Inches vs pounds

(Kellie) #1

Might be a dumb question and can probably find the answer in google BUT I like you guys better :wink: how can you loose inches but now pounds ? The scale says I’m down 2 pounds - it’s been this way the last two weeks but I recently measured myself last Monday for the first time and this morning (8 days later) I was like well let’s see if a week does anything and on my waist and leg I went down about an inch. I’m skeptical like I’m thinking in my head I probably measured wrong because how can you just down down an inch in a week but not have lost any new weight .

(Shaun Dyer) #2

When you lose inches (size) but not pounds (weight) this shows that your body composition is changing. Muscle is more dense than fat. You are losing fat and building new muscle. This keeps the weight near the same amount but explains the size difference.

(Allie) #3

Body re composition - decrease in fat, increase in muscle. Muscle weighs more physically but takes up less space.

(Kellie) #4

Makes sense ! Thank you!

(Bella) #5

Hi Kellie,

I threw the scales out because they lie:grin::grin::grin:
I go by my clothes which has helped because there have been times when I felt blah as if I had lost nothing but putting on my favourite jeans and discovering that I needed to pin or belt them was such a buzz. Also, my skin has developed a glow and I swear I look younger.
I find that watching the numbers on a scale distracts from what you are feeling or being in tune with what your body is telling you.
Well thats my experience - hope it helps

(LeeAnn Brooks) #6

Google images of “5 pounds of fat vs 5 pounds of muscle” and you will quickly understand how one can lose inches without ever having the scale budge.

(Kellie) #7

I just am confused how I can build muscle without doing any weights lol all I do is walk every day now

(Robert C) #8

It is true that muscle is much more dense than fat but, losing fat can happen relatively quickly - around a half pound a day fasting.

Adding muscle, without working out, would happen very slowly - if at all - without some new stress on the muscle (extra walks, new stair climbing habit, increasing workout time etc.).

Don’t forget - water counts too! If your dietary changes have caused you to retain extra water - which is almost exactly as dense as muscle - you’ll get the same effect. Measurements go down (water less dense) seemingly faster than scale weight going down (due to added water weight).

Here it says 400 extra milligrams of salt retains 2 pounds of water:

#9

@Ketokellie, that’s exactly what i was thinking too !

(Robert C) #10

Water retention might be the reason many newbies complain about small initial scale weight changes (or even increases) while they are taking the advice to increase salt intake.

#11

I wonder about this, too.

(Roy D Rushing Jr ) #12

I alway took it to mean that you’re eating at close to your maintenance calories, but through some combination of activity and food choices you’re stimulating muscle growth. The keto diet does some interesting things to your hormones that probably create a favorable environment for recomping. It preserves muscle by steering your body’s metabolism away from protein consumption, and it lowers insulin which should make your body somewhat resistant to storing energy as fat.