Losing inches but not pounds?

I've always been eating healthy foods but I need to lose about 20 lbs. I recently stepped up my exercise (within the last 40 days) and have lost some inches but not pounds. I'm not a slave to the scale and I'm glad that my clothes are fitting better even though I'm not losing weight. I'm just wondering what is going on physically...how can be losing stuff but not weight??? What's going on in my body? I'm just trying to figure out the "mechanics" of it all! Anyone who knows anything about exercise physiology can add their two cents! (I'm looking for an actual explanation, not just you're gaining muscle and losing water weight etc).

Public Comments

1. muscle weighs more then fat. Even if you are burning that fat and losing inches you are gaining muscle which ways more :)
2. well, you are losing. you are losing fat. and gaining muscle. keep up the good work. the scale is just a number, do not go by that. you will drive yourself crazy if you do. if you are noticing that your clothes are fitting better and you are losing inches then keep doing what you are doing. remember, weight is just a number.
3. its fine to stay the same weight, it means your body gains muscle weight it, it also depends on how tall you are and how big you bone structure is
4. you are gaining mussel. which weigh more than fat.
5. http://www.allspiritfitness.com/library/QandA/qa-inches-not-pounds.shtml They have a good explanation for the same question.
6. If you're exercising then you are burning fat and building muscle, muscle is more dense than fat, which is to say it takes up less room but weighs more per unit. And that's all there is to it.
7. Most likely explanation: yu are losing fat but substituting muscle for it. Muscle is denser than fat, so you'll experience some loss of size but not weight.
8. You must be gaining muscle well your losing weight, keep it up you will be much healthier if you do.
9. It really doesn't matter how much you weigh, its your figure!!.. Body Mass fat... anyways nothings wrong with your body your making muscle, muscle weighs more then fat!...
10. Lose the scale, get a mirror. Unless you need to cut weight for wrestling, focus on how your body looks. Weight is a horrible indicator of health.
11. but that IS the answer, whether you want it or not...you're gaining muscle, which weighs more than fat does and helps you burn more calories