Why hasn't the weight decreased but the person has become slimmer?
People who are trying to lose weight are neurotically obsessed with the numbers on the scale. The moment they see the weight go up, their expression switches to a state of Armageddon. If the weight drops even slightly, they are happier than if they had won the lottery.
Every time they are asked if they have gained weight, their answer is "I weigh xx pounds now, I've gained/lost xx pounds." In their world, whether they are fat or thin is determined by weight. However, the author must tell you a fact today—your weight can lie! In reality, you are not as fat or thin as you think.
Why is the author so感慨? The story begins with a pair of exercise pants.
The author is not exactly lightweight, but the exact number is not disclosed here. The same pair of exercise pants, the author originally wore size S, considering that they had gained a lot of weight, they tried on size M. The result? Too big! Even when wearing size S again, it was still too big! In the end, the author took the xs size. Yes, xs size! The author thought they had encountered a ghost and suddenly became thinner. Upon returning home, they quickly got out the scale, but the number on the scale told the author, "Your weight has indeed increased."
It is said that "a picture is worth a thousand words." Since the author's mood isn't great today and it affects their appearance, the author won't post their own photos. It would be embarrassing if everyone asked to see them. Instead, the author will borrow some beautiful photos of our weight-loss experts.
Image source: 39 Weight Loss Community expert janechen → Quickly check out her inspiring weight-loss journey.
As a rule, if your weight increases, you should become fatter. Why do you become slimmer instead? This is mainly thanks to strength training. The author recently got into strength training and has been consistent with their workouts. The author, who wasn't exactly overweight to begin with, has become more toned, making them look slimmer. This expert lost weight in a similar way. At first, she relied on aerobic exercise to lose weight, shedding a lot of excess fat. However, later she found that although her weight had decreased and her fat had reduced, her body was still loose. After persisting with strength training, her muscle mass increased, her weight rose, but she looked even slimmer.
The author explained so much above just to tell everyone a truth: weight is not the best standard for determining if you are fat or thin. Some people might say, "If you're fat or thin, how should we determine it if not by weight?" Here, the author will provide a few slightly more reliable standards.
1. Your own judgment
Obvious visual changes in thinness or fatness are usually real. When starting to lose weight, take a selfie first. Note that this does not allow for a 45° angle upward view or photo editing—be as real as possible. After losing weight for a while, take another selfie from the same angle. Comparing the two photos, if it's obviously slimmer, then you've succeeded.
2. BMI Index
BMI stands for Body Mass Index, which is currently the most commonly used standard in the international community to measure human body fatness and health. China's standards are as follows:
Specific calculation method: Body Mass Index (BMI) = weight (kg) ÷ height² (m)
For example, a woman who is 1.6m tall and weighs 60kg has a BMI = 60 ÷ (1.6 × 1.6) ≈ 23.44
If your BMI is decreasing, you can consider yourself getting slimmer.
3. Body Fat Percentage
Body fat percentage refers to the proportion of fat weight in a person's total body weight, also known as body fat percentage. It reflects the amount of fat in the body and the degree of obesity. A decrease in body fat percentage means a reduction in body fat, and then you are truly slimmer.
Generally, a male body fat percentage of about 10%–20% is considered normal, while a female body fat percentage of about 17%–30% is standard. A male body fat percentage >25% or a female body fat percentage >33% is considered obese. However, this standard is not fixed and changes with age. For women over 50 and men over 55, the standard value can be adjusted by 2%-3% every 5 years.
Body fat percentage calculation formula
Now, there are many measuring devices that can measure a person's body fat percentage. However, if you don't want to rely on a measuring device, you can use BMI to calculate body fat percentage. The calculation formula is:
Body Fat% = 1.2 × BMI + 0.23 × age − 5.4 − 10.8 × gender (where gender is 1 for male and 0 for female)
For example, a 20-year-old woman weighing 50kg and standing 1.6m tall has a BMI = 50 ÷ (1.6²) ≈ 19.53. Her body fat percentage calculation would be: 1.2 × 19.53 + 0.23 × 20 − 5.4 − 10.8 × 0 = 22.636
4. Waist-Hip Ratio
Neither BMI nor body fat percentage can reflect a person's visceral fat levels. Therefore, the World Health Organization uses the waist-hip ratio to judge a person's visceral fat. For men, a waist circumference ≥102cm or a waist-hip ratio >1.0 is considered central obesity. For women, a waist circumference ≥88cm or a waist-hip ratio >0.9 is considered central obesity. However, in China, a male waist circumference ≥85cm or a female waist circumference ≥80cm is already considered central obesity.
Currently, the average waist-hip ratio for Asian men is 0.81, and for Asian women, it is 0.73. For European and American men, the average is 0.85, and for European and American women, it is 0.75. As for the most perfect waist-hip ratio, there is no fixed standard internationally, but people generally agree that the ideal waist-hip ratio for women is between 0.67 and 0.80, with a relatively suitable ratio being 0.72. When a woman's waist-hip ratio is less than 0.72, her body shape tends to be pear-shaped; when it exceeds 0.72, she may develop an apple shape. For men, the ideal waist-hip ratio is between 0.85 and 0.95.
Finally, the author advises everyone not to keep staring at the scale. Weight doesn't always tell the truth. You might be fatter than you think, or slimmer. Whether you're fat or thin depends on the standards. If you don't trust one standard, you can use multiple standards together. If all standards tell you that you've lost weight, then you really have.
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