Dropping inches and clothing sizes, but not weight???

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Sister_Someone
Sister_Someone Posts: 567 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I really don't get it. I started a weight loss plan in September 2011 and have since dropped about 10 kg out of my goal 20 kg. But ever since late November, the scale hasn't gone down a bit, even though I followed my diet plan diligently, didn't go overboard with cheat days (Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's) and tried about anything else I could think of.

The funny thing is that my measurements have, in fact, dropped by a few centimeters, and I can now fit into my "goal pants" (a pair that I last could wear when I had 57-58 kg), which was completely impossible in aforementioned late November. Those pants are full two sizes smaller than the size I normally wear at 63 kg.

This is a thing that has happened three times in the two years I've been struggling to lose weight. I always reach 63 kg almost effortlessly, and I always plateau right there. Eventually I get tired of futile attempts to keep losing, so I let myself go and gain everything back, and then start all over again.

I've tried everything to move it. Increasing my calories (in case I was eating too little) = maintain or slightly gain. Lower them = maintain. Exercise more = maintain, but feel like crap as I detest vigorous exercise. Exercise less = gain.
But what is this? Water retention? Possibly a broken scale?
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Replies

  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
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    Or perhaps your body deciding that's your best weight? What you weigh is a number. If you're fitting into your goal pants I don't understand the issue. Keep eating healthy and exercising and you'll be fine.
  • jplucheck
    jplucheck Posts: 275 Member
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    I really don't get it. I started a weight loss plan in September 2011 and have since dropped about 10 kg out of my goal 20 kg. But ever since late November, the scale hasn't gone down a bit, even though I followed my diet plan diligently, didn't go overboard with cheat days (Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's) and tried about anything else I could think of.

    The funny thing is that my measurements have, in fact, dropped by a few centimeters, and I can now fit into my "goal pants" (a pair that I last could wear when I had 57-58 kg), which was completely impossible in aforementioned late November. Those pants are full two sizes smaller than the size I normally wear at 63 kg.

    This is a thing that has happened three times in the two years I've been struggling to lose weight. I always reach 63 kg almost effortlessly, and I always plateau right there. Eventually I get tired of futile attempts to keep losing, so I let myself go and gain everything back, and then start all over again.

    I've tried everything to move it. Increasing my calories (in case I was eating too little) = maintain or slightly gain. Lower them = maintain. Exercise more = maintain, but feel like crap as I detest vigorous exercise. Exercise less = gain.
    But what is this? Water retention? Possibly a broken scale?

    Ur not in a plateau if you are still losing inches, probably building muscle and that is why the scale isn't moving but you are still headed the right direction - are u more worried about the number on the scale or the silhouette in the mirror?
  • Sister_Someone
    Sister_Someone Posts: 567 Member
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    When I first got sick and started gaining weight, I had a mental breakdown over the number. I saw the huge person in the mirror everyday, but the first time I saw the number, that was when I broke down. So, yes, the number does matter to me. The silhouette in the mirror isn't unimportant, but even that isn't yet where I want it, and it isn't really as important as the number.

    I don't see the point of eating healthy and torturing myself with exercise (which I hate) if I'm going to be equally as miserable as if I didn't do it at all.

    Maybe it's muscle, but I really don't know what I did to built any. I never do weights or any heavy exercise... Just walking and dancing around with friends.
  • sizzlinoverthefat
    sizzlinoverthefat Posts: 136 Member
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    Maybe you should evaluate yourself, seriously. If you want/need the scale to move down then try cycling your food. 3 days of protein with out carbs, one day of veggies, one day of fruits then the 6th day a little of all groups. Cycling can help good luck:indifferent:
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
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    I'll say this in the nicest way, but if a number on the scale is what makes you happy, then perhaps you need to talk to someone? You are a healthy weight. You are losing inches. You're not huge. It sounds like you need to lift heavier weight to change your composition but you are still healthy. I would kill to currently weigh 63kg. But I have to lose another 40kg to get there.
  • mattkellett
    mattkellett Posts: 82
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    with every "plan" there has to be a rotation in what you do for exercise. you will not continually lose weight with exercise. Nutrition alone will only take you so far. You need to increase you lean muscle tissue to increase your metabolic rate(calories it takes your body to function day to day).

    A periodized plan will take your workouts throughdifferent phases so that it does not "plateau" your body will adapt to ANYTHING, and I mean anything that it gets used to. you are losing in the right way, the scale means nothing, the pants tell all. be happy with what is happening and work hard at it, I do believe rest is a huge part of weight loss, but you rest after the HARD work is put in through your nutrition and workouts.

    matt
  • hoosier_red
    hoosier_red Posts: 57
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    The fact that you're still losing inches and clothing sizes is a very good sign -- it means your body composition is changing for the better. The scale will eventually catch up -- it's just going to take some time (and yes, I know how frustrating it is).

    Now, exercise -- when your current exercise regime doesn't help you lose weight, it means you need to switch things up and start using different muscles or working your body differently. If you detest vigorous exercise then don't do it -- stressing about it isn't going to help matters, and there are a lot of other ways you can work up a sweat and enjoy it. If you like dancing, try taking a dance class -- salsa, swing, belly dance, something like that (I used to belly dance, and not only is it a ball, but it did wonders for weight loss).
  • bgy4dl
    bgy4dl Posts: 2
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    My guess if you are working out is that muscle weighs more than fat, so you are leveling out because of training. Also another tip if you have a standard calorie consumption, your body can be very lazy, in weight training your body will tend to adapt to the specific training you are doing and thus you have to change the regime, so try maybe having a day where you change up the calorie consumption and then go back and see if that shocks your body into losing. On a final note the first reply in my opinion is a good one, if you look good and have a healthy body fat, do not worry too much about a number, there are very healthy people who things like BMI will say are obese.
  • JennieAL
    JennieAL Posts: 1,726 Member
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    same situation for me... lost 2 inches in one month, scale hasn't budged... but i'm sticking with it. about to develop a weight training program i can stick with for a while. i think the key is to use weights to add to your muscle so it can burn your fat and make your body run more efficiently...
  • delipidation
    delipidation Posts: 34 Member
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    What I do is reframe the discussion a bit: I don't need to be lighter, I need to be stronger. To do that I need to feed my muscles with food they can use, then exercise to build those muscles. That will burn fat, which is less dense than muscle, so yes, my appearance will change, but not necessarily my weight. At present I'm just over 200 pounds, but still around 24% body fat, and my goal is to get the body fat ratio down to 15% by summer. What I end up weighing as a result is unimportant.
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
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    I wish I had that "problem"! I'd rather be losing inches & clothing sizes than lbs!
  • Sister_Someone
    Sister_Someone Posts: 567 Member
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    Haha, I guess everyone wants what they don't have. I, in turn, would kill in order to finally lose *weight*, not inches.

    I'm sorry, but for me lighter trumps stronger any day. I don't like strong in a girl to begin with, and I'd never choose it over being light.

    What confuses me is that in the past I used to be able to maintain 48 lbs on more food and less activity, yet now I can't seem to break through those 63 kg.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    Weighing more than you'd think you'd weigh in your goal size is FANTASTIC!!!

    You're the same size, but you have more muscle than you anticipated having, so your body is always burning more calories, so you have a better metabolism, so you can eat more food than someone who's the same size but weighs a little less! It's full of all kinds of win!!!

    Last time I lost weight, I focused on the scale, starved myself down to 130# and wore a size 8. This time, I focused on fitness, never felt like I was starving, and at 130# I wear a size 2 or 4. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/449570-mfp-mythbusters-losing-weight-fast-exercise-calories-girl
  • dlaplume2
    dlaplume2 Posts: 1,658 Member
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    You need to stop looking at the number on the scale and more at the body being weighed. Obviously you are reshaping in a good way if your goal pants fit.

    The scale lies get off of it and keep doing what you are doing.

    The scale may someday catch up, but if it doesn't don't worry,
  • gigigirl003
    gigigirl003 Posts: 16 Member
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    If you are exercising or working out with weights at all that could be the answer. Muscle weighs more than fat so even though you are losing inches you are gaining muscle and that the reason for the number on the scale. I am going through the same thing right now. I know that I am losing because I am getting smaller, but it doesn't show on the scales. Keep up what you are doing and you will get to your goal. Good Luck!!
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
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    This summer I was 112 and size 4, then started weight training and went to 116 and down to a size 2. Muscle weighs way more than fat, so if you are working out, then it is all good.

    I will take what my body is telling me over what the scale says any day. :happy:
  • Robide
    Robide Posts: 101 Member
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    When I first got sick and started gaining weight, I had a mental breakdown over the number. I saw the huge person in the mirror everyday, but the first time I saw the number, that was when I broke down. So, yes, the number does matter to me. The silhouette in the mirror isn't unimportant, but even that isn't yet where I want it, and it isn't really as important as the number.

    I don't see the point of eating healthy and torturing myself with exercise (which I hate) if I'm going to be equally as miserable as if I didn't do it at all.

    Maybe it's muscle, but I really don't know what I did to built any. I never do weights or any heavy exercise... Just walking and dancing around with friends.

    Seriously, if I were you, I would look at a different measurement. Weight doesn't really mean much if you're losing fat. Why don't you get some body callipers and worry more about what your fat %age is then your actual weight?

    I've gone from being about 19 and a half stone down to about 14.4 stone presently in a few years, and my weight shift is really slowing down now. I could get paranoid about that, but I know it is because I am building muscle, which is fine by me.

    I'll be happy if I put on weight, as long as my fat %age and the inches around my stomach keep dropping - that is what matters. Being heavier, but being a healthier heavy will make me far happier than putting fat back on and being lighter due to muscle loss.
  • SinIsIn
    SinIsIn Posts: 1,865 Member
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    Sooooooo.... you are upset that you are fitting into you GOAL pants but haven't lost the weight you think you need to lose to fit into those GOAL pants? scratch_one-s_head_mini.gif


    You need to stop putting so much importance on the number on the scale.
  • LadyFaile
    LadyFaile Posts: 60
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    Perhaps you could try to look at this way.

    All that dancing you've been doing is building nice lean muscle which is allowing you to continue to slim down. This means that you ARE making progress in the right direction even though the number that you want to see continue to move isn't currently the where you are making the progress. Also, it's very realistic to build long lean muscle that will help you look nice and feminine as opposed to the bulky muscles of a body builder.

    So. Perhaps it's time to tweak your goals slightly. Since you're able to fit into your goal pants and still want to weigh less, then pick a smaller size pair of goal pants and keep up what you're doing. Once your body adjusts to the current activity and you stop building additional lean muscle, you should see the weight continue to drop as the fat continues to be burned by the higher metabolism. Now if you find both your measurements and weight cease moving, then it may be time to look at making changes to your activity (workout) or diet to get things moving again.

    Try to remember that you ARE still making progress.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    This summer I was 112 and size 4, then started weight training and went to 116 and down to a size 2. Muscle weighs way more than fat, so if you are working out, then it is all good.

    I will take what my body is telling me over what the scale says any day. :happy:

    Exactly! In October at 125#, I bought size 7 jeans. This morning, I weighed in at 132# (pizza last night = retaining fluids) and every time I stand up, I gotta pull up those jeans. I recently bought size 5 in the same brand.

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