Scales and tape-measure = tag-team bullies

  • My weight tends to stick at the same pound for three weeks at a time, despite my healthy diet and 5 gym sessions per week - so I tried using the tape measure. I've had even less drops on the inches than on the scale! What gives? I've had comments from several people that I'm visibly losing weight, but there's no empirical evidence in the form of pounds or inches lost. I really don't get it. Am I just measuring in a slightly thicker place on my leg/waist/arm every single week just enough to keep the same measurement??
  • You have converted fat to muscle which weighs more but looks smaller? Not sure about this, but seems like I read it somewhere. I guess that doesn't explain why the tape measure doesn't show smaller. Very curious.
  • I wouldn't expect loads of inches dropping every week. I tend to lose 1/2 inch (at the most) for every 5 lbs I lose. Sometimes i'll drop inches in say my butt but not my stomach. How often are you measuring? It's best to only really measure every 1 or 2 weeks to see any difference.
  • It's a mystery. I can tell my shape has changed in the way my clothes fit. Some have just gotten big. Others just barely fit after being too small before. I've lost a few pounds, and people have commented on my appearance. Yet, according to the tape measure, I haven't even lost a fraction of an inch. In a couple of months, no less! I know it's not super accurate since I do it myself, but you'd think in a month's time I would see some small change. I mean, I'm obviously smaller! ???
  • It's possible to lose muscle mass when dieting, which is more dense and probably less noticeable in inches... Maybe people noticing are just now catching up? Wearing anything differently? You could be showing your loss in more noticeable places, like collar bones etc., while retaining in the places you normally measure. That happens to me... Otherwise I really don't have an answer... I'm sure if you stick to it though, it'll eventually show itself in inches and pounds. Maybe it's just yet another unexplained body fluke.