Lost 22lb but dont look any thinner ??

Jacey

Full Member
Hi ladies my partner left me about 10 wks ago and it was a very nasty breakup.
For the first 2 weeks I didnt eat at all and lost about 16lbs, i ve been on and off dieting since he left but falllon off wagon as been having lots of stress.

However I havent been eating a great deal but not dieting as such either.

Im now 22lbs lighter than before he left yet its barely noticeable which surprises me. My mom thinks my face looks slimmer, im not convinced, i havent dropped a clothes size and none of my clothes feel looser really maybe only very slightly.

So im confused have i lost 22lbs in weight or is it just in water, i eaten sensible but had the odd unsensible thing and have been havin a few beers etc and even some baileys, i just dont get it.

Anyone else had anything similar happen with their losses? x
 
If you aren't keeping within a healthy range of calories (usually around 1200 per day for most people) your body will use muscle tissue as its next best immediate fuel source and constantly convert any and all nutrition it gets into fat because it thinks you're beginning to starve.

You've probably lost some water weight and muscle mass, with a little bit of fat loss thrown in, and it's not noticeable because fat sits differently on the body than musculature does.

Stick to a healthy diet (the odd treat is absolutely fine, just don't go binge drinking :p ) and make sure you exercise. Even on a big calorie deficit your body will burn excess fat over lean body mass, because it knows that those muscles are useful to you.
 
If you aren't keeping within a healthy range of calories (usually around 1200 per day for most people) your body will use muscle tissue as its next best immediate fuel source and constantly convert any and all nutrition it gets into fat because it thinks you're beginning to starve.

You've probably lost some water weight and muscle mass, with a little bit of fat loss thrown in, and it's not noticeable because fat sits differently on the body than musculature does.

Stick to a healthy diet (the odd treat is absolutely fine, just don't go binge drinking :p ) and make sure you exercise. Even on a big calorie deficit your body will burn excess fat over lean body mass, because it knows that those muscles are useful to you.

Thank you i knew there would be a proper explanation but couldnt think of it lol x, am going to try and carry on being sensible as id love to loose more but it seemed a big loss yet very little to show for it - thank you xx
 
Also it's always the case that you don't see it in yourself! I bet you DO look different to other people!
 
that explanation doesn't really give the full picture, otherwise anorexics and famine victims would have no muscle mass but all their original body fat, which obviously doesn't happen. What happens on a non nutritionally engineered very low calorie diet is that we lose both, and yes - perhaps more muscle mass than you might otherwise desire to start with.

however, some of our weightloss is the fat from around our internal organs, and the amount of that varies from person to person. if you were carrying a lot of internal fat, there wouldn't be that much visible reduction yet - but you will have done yourself loads of good.
 
I just noticed that you and I are the same height and weight, haha, nice coincidence :p I agree with Mairiphinc, if I lost 22lbs right now -- whether LBM or actual fat -- you'd definitely see a difference somewhere.

Keep at it :)

Edit:

that explanation doesn't really give the full picture, otherwise anorexics and famine victims would have no muscle mass but all their original body fat, which obviously doesn't happen.

Not at all, but at some point muscle ceases to be the best secondary fuel source for the body and it switches to fatty tissue. It depends on your level of activity.

You can condition the body to burn fat first, but that requires the type of training that athletes such as long-distance runners, triathletes and cross-country skiers undertake.

Burning visceral fat is a different thing entirely, as most fatty tissue in the overweight is visceral. Losing 22lbs of that would most definitely result in a slimmer tummy. Fat around the bum, thighs, hips & elsewhere is subcutaneous.
 
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I'm so glad you posted this as my own experience is similar - 16lbs down and still welded into my jeans :D I find I've lost bulk in places that wouldn't necessarily show up in clothing terms, like the tops of my arms and the area just under my bust. My waist is the size it always was! You should take your mum's word for it, sometimes we don't see the difference in ourselves because we're looking so hard for it.
 
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