Waist girth loss but no weight loss

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

Stefan - 20 Mar 2004 09:15 GMT

Date: Sat, 20 Mar 2004 08:19:34 -0000
Reply-To: dont@spam.me
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-15"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Newsreader: MicroPlanet Gravity v2.60

I am puzzled by the fact that my waist girth is reducing but my weight
is not.

I am male, 5' 9" and currently around 160lb. And before anyone tells me
I am not overweight, my build is slight and I have a substantial spare
tyre which I have resolved to lose.

I've been on Atkins for just over a month. In induction I lost 7.5 lbs,
mostly water I assume. Since then I have upped carbs to around 30g/day
and although I have not counted I believe I am eating 1500-1800
calories/day. After not doing much exercise in several months, I am now
doing 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise 2-3 times a week;
otherwise I am sedentary.

In the first week of OWL I lost another 1.5lb but since then have
plateau'd, although my weight is oscillating up and down daily by 0.5-
1lb. However, since I started measuring my waist girth two weeks ago, it
has steadily reduced by one inch. From tables I have seen, this seems to
correspond to a fat loss of 3-4lb. My average weight has not shifted in
that time. I have remained steadily in ketosis.

Now since it is the spare tyre I have set out to lose, I am perfectly
happy if my waist girth reduces regardless of any weight loss. However I
am puzzled as to what it going on. I would like to believe I am building
muscle and losing fat, but given that I am only doing moderate aerobic
exercise, that seems unlikely. So what is happening?

Reply to this Message

Aramanth Dawe - 20 Mar 2004 10:50 GMT

<snip>

>Now since it is the spare tyre I have set out to lose, I am perfectly
>happy if my waist girth reduces regardless of any weight loss. However I
>am puzzled as to what it going on. I would like to believe I am building
>muscle and losing fat, but given that I am only doing moderate aerobic
>exercise, that seems unlikely. So what is happening?

This is EXACTLY the pattern my DH has seen. His weight loss has been
minimal by the scales (he's followed a low-carb program for over a
year now and lost perhaps 10 lb in that year) BUT his belly has
dumped more than 10 inches (he's always going to have an apparent
belly because of some congenital problems and the surgery to fix
them), his chest and hips more than 5 inches and there are muscles
popping out all over him.

His life is very sedentary - he's a research scientist so he spends
much of every day sitting at a computer terminal. He plays golf once
or twice a week in summer but nothing at all in winter except walking
from the office to his car and back again. Yet muscle development is
happening anyway.

Adequate protein intake, especially if you've not been eating enough
protein ('low-fat' dieters are notorious for this) can certainly
result in a period of muscle rebuilding in the early days of LC.

I'm glad it's working for you. Enjoy your renewed health and slimmer
waistline.

Aramanth

Reply to this Message

revek - 20 Mar 2004 10:51 GMT

Stefan burbled across the ether:

> Date: Sat, 20 Mar 2004 08:19:34 -0000
> Reply-To: dont@spam.me
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> months, I am now doing 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise 2-3
> times a week; otherwise I am sedentary.

Well here's the thing. Excercise encreases both water retention in the
muscles for various reasons, and creates more muscle tissue. Muscle
tissue is denser than fat, so while your waist slims down your weight
might not change much.

> In the first week of OWL I lost another 1.5lb but since then have
> plateau'd, although my weight is oscillating up and down daily by 0.5-
> 1lb.

Water fluctuation.

However, since I started measuring my waist girth two weeks ago,

> it has steadily reduced by one inch. From tables I have seen, this
> seems to correspond to a fat loss of 3-4lb. My average weight has not
> shifted in that time. I have remained steadily in ketosis.

Regular 'lowfat' 'lowcal' weight loss charts. They don't really
translate well to lowcarb, because on those kinds of diets losing 3-4
pounds can be as much muscle tissue and water as fat, if not more.

> Now since it is the spare tyre I have set out to lose, I am perfectly
> happy if my waist girth reduces regardless of any weight loss.
> However I am puzzled as to what it going on. I would like to believe
> I am building muscle and losing fat, but given that I am only doing
> moderate aerobic exercise, that seems unlikely. So what is happening?

Depends. :) You may gain muscle tissue very easily (being male, that is
quite possible), or it may be water retention which will pass as soon as
you stop excersizing (2 or 3 days to drop the water).

You have now been graced with all I know on the subject. <I am not an
excersize guru>

Signature

revek www.geocities.com/tanirevek/LowCarb.html lowcarbing since June
2002 5'2" 41 F 165+/too much/size seven petite please
A rant a day keeps the white coats away. -KellyAnn

Reply to this Message

Ross Himes - 20 Mar 2004 14:37 GMT

> Now since it is the spare tyre I have set out to lose, I am perfectly
> happy if my waist girth reduces regardless of any weight loss. However I
> am puzzled as to what it going on. I would like to believe I am building
> muscle and losing fat, but given that I am only doing moderate aerobic
> exercise, that seems unlikely. So what is happening?

You are getting in shape............... How old are you?

Ross

Reply to this Message

Stefan - 20 Mar 2004 17:08 GMT

> > Now since it is the spare tyre I have set out to lose, I am perfectly
> > happy if my waist girth reduces regardless of any weight loss. However I
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> You are getting in shape............... How old are you?

I'm 44. I had major abdominal surgery 3 years ago and had steadily been
putting on weight since then. I also think I've had a chronic yeast
infection since the surgery, which the low-carb diet seems to have
killed off. I don't know if that is playing any part.

Reply to this Message

Cubit - 20 Mar 2004 15:36 GMT

In addition to what was already said, losing weight near one's normal weight
goes very slowly. Reading the statistics from low carbers who are very
large (like me) can create unrealistic expectations.

You are doing great. Be patient.

Cubit
308/263.5/165
2.3+ pounds per week

> Date: Sat, 20 Mar 2004 08:19:34 -0000
> Reply-To: dont@spam.me
[quoted text clipped - 29 lines]
> muscle and losing fat, but given that I am only doing moderate aerobic
> exercise, that seems unlikely. So what is happening?

Reply to this Message