Question on inches

#1

So prior to Keto I was doing Herbalife (2 shakes a day healthy meal) I just maintained on it (granted I would binge on nachos and goodies on the weekend. My friend was the Herbalife coach and she knows I’m now doing Keto! She wanted me to come weigh in anyways and compare measurements ! She has one of those omron scales that does the percentages. So day 10 of Keto I’m down 8lbs on her scale from last weigh in up on muscle mass down on body fat and more hydrated yay!! Now the weird part :confused: she took my measurements again and I was UP around my hips and tummy an inch on each :thinking: Could this just be user error or is this common? Any thoughts :slight_smile:

(Bart) #2

It is not weird at all. An inch every about every 10 pounds of fat you lose is a good estimate (may be closer to 8.5 pounds but 10 is a nice number.) I found this to be true when I lost my 60 pounds. Now if you are gaining muscle you can be losing inches and not weight so keep that in mind.

(Bart) #3

Damn, I just reread your post and misunderstood it the first time. I wonder if the hydration is playing a part in the increased size. I dunno. Odd one, has me stumped

#4

Me too :confused: could it be I was measure in the evening rather than morning? I dunno

(Bart) #5

Wish I could tell you, the measuring thing is odd. I always weigh myself in the AM due to less fluid weight in order to get a more accurate actual weight, but I am not sure how size is affected. When I was regularly measuring myself I did it in the AM, weight and measurements at the same time. I think any time you collect data you should try to be consistent in order to get the most accurate results in order to see the trends.

#6

It’s possible to have repeatability problems with the measurements. As in human error doing the measurement.

(Douglas) #7

Probably due to taking the measurements at different times of day. If the original measurements were taken early in the day and the second set later in the day, the results are not unexpected

#8

Could easily be error I would say. The best thing is to measure yourself in the morning when you get up same time. You need consistency with measuring. Same goes for weight.

I also call error simply from the other measurements. Have you also done blood tests? It would be great to be able to show her what is going on inside too especially sugar and A1c.

Herbalife was the first diet I ever did aged around 14! So I do not think of it fondly.

(Kathy Meyer) #9

As a formerly morbidly obese person, but still very “squishy,” I could never get accurate measurements, especially of my waist. It depends on how you hold the tape measure, how much you pull it, etc. etc. – I bet I could have a 5 inch difference. What I started doing (knowing it wouldn’t be accurate for clothing purposes) is just to pull the tape measure pretty hard – that way I could compare over time – also pulling just as hard. Now, if anyone else measured me, they’d probably be a few inches more because they aren’t going to use the same method. My stomach area is the hardest for me to lose, so I’ve probably only lost 5 inches in 80 pounds, but progress, nevertheless.

#10

Fat% and other info from scale methods (that send signals through the body and measure return and such) are usually considered highly inaccurate, so I’d question those. They are likely also thrown off by changes in hydration in the body, and various other factors. So, if you are just basing things on that, it could be that you are retaining less water and have changed other factors in your composition that results in lowered numbers that may or may not be accurate. It’s hard to say, just speculation.

On the other hand, it could also be that you really have gained an inch in some places but lost fat in other places. Usually you don’t want extra around your tummy area, but if it’s now on the outside instead of the inside (around your organs) that could be a good thing.

But, 10 days in is an odd time. Your body isn’t adapted yet, it’s still doing some weird changes, and likely you are still learning how to use the diet properly and adjust for needs (hell, some of us that have been doing this for years are still learning and tuning). That’s just to say anything could be going on.

(Tom) #11

1: Tape measures can have human error (your friend may unknowingly mismeasure, either innocently or as part of some unconscious desire to see you return to Herbalife). I recommend getting something like a myotape, so that the only tension placed is the one from the spring, and it’s consistent from use to use.
2: Location creep: it’s possible that the measurements aren’t in quite the same spot. I"m not above taking a picture of the tape location or making a couple of small dots with a sharpie to get consistent placement.
3: Don’t discount time of day. It’s important to do the same time of day to reduce variables, but I’d even go farther and say it would be best to measure first thing in the morning after a decent nights sleep, before you eat. You could do it other times, but variations in intake from day to day might skew things.
4: Don’t forget shark week! If you’re tracking your measurements, it would probably be a good idea to note where you are in your cycle, and to keep that in mind when comparing measurements within one cycle. After a few months, you’ll then be able to compare the same times across your cycles and see how you’re doing.
5: Ignore the Omron and bioelectric impedance things. Too many variables can affect their readings, and some people like myself read the same BF % even after dropping 70+ lbs (266-190), which I’m pretty sure is biologically implausible.

(Stickin' with mammoth) #12

Everything Tom said. Also, you know your body better than anybody, and you know how you fit in certain clothes. I recommend keeping a pair of non-stretchy “measuring pants” around to slip into once a month. Exact numbers aren’t really the point, it’s about getting to where you feel good.

(MooBoom) #13

you had a whole day’s food and fluid in your tummy by the end of the day- it’s reasonable to expect that to reflect in your measurement.

Anyway it’s only one measurement, hardly a trend yet and we women folk are notorious for fluctuating. I wouldn’t worry.