How many pounds equals an inch off - say the belly

SparkPoints: (13,865)
Fitness Minutes: (10,813)
Posts: 936
6/15/12 5:47 P

After. looking at my post...I guess I didn't word it right...I know I cant target any area of my body...I am hoping that ST will help me keep the muscle I have and continue to lose fat in my belly. ....I can't afford to loss anymore weight in those areas so I am working my ST to continue to maintain muscle mass in those areas with out losing lean muscle by overall weight loss. If I go under 115lbs I look sick! I have been down to 102lbs and still have had a belly however I did not have any ST during that time. And I lost lean muscle as result. I am hoping that I will build the muscles I have and lose inches not weight in my stomach. I am at a healthy weight for my size and bone structure and my BMI is also in the healthy range.

SparkPoints: (56,306)
Fitness Minutes: (14,204)
Posts: 9,583
6/14/12 7:33 P

Maggiemurphy: Strength training will not slim down your belly. There's no way to target-reduce the fat in your stomach. Strength training will not cause you to lose muscle. Strength training is very important for overall calorie burn and inch reduction, but that's because it improves your overall weight loss. The only way to slim your belly is to lose weight overall. :)

SparkPoints: (13,865)
Fitness Minutes: (10,813)
Posts: 936
6/14/12 6:27 P

i lost 16lbs and about 5 inches off my waist...but that is where I had the most fat and I am only 5 feet tall. Even though I am at goal..I still have a belly and I am still working on slimming it down a bit more through ST. Not sure I will be able to without losing muscle mass in my already skinny legs and butt. But I a hopeful.

Posts: 1,377
6/14/12 5:56 P

I measure my waist around the smallest part of my waist-- it is the easiest spot for me to find, and I know I can be accurate about measuring around the same place each time, that way.

I also measure around my belly button, or "stomach" as I record it. This number fluctuates a lot more because it depends a lot on whether I just ate something, or if it's right in the morning, or how much water I've been drinking, etc. So I don't let this number bother me if it went up as long as my waist went down and the scale went down.

For me, personally, I am 5'7" and I went back and checked my records of my measurements- I lost 4.6 pounds before I lost an inch off my waist (29.5" to 28.5"). So it may take more than a few pounds before you lose an inch off the waist.

Just keep working at it, and you'll reach your goal though! Don't worry about it.

SparkPoints: (12,191)
Fitness Minutes: (9,276)
Posts: 217
6/14/12 4:12 P

Thank you all for your advice!

Posts: 12,349
6/14/12 2:25 P

The recommendation of where to measure is roughly an inch above your belly button, sort of where the tape comes to rest naturally when you're not holding it tight. It can be helpful to look for a freckle, mole, scar, etc and make a note or sketch of where you measure relative to it, so you can find the same spot next time.

And as for pounds to inches, as previous posters have said, it's different for every single individual and even for every single inch. When I first started at 60 pounds overweight, it took 15 pounds to really notice a difference. Now that I'm hovering around my goal weight, 3-5 pounds in either direction is a full dress size.

SparkPoints: (72,164)
Fitness Minutes: (49,917)
Posts: 3,476
6/14/12 2:24 P

It really depends on how much you weigh and how your weight comes off. If someone who is 5'6" tall and 250lbs loses 5 pounds, they might not even lose it from their belly. If someone else who is 5'6" and 150 lbs loses 5 pounds, they might lose an inch or two from the belly area. It's impossible to correlate those two measurements.

Posts: 2,707
6/14/12 2:17 P

I measure at the smallest part of my natural waist, which, on me, is a bit ove an inch above my belly button. (I am very, very high/short-waisted.) I measured every month when I was steadily losing. My lower belly is the last place the fat is coming off, but my waist mesaurement has "kept up" with my hips, for the most part. (I think I've lost an inch less around my waist than around my hips so far.)

SparkPoints: (2,997)
Fitness Minutes: (2,995)
Posts: 74
6/14/12 2:11 P

But pick what you want to measure and do so. You should see movement regardless month over month.
best

Posts: 87
6/14/12 2:07 P

It's going to be different for everyone. For a lot of people, the belly is the absolute last place the inches come off.

SparkPoints: (12,191)
Fitness Minutes: (9,276)
Posts: 217
6/14/12 2:01 P

Everything says to measure your waist - where do you measure
around the bellybutton or at the natural waist?

I know we can't spot treat but one of my goals is the get my belly measurement down.

I am looking for a realistic time frame in which to plan my long range goals.

Thanks for your help!