Why is it difficult to lose weight, even though you are slimmer?

Everyone who is on a diet to lose weight has to face many challenges. Either because the diet has not produced results, there has been no change in body shape, or even the size of the body has shrunk so that it is slimmer, but it is difficult to lose weight.

Yes, some people feel that there is a change in body circumference, but when you weigh it, the body weight doesn't change significantly. How come?

Why is it difficult to lose weight, even though your body circumference has shrunk?

Weight is closely related to the numbers on the needle scales. That is why someone who is on a diet will routinely weigh his body, to find out how far the diet program has been successful.

Some people even complain that they are slimmer - whether measured by the circumference of their arms, hips, stomach, or thighs - but that they find it difficult to lose weight or have not changed at all.

In fact, efforts to lose weight do not always have to be measured by means of a scale number alone. The problem is, it could be that the fat in your body decreases, but the muscle weight actually increases. In the end, this causes the circumference of some parts of the body to tend to shrink (because the muscles are already formed), but body weight is still at the same number.

Simply put, if you pay attention to the bodies of athletes or bodybuilders, surely you suspect they have the ideal body weight. In fact, they weigh quite a lot. There are even some who are classified as obese.

However, it must be underlined, that the body weight which is high enough to include obesity does not mean that these athletes are really at risk of experiencing fat accumulation and obesity. This is because compared to fat stores, the amount of muscle mass is greater in the body of athletes and bodybuilders account for the majority of their body weight.

Reporting from the Verywell Fit page, there is no need to worry when your diet and routine exercise make it difficult for you to lose weight if the circumference of your arms, thighs, hips and stomach has shrunk. It's a sign that your diet and exercise are on the right track.

So, is it better to lose weight or body circumference when dieting?

The scale is not the only rule of thumb for diets. The reason is, the scale only shows your body weight, but is unable to tell the weight of the muscles, fat and bones in your body.

Even so, that doesn't mean you can ignore the scale numbers. In certain conditions, the scales will certainly help show your weight.

Take, for example, for people who have health problems that make it easier to lose weight, reading the numbers on the scale regularly will help prevent more extreme weight loss.

In essence, get back to your original goal of losing weight. If you want to shed fat in the body, then reducing body circumference by losing fat is much better than focusing too much on weight numbers on the scale.

The reason is, when body fat is reduced, your body composition will automatically be filled with more muscle mass than fat. Finally, your body will become more shaped and slimmer. Vice versa, when your focus is on changes in body weight, it is not necessarily fat that is depleted, it could be other parts of the body such as muscle or water.

Without realizing it, there are benefits behind the smaller body circumference

Not only does it beautify your curves, the smaller body circumference when dieting also has a good impact on your body's health. A high percentage of body fat can increase the risk of serious health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, and decreased quality of life.

Therefore, replacing fat deposits in the body with muscle is one of the right solutions to improve your metabolic system, quoted from Livestrong.