Losing inches but not weight without exercise?

#1

I have been on the keto diet before with success both in lost inches and weight. This time around I have been on the diet almost 3 weeks. I have not gone above 25 net carbs daily. I check my ketone levels in my blood every 1-2 days, fluctuate between 0.5 and 2.2 depending on the time of day. I have lost maybe a pound. My clothes feel looser, so I assume I am losing inches, or prob cm at this point heading towards inches. I could understand this if f I was working out, however I have not done any cardio or strength training. Has this happened to anyone? Did the weight loss eventually catch up?

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #2

If you are losing inches, why do you feel a need to lose weight?

As @Aqua_chonk once remarked, the question is, “Would you rather look thirty pounds thinner, and still weigh the same; or lose those thirty pounds, but still look just as heavy?”

#3

I would actually like to do both. I am just confused as to why I am maintaining my weight, but losing inches, without actively building muscle.

#4

I heard stories where that happened.
I don’t see why the weight matters at all (beyond the level where it inevitably translates into too much fat or too little fat and muscle)… I have no problem with my weight, I just don’t have enough muscle and have too much fat at the moment. I never could understand why the weight itself would matter.

You lose inches and it seems you can afford that so you do it right, good job!

I understand being curious though. Sadly I can’t help. If it’s a little weight, it can be water, our bodyweight can fluctuate a lot (or stay the same while losing fat)… But I don’t know more.

(Joey) #5

Greetings @Lisa115 and welcome.

I must say I’m a bit confused… You’ve been at it for 3 weeks and are not satisfied with the results? What were you realistically expecting after 3 weeks? How long have you been eating the way you were before 3 weeks ago?

Virtually all of the weigh one might lose within the first few weeks of carb-restriction is H2O. Were you trying to jettison water to lose weight?

You are not exercising. Is there a reason you do not? Are you afraid of gaining weight through muscle building?

I guess what I’m really trying to better understand is what you are trying to accomplish through keto. Without a clearer sense for your long term goals, it’s pretty hard to offer any reaction to your disappointment after 3 weeks of trying something again that seems to have worked for you once in the past over a longer stretch of time.

#6

I never said I was disappointed. It was a general question as to why that may happen. I am certified as a personal trainer, I understand how to build lean muscle etc. I would love to start exercising again, I just moved, I run my own business, and I have three children so my schedule at the moment is full. Keto seems to be one of the best ways I have found to lower my cholesterol so that is one reason, another is the extra weight I had put on in the last few years. I asked the question because my previous experience following the diet, I weighed less than I do now, yet lost 12 pounds in 4 weeks, plus inches.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #7

It has been known to happen. I had a period of twelve months after my main fat loss, during which I continued to get thinner, but my weight remained the same. Obviously, I was adding lean mass equivalent to the fat mass I was losing. And since I am a couch potato, I did not gain lean tissue from exercise. Also remember, bone density counts as lean mass, so that may have been part of it, too.

(Allie) #8

Is it possible you were under-eating protein or just calories generally before keto as that could trigger your body to start repairing its lean mass if it now suddenly getting what it needs?