Not losing inches.. help?!

lisa_lamb
lisa_lamb Posts: 29 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and need some advice-

I have been eating well and working out regularly for about 5 weeks now. I eat 1200 cals a day and do 5 or 6 exercise sessions a week, for an hour at a time.

I have lost 5lbs so far- started at 144lbs and am now 139lbs (5ft6). I look and feel better but I have not lost any inches at all from my waist or hips :( My waist is 30 inches and my hips are 39. Can anyone tell me if this is normal? What else can I do to lose the inches?

Replies

  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    I lose approximately one inch every ten pounds. This will vary depending on height and body composition, but I'd say it sounds perfectly normal to me.
  • hottottie11
    hottottie11 Posts: 907 Member
    Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and need some advice-

    I have been eating well and working out regularly for about 5 weeks now. I eat 1200 cals a day and do 5 or 6 exercise sessions a week, for an hour at a time.

    I have lost 5lbs so far- started at 144lbs and am now 139lbs (5ft6). I look and feel better but I have not lost any inches at all from my waist or hips :( My waist is 30 inches and my hips are 39. Can anyone tell me if this is normal? What else can I do to lose the inches?

    Could be normal for your body. Or perhaps it's mostly water weight loss as opposed to fat loss.

    I will caution you that you *could* be losing some muscle eating 1200 and exercising as much as you do. I suggest a regular, challenging (read: lift more than those barbie weights) strength training program, increasing your intake just a bit, and increasing protein to preserve your muscle and reduce body fat.
  • thistimeismytime
    thistimeismytime Posts: 711 Member
    Are you lifting weights?? Lifting--preferably as heavy as you can manage--is the best thing you can do to lose inches and tighten up. Cardio alone will not tighten up your body the way lifting will.
  • lisa_lamb
    lisa_lamb Posts: 29 Member
    Ok, so it takes a bit of weight to come off before the inches do then? I don't have much to lose though, only about 13lbs. I thought with all the exercise I am doing that the inches would just melt away lol. Just reading the measurements for size 10 UK clothes and I need to lose at least 2 inches off waist and hips to fit into this size! Can I do this through exercise alone? If I lose more than 13lbs I think I would look too skinny..
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Can't spot reduce.

    By measuring just a few places, that's what you are hoping for.

    Measure lower and upper arms, neck, chest, natural waist, hips, thighs, calves.

    Shoot, might as well do this and log the measurements in MFP's Weigh-in area.

    www.gymgoal.com/dtool_fat.html
  • lisa_lamb
    lisa_lamb Posts: 29 Member
    Are you lifting weights?? Lifting--preferably as heavy as you can manage--is the best thing you can do to lose inches and tighten up. Cardio alone will not tighten up your body the way lifting will.

    Thanks for the advice, thats very interesting. I have been doing a lot of cardio- bums and tums class, step class and spinning. I do a little bit of weights in my exercise classes but I want to do more. I will try doing them at home and see if it helps :)
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Ok, so it takes a bit of weight to come off before the inches do then? I don't have much to lose though, only about 13lbs. I thought with all the exercise I am doing that the inches would just melt away lol. Just reading the measurements for size 10 UK clothes and I need to lose at least 2 inches off waist and hips to fit into this size! Can I do this through exercise alone? If I lose more than 13lbs I think I would look too skinny..

    if you are exercising a lot, it would probably be smarter to eat at non-exercise maintenance level, no deficit, and allow the exercise to create the deficit.

    So be honest if sedentary first regarding your non-workout time, select weight loss of Maintenance, and eat that daily.

    If you log your exercise, don't eat the credit back, log 1 calories, or log it the last thing of the day.

    When you finish your Diary each day after logging exercise, it'll tell you what you'll weigh in 5 weeks as indication of amount.
  • lisa_lamb
    lisa_lamb Posts: 29 Member

    Could be normal for your body. Or perhaps it's mostly water weight loss as opposed to fat loss.

    I will caution you that you *could* be losing some muscle eating 1200 and exercising as much as you do. I suggest a regular, challenging (read: lift more than those barbie weights) strength training program, increasing your intake just a bit, and increasing protein to preserve your muscle and reduce body fat.

    Thanks for that, I was worried I may not be eating enough, but its hard to get myself out of the habit of eating less to lose weight. A smaller calorie deficit is better then??
  • AReasor
    AReasor Posts: 355 Member
    Check out my profile pic. I didn't lose inches but you can see the change in my body.
  • lisa_lamb
    lisa_lamb Posts: 29 Member

    if you are exercising a lot, it would probably be smarter to eat at non-exercise maintenance level, no deficit, and allow the exercise to create the deficit.

    So be honest if sedentary first regarding your non-workout time, select weight loss of Maintenance, and eat that daily.

    If you log your exercise, don't eat the credit back, log 1 calories, or log it the last thing of the day.

    When you finish your Diary each day after logging exercise, it'll tell you what you'll weigh in 5 weeks as indication of amount.

    Ok, I have set it to maintain but should I enter my exercise goal in or leave that out? With the exercise goal entered my maintain calories are 1740. Thanks for your help
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    what about your other measurements? are those going down?

    like someone else said, you can't spot reduce.

    also if you're really close to your goal weight, then i second lifting and not trying to be all dainty and cute about the weights you lift either, just make sure you have a good form.


    check out NROL4W and check out their suggestion on the amount of calories to eat that will help you when you lift to maximize fat burn and inch loss. and pick up some heavy *kitten* :laugh:
  • lisa_lamb
    lisa_lamb Posts: 29 Member
    what about your other measurements? are those going down?

    like someone else said, you can't spot reduce.

    also if you're really close to your goal weight, then i second lifting and not trying to be all dainty and cute about the weights you lift either, just make sure you have a good form.


    check out NROL4W and check out their suggestion on the amount of calories to eat that will help you when you lift to maximize fat burn and inch loss. and pick up some heavy *kitten* :laugh:

    I didn't actually measure my legs.. doh. I'm glad you advise weight lifting as I enjoy it, I will give this a good go!
  • lisa_lamb
    lisa_lamb Posts: 29 Member
    Check out my profile pic. I didn't lose inches but you can see the change in my body.
    [/quote

    You can definately see a change, well done!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    if you are exercising a lot, it would probably be smarter to eat at non-exercise maintenance level, no deficit, and allow the exercise to create the deficit.

    So be honest if sedentary first regarding your non-workout time, select weight loss of Maintenance, and eat that daily.

    If you log your exercise, don't eat the credit back, log 1 calories, or log it the last thing of the day.

    When you finish your Diary each day after logging exercise, it'll tell you what you'll weigh in 5 weeks as indication of amount.

    Ok, I have set it to maintain but should I enter my exercise goal in or leave that out? With the exercise goal entered my maintain calories are 1740. Thanks for your help

    If you mentally can realize that you burned 500 cal, and if you did that for a week you'd lose a lb, that may be enough.

    If you log the exercise as last step right before finishing diary, it'll also give you some encouragement as to predicted weight loss because of the deficit you created.

    If you enjoy keeping mentally sharp by doing math in your head, log the exercise when done and subtract exercise calories from new goal to see how much you have left for the day.

    Now - if you are talking about the calorie goal of exercise on the Diet/Fitness profile page - doesn't matter - because that isn't used in the math anywhere.

    That is merely your exercise goal calories and frequency - when you log exercise it tells you how the weekly goal is doing.

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