Why losing inches but not weight

Sarah is upset, while Sally thinks this is funny Sally can be a little insensitive! Sarah's waist measurement is now 32 inches, and further testing shows that she has recompositioned her body by adding 5 pounds of muscle and shedding 5 pounds of fat! This seemingly tiny change in Sarah's body means that her resting metabolic rate has increased by roughly calories per day because a pound of muscle burns somewhere between calories per day. This means that she will burn about calories more than Sally each and every day simply because her body is made up of less fat and more lean tissue.

Question: Who do you think will be able to lose weight easier in the future? H int: it's not Sally. Losing inches, but not weight indicates that your body is changing in composition. This is huge progress and will lead to even greater progress in the future because of the positive change your metabolism is undergoing. Honestly, I do understand. Even if you logically know that your scale weight isn't the best indicator of your progress, it still would feel really good to see that number drop.

So what's the solution? First and foremost, I want to strongly encourage you NOT to do what you're already doing, but at a more frenetic pace. Jenny starts eating "healthier" in brackets because this can mean many different things to different people and exercising for a few weeks. She needs to deprive herself more in the kitchen and punish herself more in the gym. Instead, I challenge you to try something different.

Try something, no matter how insignificant it might seem, that you've never tried before. I'm not doubting you. I don't think you're lying to me. But, I do know that most people have very little idea as to what they actually eat on a daily basis. This can become even more of a problem if you've recently increased the amount of exercise you're doing. A study out of Cornell University showed that the size of your plate is directly proportionate to the amount of food you will put on that plate.

You've likely heard this before, right? When you put a small amount of food on a large plate, your brain will likely interpret this as having too little food.

You'll end up going back for more. In contrast, if you put the same food portion onto a smaller plate, your brain perceives this as a full serving. It's all you need. That's a significant decrease that requires very little effort on your end.

Plate size isn't the only thing that matters. Whether you're maintaining a healthy weight or trying to gain or lose, knowing what number counts as your "real" weight is important. Your weight…. Relying solely on the scale is where the scale gets its bad rap. But there…. This article…. Body fat scales can be a great tool to measure aspects of your body composition. Here are the 12 best body fat scales of Rather than focusing on lower numbers on the scale, body recomposition emphasizes the importance of losing fat while gaining muscle.

Some think weighing yourself every day is a powerful weight loss tool, while others think it can lead to major health issues. Here's what the science…. Consistency is the key to accurate weight measurement. Choose a time of day and always weigh yourself at that time.

Wear nothing or the same articles…. Excess water weight can have negative effects on your appearance and quality of life. Here are 13 easy ways to lose water weight quickly. Losing inches means that whatever changes you have made in your life, be it on your diet or through exercise are working. Also, keep in mind that these lost inches come with many more health benefits that are much more important than a number on a scale.

Factors mentioned like increased bone density, hormonal imbalances, water retention, gaining muscles and weight-loss plateaus still affect those on a ketogenic diet. Take a minute to talk to your doctor or nutritionist and you can zero in which of the above reasons are causing that.

Indeed you can. It all goes back to the fact that muscle is more dense than fat. Incorporating strength training or weight lifting into your routine could be the reason why this is happening 4. This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances.

It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any medical conditions. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility! Clare is an excellent and experienced writer who has a great interest in nutrition, weight loss, and working out.

She believes that everyone should take an interest in health and fitness, as not only do they improve your way of life, but they can also have a significant impact on your health. As a writer, her goal is to educate her readers about the ways they can reprogram themselves to enjoy exercise, as well as break free from bad eating habits.

In her articles, Clare tries to give advice which is backed by scientific research and is also easy to follow on a day-to-day basis. She believes that everyone, no matter their age, gender, or fitness level, can always learn something new that can benefit their health. I have experience conducting systematic reviews and evaluating the scientific literature both as a graduate student and later to inform my own evidence-based practice as an RD.

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Kamau medical review by K. No related posts. Kamau Clare is an excellent and experienced writer who has a great interest in nutrition, weight loss, and working out. Fleming I am a U. Add comment. Read this next. Weight Loss. Mogeni medical review by J. By Nderitu Munuhe medical review by J. By Jeremy Mukhwana medical review by I. Health Weight Loss.

Mogeni medical review by I. By Nderitu Munuhe medical review by K. Similarly, it cannot differentiate between fat and water. So, as the amount of water in your body rises, so does your weight. Water retention may happen due to several reasons like stress, medications, menstruation, sodium consumption etc. Now, these reasons are temporary and they will go away on their own.

For this, let us first understand what inch loss is. Inch loss means losing inches or a decrease in the circumference of different fat-storing parts of your body like the hips, the waist, the arms, the thighs etc. Inch loss is important if you have a very high waist circumference which means that you have large amounts of fat deposits around your waist.

This fat deposition makes a person more prone to lifestyle disorders like hypertension and diabetes and losing inches around the waist in these cases can definitely be a boon. Inch loss can be considered to be a better indicator of weight loss than weight loss itself. As said earlier, it tells you that your weight loss process is going sustainable and will last for a long period of time. It can be called a healthier way of losing weight.

Let us take the example of the pot again. Imagine you weigh a pot which contains some stones, some water and some soil. Now, if you remove some stones from this pot, the weight will decrease.

If you remove either the soil or water from the pot, the weight of the pot will still reduce. The same thing happens with your body too when you lose weight.

Weight loss can happen due to three factors: water loss, loss of fat and loss of muscle mass. When you start your weight loss journey, your weight loss is very rapid and you lose weight very quickly. Notice that here I am talking about weight loss and not fat loss. This is because the initial weight that you lose is mainly due to the loss of excess water from the body.

Many of the crash diets which claim to be effective for weight loss bring about a loss in your muscle mass too.