How is it possible to lose inches but not pounds?

[carlaintexas]

How is that possible.. I guess I just don't understand the human body or something.. It would seem to me that if you lost inches those inches(weight mass) would have to go somewhere??

Please help this dumb Texan understand..ha.ha.

Thanks,
Carla

[kinderteach]

Well if you are losing inches and not pounds it means you have most likely lost fat but built muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat so the lost inches don't show on the scale.

[donkey23]

Originally Posted by kinderteach

Well if you are losing inches and not pounds it means you have most likely lost fat but built muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat so the lost inches don't show on the scale.

Ding ding ding ding. Not going to be able to say it better than that.

[carlaintexas]

Thank you both for your prompt replies..but I have another question....

If I am not exercising how could my body be making muscle mass?? I thought you had to exercise in order to build muscle??

I know I need to exercise but just haven't yet..
Thanks again,
Carla

[changing]

Sometimeswhen your fat stores get emptied out ,as part of weight loss, your body will put some water into where the fat used to be as a protective measure (trying to acheive homeostasis)... I read about it on this board. Sometimes the body will bring in as much volume of water to replace the fat (resulting in no loss of inches or weight) and then suddenly one day let it go, and you'll have lost both. Other times (which could be the case for what you're talking about), the body will bring in an equal WEIGHT of water to replace how much the fat weighed--water, like muscle, weighs a lot more than fat... so if your body is replacing fat based on weight then you will go down inches but weigh the same. Of course, it your body lets go of the water, the scale will go down in the second situation as well.

Whether your body brings in the water based on weight or volume makes a difference and has a lot to do with your physiology at any given moment in time.

I found this quite interesting when I learned about it.

[big_bad_john]

I wonder about this all the time too...

I often find like this week that I only lost 1lb in weight....but lost half an inch off all over my entire body!

guess in the words of an old friend of mine "whats wrong with you...don't curse it, enjoy it!"

[Isabeau]

I also think eventually the numbers on the scale catch up to the inches loss.

[cypressgirl]

Originally Posted by changing

Sometimeswhen your fat stores get emptied out ,as part of weight loss, your body will put some water into where the fat used to be as a protective measure (trying to acheive homeostasis)... I read about it on this board. Sometimes the body will bring in as much volume of water to replace the fat (resulting in no loss of inches or weight) and then suddenly one day let it go, and you'll have lost both. Other times (which could be the case for what you're talking about), the body will bring in an equal WEIGHT of water to replace how much the fat weighed--water, like muscle, weighs a lot more than fat... so if your body is replacing fat based on weight then you will go down inches but weigh the same. Of course, it your body lets go of the water, the scale will go down in the second situation as well.

Whether your body brings in the water based on weight or volume makes a difference and has a lot to do with your physiology at any given moment in time.

I found this quite interesting when I learned about it.

This is absolutely true. Every Atkineer should be familiar with this!

[staziaw]

My weight has stayed the same (darn scale), but I just checked my waist - another inch gone!!! I truly believe that it's the increased walking and sit-ups that are whittling down my size, but replacing icky fat with tight muscle has made the scale read the same.

My two cents!

Stacy

[ValidRouge]

I think Dr. Atkins addresses this phenomenon in his book. I can't recall the exact page...but I remember reading that people on Atkins will LOOK smaller (lose inches) but WEIGH more.