As you work out, you are building lean muscle which weighs exactly the same as fat but is leaner. if your clothes are looser but the scale is the same, this is because of the lean muscle you have built. Building lean muscle has lots of benefits.
If you've been exercising as part of your weight-loss efforts, you may notice that your body looks and feels thinner, but that the number on the scale doesn't budge. This is because you are likely building muscle while losing some fat. Muscle tissue is denser than fat, so a pound of it takes up less space.
It's possible to get thinner without actually seeing a change in your weight. This happens when you lose body fat while gaining muscle. Your weight may stay the same, even as you lose inches, a sign that you're moving in the right direction.
Since dense muscle tissue takes up less space than fat, it's possible you may weigh the same (or even more) yet appear slimmer than another person with the same weight, a similar height and frame because of the difference in your body composition.”
It's because your body's composition is changing. Your body is turning fat into muscle. This is especially true if you're regularly exercising. Your body's fat is transforming into muscle, which is good news!
Muscle is denser than fat, and as it is more compact within your body, as you gain muscle mass, you end up looking thinner, no matter your physical weight. So, if you've been doing a lot of strength training lately, it's likely this is the reason that you're looking fantastic but not dropping those numbers.
When you're working out intensely and were regular for a month, after that time period, you will notice microtear in the muscle tissues. To reduce any permanent and severe damage, the body automatically generates extra fluid to those muscles, and thus your body can start looking fatter after a month's workout.
In reality, this weight gain is temporary and nothing to worry about. It's impossible to gain five pounds of fat in a day – to do this, you'd have to eat over 20,000 calories in 24 hours. When your scale shows a higher number, it's usually water weight.
A combination of things happens as we age. We tend to lose muscle mass, so our abdominal muscles aren't as tight as they once were, and the loss of elastin and collagen in our skin allows gravity to have its way so skin starts to sag. Both can cause the waistline to expand.
Why Does My Weight Fluctuate So Much? Since many people can't eat enough in a day or two to actually gain 5 or 10 pounds, if you notice a dramatic increase on the scale, chances are it's due to water, says Anita Petruzzelli, M.D., doctor for BodyLogicMD.
While it's a myth that muscle weighs more than fat—after all, a pound is a pound—it is denser, which means it takes up less space in the body. This may explain why you look slimmer but the scale hasn't budged. Water weight could also be a factor, according to strength and conditioning coach Brandon Mentore.
Most researchers agree that it's best to weigh yourself first thing in the morning. That way, you're more likely to make it a habit and be consistent with it. Weighing yourself in the morning helps especially with age-related gains, which can be more difficult to control.
For people trying to lose weight, it might feel as if all fat is the same. But there are two different types of fat: visceral and subcutaneous. Subcutaneous fat is the jiggly fat visible just under the skin. Subcutaneous fat is normally harmless and may even protect against some diseases .
YOUR BODY COMPOSITION IS CHANGING
When the scale doesn't move, you are losing body fat while gaining muscle. Your weight may stay the same, even as you lose inches, a sign that you're moving in the right direction.
In terms of how your body looks, “it usually takes 4 weeks for your friends to notice weight loss, and 6–8 weeks for you to notice,” says Ramsey Bergeron, a certified personal trainer. “Your friends who don't see you every day are much more likely to see a change than someone you're around all the time,” he adds.
In general, it takes about 8 pounds to lose your first inch. That is because most of it will be water weight. A more rapid drop of your pounds in the first weeks of your journey is normal, precisely because of water weight.
There are many reasons why people gain belly fat, including poor diet, lack of exercise, and stress. Improving nutrition, increasing activity, and making other lifestyle changes can all help. Belly fat refers to fat around the abdomen.
One easy way to tell the difference between bloat and belly fat is to note belly fat does not cause your stomach to expand wildly throughout the course of a day; bloat does. One other way to tell the difference between bloat and belly fat is you can physically grasp belly fat with your hand, you cannot with bloat.
Bloating Is Localized While Belly Fat Is Widespread
One easy way to tell the difference between bloating and belly fat is that, with bloating, only the stomach expands due to the excess gas accumulation. You will likely notice other bulges with excess fat, particularly on the abdomen, thighs, hips, and back.
"Food eaten at night is more often stored as fat because we tend to be less active, so we increase fat storage at that time, especially depending on the composition of the food you ate later in the evening," says Dr. Covington. Carbs, specifically, if not burned, are then stored as fat, she adds.
Glycogen or sugar that your muscle cells convert to glucose is the energy source for your muscles. When you exercise regularly, your body stores more glycogen to fuel that exercise. Stored in water, glycogen has to bind with water as part of the process to fuel the muscle. That water adds a small amount of weight, too.
Daily weight fluctuation is normal. The average adult's weight fluctuates up to 5 or 6 pounds per day. It all comes down to what and when you eat, drink, exercise, and even sleep. Read on to learn more about how these factors affect the scale and when to weigh yourself for the most accurate results.
Women tend to lose weight all over, and experience fat loss first in their belly, breasts, and arms. Generally the last area they lose weight is from their lower body (hips and thighs). Depending on body shape, men generally tend to lose fat first from their trunk, followed by their arms and then their legs.
READ MORE > SHOULD YOU LIFT WEIGHTS TO FAILURE? Fact: Heavy weights build strength, which helps you maintain muscle while losing fat. Lifting heavy weights with low reps won't help you lose much weight, but it will help you maintain hard-earned muscle while losing fat.
The main culprit behind weight gain in your thighs is estrogen. This hormone drives the increase in fat cells in females, causing deposits to form most commonly around the buttocks and thighs.