If you're trying to lose weight and improve your health, but the scale isn't budging, don't be discouraged. It's possible to lose inches without losing weight. This happens when you lose body fat while gaining muscle. The process of gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time is called body recomposition.
Most scales don't differentiate between the amounts of body and muscle fat you have, so your weight can stay the same even if you lose centimeters, a sign you're moving in the right direction. Muscle is denser than fat, meaning it takes up less space in the body. So if you lose 3 pounds of fat, but gain 3 pounds of muscle, the scale won't change at all. However, this is why you lose centimeters, look different and your clothes probably fit better on you. Weight loss plateaus are also common and can occur when you follow a calorie-restricted diet that has helped you lose weight at first, but after a certain period of time, it shows no difference in your weight. Plateau occurs when you follow a calorie-deficient diet for a sufficiently long period of time.
The body adapts to deficient calories and the metabolism slows down, thus slowing down the rate at which you lose weight. If you find that you're losing weight but your waist isn't getting any smaller, there are a few things you can do to break the stagnation. You can take a dietary break or adjust your calories according to your needs. If you have a lot of inflammation, an anti-inflammatory diet may help decrease it better. It's also important to remember that a typical scale shows your weight, but it doesn't tell you how much of that weight corresponds to muscles, fat, water, bones or organs. Knowing how much of your body contains “bad fat” and how much contains “fat-free mass” and “good fat” can help you with your weight loss process. If you're trying to lose weight and improve your health, don't be discouraged by the scale.
Other positive changes in fitness include feeling less fatigued during workouts, being able to lift heavier weights and recovering faster between training sessions. When you start a strength training routine, you'll store additional muscle glycogen which will mean storing some extra water weight. You'll see weight changes throughout the day depending on what you eat and drink, how often you go to the bathroom or if you're holding water. If you lose fat and build muscle at the same time, remember that muscle weighs the same as fat. Losing centimeters is definitely a step in the right direction and means that the fat is burning and your body size is shrinking.
