So ive been going to the gym for 6 weeks now doing cardio and weight training and have lost all of 6 pounds but dropped from a loose 18 to a comfortable 14. Last time i wore 14s i was 20 pounds less. This seems crazy to me. Just wanted to see if anyone else has experienced this

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Yes, definitely. Muscle takes up less space than fat. (Muscle weighs more than fat).

Last year, I was running several miles a day and working with weights/trainer 3x per week. It was crazy. I I actually only lost 7 lbs in 6 months, but went down 4 sizes.

For people that work out quite a bit, the scale is not our friend, size is.

Hope this helps.

Just to clarify, muscle does not weight more than fat. A pound of fat and a pound of muscle both weight the same. 1 pound.

However, muscle is much much more dense, and so therefore occupies significantly less space. As abetterme4.2 explained above, that would certainly account for your dramatic change in clothing size, without the normally associated weight loss.

What you need to focus on is that you are achieving your real goal, which is to lose body fat (not just weight). If you had your body fat composition measured before you started at the gym 6 weeks ago, and compared it to your body fat composition now, I am sure you would see a BIG difference. You should be ecstatic!

If you continue your hard work at the gym, you will see weight loss as well, however if you really want to track your progress, get a body fat analysis done (this can be as simple as having an experienced person at the gym measure you with calipers, and does not have to cost alot). Keep track of this measurement over time (monthly?) and you will see a steady decline that will give you a true sense of your progress and achievements!

If you've ever read the fine print at the bottom of the BMI charts, it states that the BMI formula does not apply to those with greater than "normal" muscle mass (ie. athletes, professional body builders, etc.). While you may not be in that group now, your frustration can be attributed to this unique aspect of the BMI formula and scale.

Keep up the great work, don't get frustrated, and enjoy the smaller clothes you have now. You'll be trading them in for even tinier sizes soon! And if possible, give the scale only a passing glance once in a while. It's not giving you detailed enough information, and impacting your motivation!

Cheers!

"diedie".......sounds like good progress! I bet your body composition (body fat%) is less. Another way to look at all of the muscle/fat weight thing is.....a cubic inch of muscle does weigh more than a cubic inch of fat. Keep up the progress!

I was just shocked that im so much smaller at a higher weight. Lol i absolutely will look into getting my body fat tested. I wish i had done that before i started.

I have notice the same thing. I am in 14s and I swear I am at least 20 lbs heavier than I was last time I wore a 14. I am wearing a large in shirts and this just confuses me. I was probably 40 lbs lighter last time I wore large. I guess I was just really not toned before!