How can my clothes be getting looser but my weight is staying the same/going up?

“Why choose to fail when success is an option?” 

Jillian Michaels (Black Team trainer on Biggest Loser)

Last week we talked about measuring the success of weight loss without letting the scale be the judge and jury. I briefly mentioned using the fit of your clothes as a tool to measure your success. If you missed last week’s post, CLICK HERE. 

I chose today’s topic because it’s a question I get pretty often and it is often the topic of conversation amongst those who are trying live a healthier lifestyle. The answer to the question is pretty simple. Muscle is more dense than fat. So what does that mean? It means that it takes less muscle than fat to equal one pound. Think of it like this, if you had a 1 pound bag of ground beef and a 1 pound bag of feathers which bag would be bigger? The feathers right? The ground beef is like your muscle and the feathers are like your fat. It takes a lot more fat to equal the same weight as muscle. 

The difference in density of muscle and fat is why your body weight can stay the same or increase even when your clothes are fitting more loosely. The closer you are to your ideal body weight and body fat percentage the more you will notice the disparity between the number on the scale and the fit of your clothes. If you are considered obese or morbidly obese you will mostly see your weight go down until you get closer the ideal body weight for your body.

When you workout and become more physically active you build muscle. It’s inevitable, it will happen even if building muscle isn’t your goal. Don’t worry, you won’t look like a body builder if that is one of your concerns, but you will be heavier and more dense. Be excited about that. You want more muscle. Muscle works for you, fat doesn’t. Adding muscle density will help ramp up your metabolism which will help you burn more calories, even when you’re just sitting around doing nothing. Don’t let the number on the scale discourage you. You’re on the right track. You chose to be successful, now enjoy that success. Reward yourself with a new pair of jeans!

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Next Week’s Topic: Eat This, Not That

Thanks for reading!

Your Friend,

RJ