Why do you lose inches but not weight?

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Replies

  • jasmineheaven
    jasmineheaven Posts: 189
    I've been working out and eating under my weight loss goal. So far I have only lost one pound but I lose 8 inches from waist...why is that I am losing inches but not weight?
    The waist is a tricky area for measuring... It will measure larger if your stomach is full (I you've recently eaten) and smaller in the morning when you are still hungry.
    Inches lost in your hips is less likely to vary as much.
    Everything everyone is saying is also true about how much more space fat takes up than muscle especially since you said that you are working out.
    There is also fat that is stored near the organs so you won't notice inches being lost when the scale starts dropping pounds from that area.
    Keep up the good work, its all going to come together.
    :flowerforyou:

    THanks for the help everyone :)
  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
    Sometimes muscles have taken on water and glycogen to repair themselves. That is why sometimes you will see measurement differences but not as much on the scale.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,994 Member
    I've heard this before, but it does seem to baffle me a bit. If someone has been sedentary and then starts to exercise, they'd have to increase their muscle strength right? I mean with that wouldn't the muscles in essence be growing? Even if they are on a caloric deficit, I'd think it be possible to make some gains. Maybe nothing monumental, but something. Even if it's due to how their metabolism is handling their caloric intake. Maybe you could shed some light on this for me.
    Increasing muscle strength can be done without putting on muscle if you're starting a workout program or returning to one. Think about it, if you laid off for 2 months and ate the same and didn't lose any weight and gained no fat, do you think you could lift the same amount in a bench press as you did 2 months ago? At that point your muscle is no longer "conditioned" to do that weight, but in a couple weeks it might be again. There are limits to strength gain on deficit and that to increase strength progressively would entail adding muscle, but you don't add muscle on a calorie deficit. To gain muscle you have to gain weight. To gain lean weight your have to consume more than you burn.
  • THISisTARRAN
    THISisTARRAN Posts: 487 Member
    Why does everyone lose inches except me????? ;(

    I am with you on this!!! 8 INCHES off of your waist? I hate taking measurements because I'm not good at it (i know its easy, but I hate it) but I know I haven't lost 8 INCHES! OMG I'd be so happy!
  • havalinaaa
    havalinaaa Posts: 333 Member
    When I saw this thread I was really looking forward to reading a legitimate answer to a legitimate question, and instead I found... well, whatever that was.

    I'm in the same boat this week, lost a full inch but the scale didn't budge. I measure at the same time/day as I weigh, and usually see a change in both, but this week just a change in measurement. I KNOW I'm not magically building muscle and losing fat in some sort of perfect cycle, and I think the weight is perhaps just water retention due to working the muscles, but I was really looking forward to a real answer. Oh well... I googled it myself and found this article (which annoyingly goes along with the fat weighs less than muscle miswording, but I can ignore that for a real answer). Not sure how legit it is, but it makes sense to me!

    http://www.carbsmart.com/outout.html

    excerpt that is important

    let me tell you what happens when you lose a pound of fat. Your body has been saving this fat for that long hunting expedition you're going to have to go on to track, kill, dress and retrieve that huge animal. It keeps the fat in little pillows distributed throughout your body. When you start losing fat, it doesn't trust you to continue whatever insane path you have chosen that is causing the fat to dissipate. So, when the fat comes out of the pillow, it injects water as a "place holder." Sometimes that water actually replaces the weight of the fat it lost. Sometimes it replaces the volume.

    Water weighs more than fat just like lead sinkers weigh more than feathers. If you stuff a pillow with a pound of feathers, you'll have a nice big pillow. If you stuff a pillow with a pound of lead sinkers, you'll have a nice (but rather hard and uncomfortable), small pillow. Now, let's say your body removes a pound of fat and replaces the weight with a pound of water. Your weight will stay the same, but you will be smaller. But, if your body decides to replace the lost fat by volume, that is a quite different story. Remember the great big feather pillow as compared to the tiny lead sinker pillow? Well, now think of a gallon of feathers and a gallon of lead sinkers. Try to pick up the gallon of feathers. Piece of (you'll pardon the expression) cake. Now, try to pick up the gallon of lead sinkers. Sucker's heavy, ain't it? So, you will be smaller, but you will have gained weight.

    Eventually, your body makes the executive decision that you are not going to replace the fat you lost, and it lets go of the water. In the words of Danny Skaist: "When your body accepts the fact that they are no longer needed, the water will be expelled and the cells closed. This is known as the "whoosh."
  • flexgirl
    flexgirl Posts: 4
    Gaining muscle, losing fat. But, look at it this way.....even though the scale isn't shifting much YET (I say yet, because it will), the muscle you're building now will burn fat.
  • luhluhlaura
    luhluhlaura Posts: 278 Member
    Oh my goodness.

    A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat, but the muscle takes up much less space, because it is so dense.
    Fat is not dense, so it will take up much more space--even though they weigh the exact same amount.

    It's like comparing a pound of grapes to a pound of marshmallows. One looks like a lot more food.

    Most likely, that's what has happened--you've replaced some fat with some muscle. But on the scale, the weight of the muscle has compensated for the fat loss. Since the muscle is so dense, though it takes up less volume in your body. Leaving you with a slimmer waist.

    The waist is pretty tricky though, so try measuring other areas of your body to see where else you've had fat loss. :)
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member

    The waist is a tricky area for measuring... It will measure larger if your stomach is full (I you've recently eaten) and smaller in the morning when you are still hungry.

    This is definitely true. Also, slip the tape just slightly and your measurement varies wildly too.
  • AZackery
    AZackery Posts: 2,035 Member
    I've been working out and eating under my weight loss goal. So far I have only lost one pound but I lose 8 inches from waist...why is that I am losing inches but not weight?

    Because scale weight loss and fat loss aren't the same thing. Please start tracking your body fat percentage and you will see what I'm talking about. Just because you haven't lost scale weight, it doesn't mean you haven't lost fat or gained lean body mass.

    Formula:

    Weight x BF% = Pounds of fat
    Weight - Pounds of fat = Pounds of lean body mass

    Example: On November 7, 2011 Jane Doe weighs 135 pounds with a 25% body fat percentage

    Her results:

    135 x 25% (0.25) = 33.75 or 34 rounded off (Pounds of fat)

    135 - 34 = 101 pounds of lean body mass

    Lets say a week from now Jane Doe weighs herself and this is her results.

    November 14, 2011 results.

    135 pounds 24% body fat percentage

    135 - 24% (0.24) = 32.4 or 32 pounds of fat

    135 - 32 = 103 pounds of lean body mass

    Total results:

    Weight loss : 135 - 135 = 0
    BF% loss: 25% - 24% = 1%
    Pounds of fat loss: 34 -32 = 2 pounds
    Pounds of lean body mass gain: 103 - 101 = 2 pounds

    Although, Jane Doe hasn't lost any scale weight, she'd lost 2 pounds of fat and gained 2 pounds of lean body mass.

    A person doesn't have to lose scale weight, in order to lose inches.
  • Steven
    Steven Posts: 593 MFP Moderator
    Dear Posters,

    I wanted to offer a brief explanation for the deletion of multiple posts in this thread.

    It is not that difficult, in the case of a topic like this, to post constructively, like "a pound of muscle is denser than a pound of fat, so it takes up less volume, though it weighs the same."

    It is extremely discouraging to members with sincere questions to have their inquiries ridiculed, belittled, and ultimately hi-jacked.

    The forum guidelines include this item:

    17) Please stay on-topic, and help us make our forums a "No Hijacking" zone. Users come to MyFitnessPal for support and encouragement. Off-topic or derogatory remarks are discouraging and disrespectful, and will be deleted. Repeated offense may result in revocation of posting privileges. Please either contribute positively to a thread, or move on without posting.

    If you would like to review the forum guidelines, please visit the following link:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/14923-forum-rules-please-read-before-posting


    With respect,
    Steven
    MyFitnessPal Staff
  • Thena81
    Thena81 Posts: 1,265 Member
    muscle outweighs fat. go by the measurements!!
  • skywa
    skywa Posts: 901 Member
    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSzAbUPlr-hp3rNiiOS92Cz_Zv1Kl3xoDY0j-aZtIQQptdP0GlQnQ

    ^^^

    density vs mass :3
  • Fairedust30
    Fairedust30 Posts: 10
    If you weigh 200lbs but can wear a size 6 who cares??? Weight is just a number people :)
  • Fairedust30
    Fairedust30 Posts: 10
    Good post!
  • Mweiretu
    Mweiretu Posts: 5
    I think it is because muscle weighs more than fat and as far as measurements go, I think that inches matter more than lbs!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,994 Member
    Gaining muscle, losing fat. But, look at it this way.....even though the scale isn't shifting much YET (I say yet, because it will), the muscle you're building now will burn fat.
    You don't build muscle on calorie deficit.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,994 Member
    To the newbies here: It's practically impossible to build muscle while on calorie deficit. Fat CANNOT transform into muscle and even if you're nutrition was spot on, building muscle takes calorie surplus.

    While there are exceptions (an athlete returning to exercise after a long layoff, a newbie who has NEVER worked out before, or a very very overweight/obese person adding consistent exercise), to gain muscle you have to gain weight. To gain weight you have to have a calorie surplus.
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    Think of it this way: fat is fluffy, muscle is compact. Fat and muscle are both "fillings" for a "container" (your body).

    So . . . let's pretend 1 lb. of fat fits into a Starbucks GRANDE latte cup. Look in there, it's all gooey and cottage cheese-like: lumpy.

    Now let's pretend 1 lb. of muscle fits into a Starbucks TALL latte cup. Look in there, it's very smooth, no lumps, looks solid. Still weighs 1 lb, but it's smooth, so it fits in a smaller container.

    So if you lose fat, you lose lumps. You're working out, you develop muscle -- smooth. SHAPE-SHIFTER! So you just got rid of some cottage cheese filling and replaced it with smooth, solid lean muscle. congrats!!!!

    (BTW, this is why you can take two people the SAME height and dress size, one who doesn't work out (like my good friend, C) and compare her to another person who does work out (me). Same height, same dress size, but the one who works out weighs more (me). BTW the one who works out, gets to eat more, feel better and look toned instead of mushy. *winning!*
  • adross3
    adross3 Posts: 606 Member
    Bone/Muscle/Fat/water. As you lose fat you increase activities. Bone density and muscles grow. Water retention increases to supply body to flush fat and toxins. I personally lost 28lbs of fat and gained 18lns of body structure. Welcome to your new fit body.
  • eyoungone05
    eyoungone05 Posts: 119
    When losing inches means ur losing bodyfat my man adross3 said it better
  • HarveySmith123
    HarveySmith123 Posts: 9
    I used to lose weight but a not inch... that is a caution that you are burning off muscle while the fat stays put. This can really harm you because it slows your metabolism and ability to burn calories while also giving you all the bad effects of excess fat.
  • inayatms
    inayatms Posts: 2 Member
    I have a similar situation of losing inches but not weight. Its been just a month but I lost 2.5 inches on my waist. My weight is going up and down. I was 154lbs when i stared came to 147 then up back again to 150lbs.

    I am doing toning, cardio and bike riding. On weekend, I do running for 1 hr. I am a computer guy who is supposed to sit for almost 10 hrs a day.

    Please anybody let me know what would really help loosing weight. Thanks.
  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
    Losing inches but not weight can be attributed to several things.

    Building lean muscle - not going to build more then maybe 2lbs a month though
    Water - your body takes on more water, and most of the time you are drinking more water
    Waste products that need to be excreted - you might be full of some, especially if you eat high protein low carbs.
    Body is burning bodyfat for energy source so you are losing the soft fats on your body that don't weigh as much as muscle and your skeletal frame.
  • ahsats
    ahsats Posts: 75 Member
    To the newbies here: It's practically impossible to build muscle while on calorie deficit. Fat CANNOT transform into muscle and even if you're nutrition was spot on, building muscle takes calorie surplus.

    While there are exceptions (an athlete returning to exercise after a long layoff, a newbie who has NEVER worked out before, or a very very overweight/obese person adding consistent exercise), to gain muscle you have to gain weight. To gain weight you have to have a calorie surplus.

    I like how you're the only one spitting facts and are being completed ignored.
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    To the newbies here: It's practically impossible to build muscle while on calorie deficit. Fat CANNOT transform into muscle and even if you're nutrition was spot on, building muscle takes calorie surplus.

    While there are exceptions (an athlete returning to exercise after a long layoff, a newbie who has NEVER worked out before, or a very very overweight/obese person adding consistent exercise), to gain muscle you have to gain weight. To gain weight you have to have a calorie surplus.

    I like how you're the only one spitting facts and are being completed ignored.

    Ditto.

    Losing 8 inches is a pretty big change with no loss on the scale, are you certain you measured in the exact same way both times? I only ask because I'm horrible at taking measurements and when I do, the difference between one try and the next can be as much as 2-3 inches. Either way, it's highly likely that it's a combination of things. Waist measurements can vary depending on something like when you've eaten. Water retention is very common in weight loss as well and can slow the perceived weight loss even though you have lost fat. If you don't take your measurements in exactly the same way the numbers can vary. Stuff like that.
  • PunkyDucky
    PunkyDucky Posts: 283 Member
    When I saw this thread I was really looking forward to reading a legitimate answer to a legitimate question, and instead I found... well, whatever that was.

    I'm in the same boat this week, lost a full inch but the scale didn't budge. I measure at the same time/day as I weigh, and usually see a change in both, but this week just a change in measurement. I KNOW I'm not magically building muscle and losing fat in some sort of perfect cycle, and I think the weight is perhaps just water retention due to working the muscles, but I was really looking forward to a real answer. Oh well... I googled it myself and found this article (which annoyingly goes along with the fat weighs less than muscle miswording, but I can ignore that for a real answer). Not sure how legit it is, but it makes sense to me!

    http://www.carbsmart.com/outout.html

    excerpt that is important

    let me tell you what happens when you lose a pound of fat. Your body has been saving this fat for that long hunting expedition you're going to have to go on to track, kill, dress and retrieve that huge animal. It keeps the fat in little pillows distributed throughout your body. When you start losing fat, it doesn't trust you to continue whatever insane path you have chosen that is causing the fat to dissipate. So, when the fat comes out of the pillow, it injects water as a "place holder." Sometimes that water actually replaces the weight of the fat it lost. Sometimes it replaces the volume.

    Water weighs more than fat just like lead sinkers weigh more than feathers. If you stuff a pillow with a pound of feathers, you'll have a nice big pillow. If you stuff a pillow with a pound of lead sinkers, you'll have a nice (but rather hard and uncomfortable), small pillow. Now, let's say your body removes a pound of fat and replaces the weight with a pound of water. Your weight will stay the same, but you will be smaller. But, if your body decides to replace the lost fat by volume, that is a quite different story. Remember the great big feather pillow as compared to the tiny lead sinker pillow? Well, now think of a gallon of feathers and a gallon of lead sinkers. Try to pick up the gallon of feathers. Piece of (you'll pardon the expression) cake. Now, try to pick up the gallon of lead sinkers. Sucker's heavy, ain't it? So, you will be smaller, but you will have gained weight.

    Eventually, your body makes the executive decision that you are not going to replace the fat you lost, and it lets go of the water. In the words of Danny Skaist: "When your body accepts the fact that they are no longer needed, the water will be expelled and the cells closed. This is known as the "whoosh."

    OMG! Thank you for this! :)
  • sammylouhulley
    sammylouhulley Posts: 7
    I dont quite understand this, muscle take a while to form and im lazy as far as exercise is concerned( i get massive head aches when i do a run and they dont go away) my cals are quite low but i lose inches and my scale refuses to budge
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