNYC Posts: 1,075 Member
edited October 2 in Health and Weight Loss
I know that the scale number isn't the whole story. I keep reading stories and seeing pics of moderate weight loss but drastic physical results. I know that we can lose inches but not pounds, but how exactly does that work? Does anyone know the science behind it?

Replies

  • godroxmysox
    godroxmysox Posts: 1,491 Member
    Bump; I'm interested to know as well....
  • ShapeUpSidney
    ShapeUpSidney Posts: 1,092 Member
    Well, muscle is more dense than fat. It's possible to shed fat, and build muscle, while seeing very little change in the scale results. However, you might see a more dramatic change in your shape. You may note that your measurements have changed, and clothes fit differently.
  • 1smemae94
    1smemae94 Posts: 365 Member
    As you lose weight, you gain muscle which makes you smaller and lose inches.
  • aimeerowe91
    aimeerowe91 Posts: 34
    Exercise burns fat but builds muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat which is why weight can stay the same but as the fat has burnt the physical experience is thinner :)
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Muscle is very compact. Fat is "loose" and shapeless.

    1 pound of muscle takes up much less space than 1 pound of fat. So ..... it's possible to lose several inches without losing a single pound. The number on the scale does not tell the whole story.
  • sweetheart03622
    sweetheart03622 Posts: 928 Member
    Has a lot to do with muscle mass. A pound of muscle is significantly smaller than a pound of fat. Therefore, you may be dropping fat while gaining muscle. This would make the number on the scale stay relatively constant, but since fat is more compact you look smaller.

    Another thing that happens is when people have a lot of muscle to begin with, but haven´t used it for a few years (think someone that was a high school athlete). When these people start working out again, the muscles tighten up quickly and therefore shrink down, making you lose inches without really losing and weight.

    This isn´t 100% precise, but it´s the general gist of it!
  • Dandersonjr32
    Dandersonjr32 Posts: 73
    All very true. As you work out, you replace fat with muscle. Muscle is much more dense so it takes up less space. Also remember in a calorie deficient diet you won't replace muscle for fat on a pound for pound basis. You will lose about 5 pounds of fat for 3 pounds of muscle depending on your work out routine and diet.

    As a general rule of thumb, every 10 pounds you lose is an inch off your waist.
  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
    As shape said, a pound of muscle (weighs exactly the same as, but) occupies less space than a pound of fat. So if you lose one pound of fat and gain one pound of muscle, the scale will not move but your new pound occupies less space than the old pound, so you are smaller!
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    As you lose weight, you gain muscle which makes you smaller and lose inches.

    NO - unhealthy weight loss can actually cause you to lose muscle AND fat. When your read comments like "fuel" your workouts by eating your calories back - this is what they mean. You need to eat healthy to keep existing muscle (or to add more).
  • AlyRoseNYC
    AlyRoseNYC Posts: 1,075 Member
    Hmm, I thought it was going to be a lot more complicated than muscle replacing fat.
  • ceeceesmom
    ceeceesmom Posts: 9
    Muscle is dense and weighs more than fat, but it takes up less room. So if you were to put 5 lbs of fat next to five pounds of muscle, the volume (size of the pile) would be less on the muscle side. That is why when you burn fat, and gain muscle during workouts, you may not see much weight loss on the scale, but you find yourself losing inches. Fat and muscle do not replace one another, it's just when you work out and burn fat calories, you also have a tendency to build muscle if you are exercising. The muscle will give you tone, shape and strength (and a higher metabolism) as it uses more calories than fat.

    Once, when I was working out both cardio and weights, I only lost 10 lbs, but 16 inches melted away.... So it looked like a lot more.
  • AlyRoseNYC
    AlyRoseNYC Posts: 1,075 Member
    As shape said, a pound of muscle (weighs exactly the same as, but) occupies less space than a pound of fat. So if you lose one pound of fat and gain one pound of muscle, the scale will not move but your new pound occupies less space than the old pound, so you are smaller!

    OK I know it's the same as what everyone else has said, but this explanation is the most clear to me. Thanks!
  • rebysue
    rebysue Posts: 136
    Here's a really good article that explains it:

    http://www.3fatchicks.com/why-you-may-be-losing-inches-but-not-weight/
  • cruiseking
    cruiseking Posts: 338 Member
    I don't think that you add much muscle at all, as you are losing weight. At least not enough to offset your fat loss, in terms of weight. 1 pound of fat has a large mass and is easy to lose. A pound of muscle is tiny, and hard to gain (especially at a calorie deficiency) If you think that in a matter of weeks or (even months) , you can reshape your body with a net gain in muscle; while also eating at a calorie deficit, you are mistaken. I would attribute the inches lost, to fat loss, and the lack of weight loss to water retention. Over a longer term (my time of reference) of say 6 months; you can lose 40 lbs, and lift weights like a dog, and be lucky to add a pound or two of muscle. In my case I have always lifted weights, and feel that I have lost muscle mass, or at best, stayed even, while losing weight (fat). Lose the fat, and you will lose the inches. Muscle has zero to do with this equation.
  • cruiseking
    cruiseking Posts: 338 Member
    As shape said, a pound of muscle (weighs exactly the same as, but) occupies less space than a pound of fat. So if you lose one pound of fat and gain one pound of muscle, the scale will not move but your new pound occupies less space than the old pound, so you are smaller!

    OK I know it's the same as what everyone else has said, but this explanation is the most clear to me. Thanks!
    There is zero chance, that you could lose a pound of fat, while simultaneously gaining a pound of muscle. I say Impossible.
  • Michelle_M2002
    Michelle_M2002 Posts: 301 Member
    If you look at repilcas of fat and muscle, you will see that 5 pounds of muscle takes up about 1/3 less space than 5 pounds of fat. Fat is lumpy and un-uniform, whereas muscle is smooth and dense.

    I had a 3 week period where my scale only moved about 1/4 of a pound. Yet when my trainer took my measurements, we found that I had lost 4 inches all over (2 from my waistline) and had dropped 2% body fat.

    If you click on this link:
    http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/muscle-to-fat.html

    You wills comparatively what 5 pounds of muscle looks like next to 5 pounds of fat. That visual should help you see why your weight can stay the same while your inches drop drastically.

    God bless!
  • ShapeUpSidney
    ShapeUpSidney Posts: 1,092 Member
    http://jaclynbydesign.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/5lb-fat-muscle.jpg
  • scapez
    scapez Posts: 2,018 Member
    Here's a link to a fairly lengthy article that explains it well:

    http://www.carbsmart.com/outout.html
  • ShapeUpSidney
    ShapeUpSidney Posts: 1,092 Member

    There is zero chance, that you could lose a pound of fat, while simultaneously gaining a pound of muscle. I say Impossible.

    No one said that it's a one for one relationship. The reality is that the scale may not move as dramatically as the inches move, due to the nature of fat and muscle.
  • cruiseking
    cruiseking Posts: 338 Member

    There is zero chance, that you could lose a pound of fat, while simultaneously gaining a pound of muscle. I say Impossible.

    No one said that it's a one for one relationship. The reality is that the scale may not move as dramatically as the inches move, due to the nature of fat and muscle.
    I don't understand. If you are losing inches, then it is the assumption that you are gaining muscle? Therfore your scale doesn't move? You are losing inches, due to FAT loss. Then the assumption would have to be; if I am losing fat (inches), but my scale doesn't drop, it must be replaced by muscle. That would be a 1:1 ratio in weight. I say that is impossible. You can't lose a pound of fat, while simultaneously replacing it with a pound of muscle.
  • ShapeUpSidney
    ShapeUpSidney Posts: 1,092 Member

    I don't understand. If you are losing inches, then it is the assumption that you are gaining muscle? Therfore your scale doesn't move? You are losing inches, due to FAT loss. Then the assumption would have to be; if I am losing fat (inches), but my scale doesn't drop, it must be replaced by muscle. That would be a 1:1 ratio in weight. I say that is impossible. You can't lose a pound of fat, while simultaneously replacing it with a pound of muscle.

    The 1 for 1 example is just the most clear way to illustrate it, though in reality it is difficult to build a pound of muscle and simultaneously lose a pound of fat. But if you consider the core concept, it is realistic to expect that your measurements may be more dramatic than the movement on your scale.

    If I were to discuss the truly complicated nature of this relationship, I'd lose most of the audience. So the direct 1 to 1 example is an extremely oversimplified way to view what is happening, but is helpful for people who are curious about this topic. You're just being very literal in your interpretation.
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    I am by no means an expert on the subject, but only speak from my personal experience. When you lose weight, and do some exercise at the same time, you muscle could get tighter and all together more toned. Notice that I am not saying you are gaining muscle at 1:1 ratio. When losing the fat layer, my muscle that was hidden underneath starts showing, and of course it means less inches.

    And when I eat lots of greasy high fat food, my scale goes up but I still have the smaller inches as before.
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    I don't think it's that easy for women to gain muscles so quickly, as quickly as losing water weight and fat. That's just my personal experience.
  • vicki915
    vicki915 Posts: 38 Member
    Bump.... I need to finish reading this later! :huh:
  • Jenna70
    Jenna70 Posts: 130 Member
    Some people do lose muscle mass when they diet and lose weight. These people are not eating enough healthy food for the body to use as fuel so it starts consuming the stored muscle and saving the fat as emergency fuel. Eating too many calories is bad and eating too few calories is also bad.
    If you eat plenty of healthy food each day in an amount that is a deficit overall (intake minus output) then you will reduce the fat content in your body and keep your lean muscle mass and you will be smaller. Because the muscle is denser than fat, you get smaller and your clothes get looser. This effect can be increased by doing some weight training and toning exercises. It's also good because a pound of muscle can burn 25 times the amount of calories as a pound of fat, so the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn, even when you aren't working out.
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