Why do I weigh more than I look?

Question

I have been working out and eating healthy to try to lose weight and get in shape. Even though it looks like I’ve lost weight and my clothes are fitting looser, the scale says that I weigh even more now! This is extremely frustrating because of all the hard work I’m putting in. So, I’m wondering why do I look thinner but weigh more?

Answer 1

That means you have replaced body fat with lean muscle. For overall health and fitness, fat loss is more significant than your total weight. Because muscle is more compact than fat and takes up less space, but the same mass of muscle actually weighs more than the same mass of fat. This is why you may weigh more than you look. If the number on your scale is discouraging, using the fit of your clothing is a better way to check your progress. Another good way to check just how much fat you are converting into muscle as well as your overall fitness is calculating your Body Mass Index (BMI), which derives from your height and weight. This provides criteria for what is considered a healthy weight, underweight, overweight, and even obese BMI.

Answer 2

Depending on where your body naturally stores more fat, it can affect appearance versus actual weight. For instance, if two people of the same height and both weigh 150lbs. but one’s body distributes fat more evenly across the body while the other’s body stores it around the stomach and thighs, the person whose fat is more evenly distributed will appear thinner than the other person. This can also be responsible for a fluctuating clothing size and why you might find your shirts fitting looser but your pants fitting snugger, etc. Unfortunately, where your body chooses to store fat isn’t under your control nor can it be manipulated, and the same goes for where your body loses fat quicker while working out.

So, the answer to your question, why do I weigh more than I look, it’s because of how your body distributes fat.