Not to ask a stupid question

I was at a plataue for 6 weeks and everyone said oh I am sure you are losing inches.  What does that mean...how do you actually lose inches

Our bodies are amazing things and will shift and adjust along this journey not just in pounds but in inches. Now mind you, I was NOT one of the smart ones who took her measurements from the beginning so I didn't have them to compare week after week, but I know I hit some plateaus along the way with weight loss but would actually lose a whole size during that time. It happens. Plateaus are tough to deal with - mentally and emotionally - but you'll get through them. Even if you didn't take your measurements when you first started your journey take them now and see where they go from here. I joined Curves about 3 weeks ago and she took mine so I'm anxious to see how they've changed next week when I get measured at my one month visit. I may not have lost any pounds but I'm hoping to have lost some inches.

Kathy

PS: I don't know how much weight you want to lose, but along the way I've lost 2 rings sizes, went from an 8" bracelet (tight) to a 7" one (loose), one full shoe size (10WW to 9R) and one inch off my height due to my feet not being fat and puffy anymore! And I went from a size 4X or 32 down to an XL and 18/20. Would like to get a little lower but we'll see - so go by your sizes, too - everything counts in this journey!!

it's not a stupid question - it seems really non-intuitive.  However, the answer is that fat is less dense than muscle, so if you're shedding fat cells and building muscle, the muscle takes up less space than that fat of the same weight.

Karen

Get out the tape measure.  Measure and write down everything...from the circumference of your head (mine shrunk 1"), your neck (went from a 22" to wearing 16" necklaces, like the cute teenager kinds), biceps, over the boobs (chestwall), across the nippes, under the boobs (bra band) (the difference in inches between bra band # and nipples # is equal to the bra cups, i.e., 4 inches is a D cup), the waist, the hips, the thighs, the calfs, the ankles, the wrists, ring finger.   Next month take the measurements again.   Overall, my boobs went from a 56 to a 36, my waist from a 52 to a 34 in 14 mos.  When you start seeing numbers adding up to 10 or so inches per month that it'll make you forget your scale isn't moving.   You can jump a SIZE in 2 weeks or just completely skip over some on the way down.   Enjoy!

You can lose inches without losing weight due to the whole muscle mass/fat mass thing.  Fat is blubbery and takes up a lot of space (think of filling up a cup with cotton balls)

Muscle, however, is dense.  Fill that same cup up with quarters.

Now...if you fill the cup up with cotton balls it will weigh "x" amount.

You fill it up with quarters, it will weigh much more.

But the same amount of space has been taken up.

So....you are losing fat...and in its place...is muscle.  There is less SPACE taken up, but it is with a heavier substance.  So you might not be losing weight, but losing inches.  Hence why you can weigh the same thing...but drop two pant sizes.

It's bizarre!