I am trying to think of a way to word this that makes sense. I am currently away from home and will not have access to a scale until mid-March. I still want a way to track my progress, and so I took some baseline measurements with a measuring tape. What I was wondering was, is there a way to roughly tell how much weight I am losing by my measurements, such as 5lbs = 1/4" less around the waist, etc?

And a similar question, how much weight needs to be lost before it shows up in lost inches? I am sure it varies by the individual and their own personal body composition, but some rough idea would be helpful for me. I need a way to keep myself motivated, and know whether my 1lb. per week goal is on track during this time.

Boy to be honest I have no idea. I know that even though I've only lost 8 lbs., already my jeans are fitting better and aren't so tight, so I'm guessing even like five pounds will show up. Hope someone else knows more than I do because I sure don't know.

It's not an exact science, it differs from person to person. As long as you continue getting smaller, enjoy.

That is a hard question to answer because I think it depends on so many different things. For example, are you exercising? What kinds, to what intensity, and how often? What are you eating?

I recently discovered that I have dropped a clothing size, and am smaller all over in my measurements, even though I have lost negligible scale weight. In the past, I needed to lose about 15 pounds to drop a clothing size, so it can even vary on a single person!

Just continue to do what you are doing, take care of yourself, and enjoy!

It really ranges dramatically. Some of us lose weight then inches. Others lose inches then weight (me!).

The one can go up/down (dramatically!) without affecting the other.

It also depends on how a person is built. Some people might lose weight from their waist first, while others will lose first from their hips or bust. I guess that's why it's important to take a full set of measurements periodically. I wish I had taken my own advice because the only measurement I have really taken over this past year has been my waist.

Thanks for all the input. I'm just going to have to be patient and hope that I will be able to tell a difference in my clothes. I've got no experience in knowing how my body sheds weight because I've never lost any before...just gone up and up. I will be really excited when I actually start to see results!

Everyone is different, for sure. But I can give you my stats as something to compare to!

When I went from 157 to 147, I lost...

Neck: 1"
Chest: 2"
Bicep: 1.5"
Forearm: 1"
Wrist: 0"
Waist: 0"
Hip: 1"
Thigh: 2"
Calf: 0.5"
Ankle: 0"

I carry most of my weight in my thighs, which is why it was going down faster than the rest of me.

I am also thigh challenged and it absolutely was the VERY last thing to go on me and I am hoping it will continue--when I go up a pound or two it is the first thing to get bigger!

I lost about 1 cm off my waist for every kg gone, so that`s about 1 inch for 5lb. A little less for hips and tummy.