Are you on a weight loss journey? Have you been eating in a calorie deficit and working out regularly? You’re feeling like you’re losing inches but not weight? In this post, I’m going to quickly explain why you might be losing inches, but not weight, and in the simplest way, compare weight loss versus fat loss.
Why are you losing inches but not weight?
Let’s start by saying, most people who are on a weight loss journey are actually most likely on a fat loss journey. So even though most people are worried about that number going down, (I don’t know why society has forced people to care about that number on the scale),and if that’s you, don’t worry, I’m going to convince you by the end of this post, that it doesn’t matter. That aside, most people are more so looking to lose body fat and we call it “weight loss”. It’s just a general term, “I want to lose weight,” when really, you’re actually looking to lose body fat, to appear leaner, to appear stronger and possibly smaller. Truly if you are worried and only read this far, I want you to know that losing inches but not weight is OK!
this is the difference between weight loss and fat loss
Let’s talk about weight loss. Bodyweight is composed of bones, your muscles, your organs, water, poop, urine, blood, all these kind of things make up your entire body weight. Whereas body fat, it’s just body fat. So, when you’re looking at losing “weight” and seeing that number on the scale drop, the reason why it’s so frustrating and drives everybody crazy, by fluctuations going up two pounds down two pounds, up five pounds down four pounds, is because there are so many other factors that make up your body weight.
Why is the scale not moving?
If you’ve been strength training, if you’ve been exercising more than normal, if you’ve been eating in a calorie deficit and doing all the things properly, there’s a few reasons why the scale might not be moving. And the best reason of all is that you’re probably gaining some muscle mass. A lot of people say muscle weighs more than fat. I don’t really agree with that, because a pound of muscle is the same as a pound of fat. Let’s use the term, muscle is more dense than fat. So, if you lose fat and gain muscle, you will appear leaner and stronger.
So, if you’re on a journey and you are gaining muscle, but at the same time, you’re dropping a little bit of body fat, the scale isn’t going to tell you that that’s happening. This is where measurements, how your clothes feel, how you’re sleeping at night, how you’re getting stronger in the gym, how your energy levels are, all of these things are going to tell you that you’re probably losing body fat, and you’re doing the right things and to keep going. Now, if you use the scale as the only marker of this progress, it’s going to drive you crazy, and you’re never going to be able to stay motivated to keep going, because the scale can change on an hourly basis, let alone days, weeks. My personal body weight fluctuates around five pounds, depending on the time of the month, depending on the day. I would never use that as a marker of progress.
I have clients who I have this conversation with on a daily or weekly basis, who get on the scale every single morning and use that as a determinant to decide how their day is going to go. They might be feeling great. “Wow. I woke up. I feel lean. I feel smaller. My pants are fitting better,” and you get on the scale, and it’s either up a pound or it hasn’t moved. And that will determine your day, your mood. Why not just go with, “Wow. My pants feel better. I’m making progress. These pants didn’t fit yesterday. And now they fit.” That is progress. Who cares what that scale says?
You want to know why I don’t use the scale, as the only marker of progress for both myself and my personal training clients, watch this video right here. I break it all down for you as well as other ways you can use to track your weight loss progress.
So getting back on the topic of weight loss
Basically, if you really only cared about that number going down on the scale. I would tell you to do hours of cardio a day while eating in a calorie deficit and the scale will move. The problem with that is that, the scale will move, but are you going to keep the weight off? Is it sustainable weight loss? Can you keep up hours and hours of cardio, every single day, for the rest of your life? The second you stop doing that, you’re possibly going to gain the weight back, because you didn’t change your body composition. This brings us back to why the number on the scale going down shouldn’t be your only marker or progress and why losing inches but not weight is not necessarily a bad thing.
WHY WE FOCUS ON fat loss?
You’re building lean muscle that is going to raise your basal metabolic rate, so your metabolism when you’re just sitting around, doing nothing. I talk more about that, in this video right here. Having that lean muscle, you are then changing your body composition meaning you are going to appear leaner and other people are going to start to notice that you’re exercising. Your waist is going to get smaller (losing inches but not weight) and you’re going to get curvy, or you’re going to get lines in your arms like all of these things that come with fat loss. Maybe the scale will go down one pound or not move at all, but, does that matter? No, because in the end, as long as you’re healthy, you’re eating healthy, you’re exercising, your strength training, you feel good, you feel energized, you’re sleeping good, these are the things that matter.
I actually shared this picture above on my Instagram a few years ago, to show my two different body types, three months apart. One of them is one year postpartum, and then three months after that. The second picture, where I look a little bit leaner, I’m actually three pounds heavier. So, I’m about 148lbs in the picture on the left, and I’m about 152lbs in the picture on the right.
As you can see from those pictures, does it look like I gained three to four pounds? No, I actually look leaner, which means, after my pregnancy, I gained some of my muscle back and I appeared leaner. If I was using the scale as the only marker of progress or worried I was losing inches but not weight, maybe I would feel bad about myself. Or maybe I would think that I’m not making progress. This is where taking pictures of yourself comes into play, in is major key on a weight loss and/or fat loss journey.
But when we’re looking at fat loss, a scale is not going to tell you if you’ve lost body fat. It’s only going to tell you your body weight, water, bones, organs, muscles, all of these things. That’s where your pictures, your measurements, and you can get a scale that actually will tell you your body fat percentage. They’re not 100% accurate, but they’re fairly accurate.
Try a Smart Scale
I use a smart scale called the Fittrack Dara (Click here to check it out and use code ROOTSFIT20 for 20% off of your own scale) This scale will tell you your basal metabolic rate, your BMI, your body fat percentage, your muscle mass, your bone mass, your hydration level, and so many other things about your body, which is a way better way to track your progress, than just the number on the scale. This will help you further understand why you might be losing inches but not weight as you will be able to see your body composition changing.
the scale will go down eventually
If you’re on a weight loss journey the number one factor is to be patient. Keep your head down. Stay in your calorie deficit, continue to exercise, keep pushing yourself in the gym and have fun with it. Don’t get on that scale every day, and expect to see a change. Check in once a week, once a month, and see how things are going. But other than that, throw it out the window. Focus on how you feel, how you’re sleeping, how your clothes are fitting. If your measurements are changing, if your energy levels are feeling good, these are all great markers of your progress and your overall health.
I have worked with so many clients who have gone through plateaus and dips and ups and downs as well as losing inches but not weight. The one thing that got them through and got them to their weight loss goal, is being consistent and being patient. So, don’t think that things are going to happen overnight. Don’t expect weight loss to happen in a week. If you haven’t been doing anything to try and lose weight for the last year, and you’ve been eating healthy for two weeks, don’t expect yourself to lose 20 pounds.
I hope this helped You
So if you searched for losing inches but not weight, I really hope that if you’re somewhere on this journey, that this blog (or YouTube Video) helps change your mind, and helps you rethink that the scale will go down eventually, but let’s focus on some other things first, and this is why that’s happening.
And if you’re looking for the best form of exercise to lose weight and to lose inches, and start to do all of the things that I’ve been talking about in this blog, check out this video right here, weightlifting versus cardio. Which is the best? I break it all down for you what each of them is going to do for you on your weight loss journey. And I’ve also been talking a lot about calorie deficit. If you’re not sure about what a calorie deficit is, check out this video right here. And if you want to learn how to calculate your calorie deficit, check out this video right here. I’ve got all the things to help you guys on your fitness and fat loss journey, and make it the healthiest and most enjoyable and less stressful possible.
Go Take Progress Pics and Measurements Now
Start taking pictures and measurements. to track your progress in combination to the scale. I always force all of the clients that I work with, to take before pictures, this is the time that no one wants to take a picture of themselves, but I always say, “You’re going to kick yourself if you don’t have these pictures.”. Even if you don’t feel comfortable in your own skin or you don’t like the way you look, take those pictures and put them in your own phone. No one else has to see them, but this is how you’re going to track your progress. Every six weeks, take the pictures again, and put them side by side, and watch the changes happen. I promise you, this person you are right now, you won’t remember what you were six week, six months from now, you won’t remember this person. If you have pictures, it’s not so much for proof to put on social media, it’s for your own eyes, because we don’t know what that scale is going to tell you. These pictures are going to speak a thousand words on your progress versus the scale.
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