Can you explain this to me?
 

I have been steadily losing weight without too much problem and at first I was seeing inches lost as well but the last few weeks I'm losing weight but NOT seeing any inches lost at all. In fact, my thighs are actually an inch larger! Of course this is the place I'm most wanting to lose :(

I do cardio and weight train, and I know I'm not losing muscle. Not only am I getting stronger, but you can feel them and know they are larger than they were.

I weigh daily, first thing in the morning. I gained 5lbs last week that I assume was water weight from TOM because it's gone and took 2 more lbs with it.

I'm now down 5lbs from what I was when I was wearing the smallest clothes in my closet, yet they are tighter on me than they were when I bought them!! So why haven't my measurements changed any, or my clothes feeling any looser??

If you're building good leg muscles, that could make your thighs larger. As you continue to lose fat, that should change, if you carry a lot of fat on your thighs as well.

Don't be discouraged! It's probably a temporary situation.

Jay

I've actually not really been working legs for fear of building muscle and making them bigger than they already are until some fat has dropped off there. I have 22" thighs!! They are sooo out of proportion to my waist and butt that I have a really hard time finding pants. If they fit my thighs, they are huge in the tummy and rear.

I really need to buy new clothes that fit me, but at the same time I don't want to spend money when I know the new stuff will be too big on me in a month or two.

Well... maybe a reality check on your size might be in order. :) 22 inch thighs are not especially large--my thighs are 22 inches right now, and most people would not say I have large thighs. Perhaps you have an unrealistic idea of what large and small means?

Edited to add: What are your hip and waist measurements? I hear what you're saying about proportion.

Just about any type of cardio exercise will improve muscle tone in the legs--because after all, those are large muscles and get worked when we're doing stair stepper, treadmill, elliptical, etc. That may explain the increase.

Jay

I can relate. My 'inches' have jumped around the last couple months, which is when I have been hitting the gym (strength training and HIIT) quite hard. Last month my waist was a little bigger (I think an inch) and this month my hips are about an inch bigger. I am chalking it up to either my inability to measure correctly (and in the same spot!) or that I'm having a temporary increase in size due to my working out.

I keep trying to remember a slogan I read somewhere....."Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint." I know that in the long run, my measurements and the scale will go down, I just need to stay the course or tweek my plan a bit here and there - but not get frustrated and give up. In the big scheme of things, I can't afford to let a perceived increase derail me from the path I know will lead me to success.

Good luck and hang in there! Those inches WILL go down if you keep putting your health and fitness first.

In any case, measurements not being noticeably different each and every week is not a cause for concern. I usually tried to measure only once a month.

Also, do keep in mind that, sometimes, our bodies are just shaped a certain way. There are certain people who will always have hips that are, relative to their waists, bigger. It is the nature of body shape.

Just stick on your plan and try not to worry so much!