Losing inches but no pounds. Very down about it.

Eimee90

Hey guys, I’m really confused at the moment about my fitness. I’m quite overweight so about 4 weeks ago I started a personal training programme. It’s great. I do 2 Personal trainings a week, weights and HIIT excercises and then I do an hour long cardio session on the cross trainer myself the other 4 days with one day off usually a Sunday.

Food wise I’m very controlled. Weetabix for breakfast and soup for lunch. Chicken breast and roast veg for dinner. No alcohol or processed foods.

Thing is I’m not going down on the scale. I’ve lost little to no pounds in the last 4 weeks give or take two. Yet I’ve lost 7 inches of my belly button when measured and people have commented on it.

I feel upset though as the scale looks no different to when I started and so when I’m weighed every week by my PT , it looks like I’ve done nothing.

Can I have some advice. Thanks so much

troyzer

You're not going to lose weight quickly if you're also doing a weight programme. If you're losing belly fat but not weight then what's happening is your lean mass is increasing as quickly as your body fat is reducing.

That's not really a bad thing.

Eimee90

Eimee90 wrote: »

Hey guys, I’m really confused at the moment about my fitness. I’m quite overweight so about 4 weeks ago I started a personal training programme. It’s great. I do 2 Personal trainings a week, weights and HIIT excercises and then I do an hour long cardio session on the cross trainer myself the other 4 days with one day off usually a Sunday.

Food wise I’m very controlled. Weetabix for breakfast and soup for lunch. Chicken breast and roast veg for dinner. No alcohol or processed foods.

Thing is I’m not going down on the scale. I’ve lost little to no pounds in the last 4 weeks give or take two. Yet I’ve lost 7 inches of my belly button when measured and people have commented on it.

I feel upset though as the scale looks no different to when I started and so when I’m weighed every week by my PT , it looks like I’ve done nothing.

Can I have some advice. Thanks so much

Your exercise will be generating muscle growth. Focus on the inches coming off, the rest will come

B-D-P--

Anybody you talk to in gym, including you instructors will tell you the same (Correct) answer.

You building muscle.
Dont worry, your not going to look like arnie Schwarzenegger, its small growth.
However Muscle is twice the weight of fat.

So lose 2lbs fat but gain a little muscle, the scales wont change.

This is very good by the way, Dont use scales as method of measurement, use the mirror.
Find a dress you want to fit into, leave it out hanging, and look at it everytime you pass as motivation.

When you started, I bet you were sore all over, thats muscles you havent used in years getting a work out, these are repairing themselves, and thats where your extra weight comes in.
This weight is good weight. Trust me on this

Eimee90

I can definitely see my body changing I had terrible roles of fat on my stomach area and these have completely reduced , it’s the scales that are getting me so upset. If inches are coming off I’m definitely losing weight somewhat am I? I just don’t want to be a big muscle heavy person but still be fat.

Eimee90

Eimee90 wrote: »

I can definitely see my body changing I had terrible roles of fat on my stomach area and these have completely reduced , it’s the scales that are getting me so upset. If inches are coming off I’m definitely losing weight somewhat am I? I just don’t want to be a big muscle heavy person but still be fat.

To put it bluntly (I was the same so bear with me)
You were not exercising so would have had very little muscle at all, not even enough to do regular exercise.
You are just gaining basic muscle structure to do your routine but it weighs a lot, compared to the fat you are losing.

This is a good thing

pinkypinky

Have you talked to your trainer about this?
Are you drinking enough water?

If you weren't doing much exercise before and have now a 6 days a week program, as well as controlling your diet, it does seem surprising that there'd be no difference on the scales.

Weigh only once a week at the same time of the day before you get dressed so you create the same conditions.

B-D-P--

Eimee90 wrote: »

I just don’t want to be a big muscle

You wont, Unless you start whopping in protein shakes 4 times a day, theres no worry of it.
Weights are for men is a old age myth, and the muscle you are building is toning muscle, not popeye biceps muscle.

Nekarsulm

Its great to lose the "spare tyre", but you can't change half a lifetimes generated body shape in a month.
As has been explained, muscle weights twice as much as fat.
Throw the bloody scales away (or at least stick them in the attic or somewhere inacessable) and keep up the good work!

pinkypinky

Nekarsulm wrote: »

As has been explained, muscle weights twice as much as fat.

A kilo of fat weighs the same as a kilo of muscle but the latter is more compact.

TheBoyConor

You are losing fat and gaining some muscle. Don't mind the scales - all it tells you is your weight - it doesn't tell you anything about how much fat you've lost or how much muscle you've gained. You should be using your bodyfat percentage as the real measure of your progress. Also you should be happy that you are getting fitter, healthier and stronger. That is the real pay off.

don't worry, you won't become all ripped and muscular. Trust me. It doesn't happen just like that unfortunately. Ask anyone in the gym who bodybuilds - they will tell you how difficult it is and how much dedication to working out and diet they have to put in to get muscular. And that's the guys, it's much harder again for women to put on significant muscle.

pinkypinky

pinkypinky wrote: »

A kilo of fat weighs the same as a kilo of muscle but the latter is more compact.

So they are correct in terms of volume, which is wha the OP is seeing. Same weight but smaller frame

accensi0n

Can much muscle be gained in 4 weeks in a calorie deficit?

accensi0n

accensi0n wrote: »

Can much muscle be gained in 4 weeks in a calorie deficit?

Yes, plenty of calories in the fat being lost. As long as nutrients are being balanced and water taken

Mr. CooL ICE

It's 4 weeks. That's a very short amount of time.

Ignore the scales and concentrate on how your clothes fit. That's a better indicator than anything else.

_Brian

Eimee90 wrote: »

Hey guys, I’m really confused at the moment about my fitness. I’m quite overweight so about 4 weeks ago I started a personal training programme. It’s great. I do 2 Personal trainings a week, weights and HIIT excercises and then I do an hour long cardio session on the cross trainer myself the other 4 days with one day off usually a Sunday.

Food wise I’m very controlled. Weetabix for breakfast and soup for lunch. Chicken breast and roast veg for dinner. No alcohol or processed foods.

Thing is I’m not going down on the scale. I’ve lost little to no pounds in the last 4 weeks give or take two. Yet I’ve lost 7 inches of my belly button when measured and people have commented on it.

I feel upset though as the scale looks no different to when I started and so when I’m weighed every week by my PT , it looks like I’ve done nothing.

Can I have some advice. Thanks so much

The thing is people see you and not your scales.
I’d suggest pushing the scales way in under the bed and leaving them there.

You’ve made amazing progress and you should be damn proud, it’s great that people are noticing and this should be motivation for you to continue on your journey. I bet you feel fitter and younger along with loosing 7inches of your waste.

I read a great article about the fallacy of measuring by numbers, there’s always a smaller or bigger number and so people get obsesssed with the next, next, next and are never really satisfied.

Be proud of your progress and push on.

Well done !

troyzer

accensi0n wrote: »

Can much muscle be gained in 4 weeks in a calorie deficit?

No, which is what has me more confused.

SSr0

B-D-P-- wrote: »

the muscle you are building is toning muscle

Hahahahaha.

What does that even mean?

B-D-P--

pinkypinky wrote: »

A kilo of fat weighs the same as a kilo of muscle but the latter is more compact.

To be fair, thats just less clear way of what we said..
Its another way of saying muscle is twice weight of fat.
(Yes of course we mean pound for pound)

B-D-P--

SSr0 wrote: »

Hahahahaha.

What does that even mean?

In regards to size, if your going to quote, quote the whole sentence!

Anyways, adding to ignore list, have better things to do than argue with fools.

Well done OP, keep it up.

RIGOLO

your doing great...
4 weeks and 7 inches lost...
and you have a very controlled diet... and seem disciplined.
You sound like you have good genes and pre-disposed to fitness, if you have converted that much fat to muscle and also taken on a very aggressive schedule in such a short space of time.

stick with it, dont worry about the weight, it will show up on the scales in due course.
Have the weights program your doing with the PT become easier for you, have you increased the size or reps you are doing?

Did you get into this to change the numbers on the weighing scale or to get healthy fit and feel your happier with your body shape ?
Think long term, give it a couple of more months.

Alf Veedersane

Dole Scrounging Vegan Crossfitter wrote: »

It's 4 weeks. That's a very short amount of time.

Ignore the scales and concentrate on how your clothes fit. That's a better indicator than anything else.

This.

OP, you're being upset for the wrong reasons. You want to look and feel better and you do. You can see the physical changes...that is the important factor.

4 weeks isn't long enough to build muscle to offset the amount of fat the OP seems to have lost. But it could simply be water retention or something completely unrelated to fat.

Trust the process and stop defining progress simply by the number on the scales. If you're losing fat and can see that you look like you've lost it and you can see that you've lost it, isn't that ultimately what you're trying to achieve.

Eimee90

RIGOLO wrote: »

your doing great...
4 weeks and 7 inches lost...
and you have a very controlled diet... and seem disciplined.
You sound like you have good genes and pre-disposed to fitness, if you have converted that much fat to muscle and also taken on a very aggressive schedule in such a short space of time.

stick with it, dont worry about the weight, it will show up on the scales in due course.
Have the weights program your doing with the PT become easier for you, have you increased the size or reps you are doing?

Did you get into this to change the numbers on the weighing scale or to get healthy fit and feel your happier with your body shape ?
Think long term, give it a couple of more months.

Thanks, I was very fit when I was a teen and I just got into such bad habits. Went the other way. I do feel good. My fitness is up and I love it but I just feel shame when on the scales. My boyfriend keeps joking he can wrap his arms around me twice, I need to be more positive I think.

Peregrinus

Don't be down. As others have said, your exercise regime has caused you to gain muscle and this is offsetting the fat you are losing - in weight, but not in bulk, which is why you're getting thinner but not lighter.

But this is a temporary phenomenon. Unless you constantly step up your exercise regime muscle gain will level off, whereas so long as your diet remains in calorie deficit weight loss will continue. So at some point - I would think probably quite soon - you will notice your weight starting to decline.

I'd advise weighing yourself infrequently, maybe once a week, always at the same time of day and in the same conditions - immediately on rising and before eating or drinking anything is a good time. Pay no attention to short-term fluctuations in weight (or the lack of them); what matters here is the long term trend that emerges over several weeks. In the meantime congratulate yourself for your reduced waistline; this is a real win.

LuckyLloyd

Eimee90 wrote: »

Yet I’ve lost 7 inches of my belly button when measured and people have commented on it.

This is amazing progress, congratulations. Everything you're doing is obviously working and you're going in the right direction - keep it up.

Eimee90

Thank you guys, I’m happily overwhelmed by the great advice here. A month ago I felt like getting to this point was never going to happen.

silverharp

Eimee90 wrote: »

Food wise I’m very controlled. Weetabix for breakfast and soup for lunch. Chicken breast and roast veg for dinner. No alcohol or processed foods.

firstly well done , From my perspective your diet looks a little anaemic, if you are not having any cravings and you find the diet easy to follow then I guess keep doing what you are doing but I wouldn’t class Wheetabix as the breakfast of champions, have a boiled egg or 2 for breakfast or make an omelette with some spinach or other green veg and find a way to get the odd avocado into your diet. Ask yourself what way you are happy to eat for the next 6 months or a year?

seefin

Exercise can cause water and glycogen weight gain. Google it , alot of information. I gained 3lbs when started weightlifting . When I took a month off lifting a few years ago (without changing my diet) I lost 4 lbs . When started back lifting, out on same 4 lbs . Important thing is measurements. You're obviously losing fat

Dtp1979

B-D-P-- wrote: »

You wont, Unless you start whopping in protein shakes 4 times a day, theres no worry of it.
Weights are for men is a old age myth, and the muscle you are building is toning muscle, not popeye biceps muscle.

I don’t know where to start. Good lord.
Ok first, can I get the brand name of this protein please? Pretty please.