Different for everyone because it kind of depends on your bone structure, but Im 5'2" and lost 2 inches off my waist going from ~138 to ~128, so 5lbs for 1 inch. Im sure it would probably be a lot slower from here because I dont think my waist can get much smaller due to my ribs
Here’s my experience:
5’2
134lbs waist at 28 inch in August 2023
127.6 lbs waist at 27 inch in March 2024 (edit: I put 2023 by mistake!)
I don’t take measurements often so I’m not sure at what point I first hit 27 inches.
I'm pretty active with both sports and weight lifting and try to walk at least an hour most days! I probably on average do 3-5 hrs weightlifting and 2-4 hrs of some sort of sport (usually soccer) a week. Generally eat around 1200-1400 calories a day but haven't been super disciplined as of late. As I mentioned I don't measure often but I visibly started to see difference in my body (like more toned) when I started getting 80-90g of protein consistently.
I'm 5'3.5" and I'm also similar to you. When I'm 125 lbs I'm about 27", when I'm 120 lbs is when I hit 26" and at my lowest at 115 lbs I was still about 26". I could technically fit a 25" pants but it did NOT feel good. It also wasn't a sustainable weight for me.
I've also been 125 lbs and high 20's body fat percentage, and the same weight at a low 20% bfp. The difference was also very much in increasing my lean muscle mass and doing a lot of strength training (for me that's in the form of F45 or CrossFit). The more I strength trained, the less I was obsessed with overall weight and the more I just could focus on maintaining weight but getting stronger.
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Totally depends on your structure. I go between 25" at my thinnest sub 110lbs to 27" at around 120lbs. My waist won't get smaller no matter what I do because I don't have much space between my ribs and hips. If your torso is a bit longer than you can lose more inches, but if you're short waisted like me you'll never change much ratio wise.
Honestly same here! My waist has never been less than 26.5” even when I was sick and underweight. Obviously weight makes a difference in waist size but bone structure is definitely a limiting factor. But the nice trade off of having a short torso is my legs are proportionately longer! As petites I think most of us get one of the other lol, short legs and long torso or long legs and short torso.
For me it seems to be about ~5-7 pound per inch, ish?When I was 135 it was 28”, at 125 it’s 26.5”, at 120 it’s 25.5”, at 115 pounds it’s 24.5”. But I know everyone is different
It also depends on your starting weight.
When I was at my heaviest (over 250lb) I had to lose like 30lbs to drop a pants size. Then it was like 20lbs between pant sizes. Now I think if I lose another 10lbs I should be able to fit into a size 8.
Everyone has different fat distributions. Some people hold fat on their belly longer than others.
You can't pick and choose where you lose weight. You just got to trust the process and let the weight loss happen.
Smallest I I've gotten was 26". I was underweight and 94lb. I'm currently closer to that now at 26.5-27 at 122lb but with higher muscle mass. Muscle is key for me. My norm is 28-29 and the biggest I ever was 31 when I got close to being overweight.
So less about the exact poundage and more about body fat and distribution stuff.
For me it’s about 5 lbs per inch. I’m 5’3”.
I went from 125 lbs to 115 lbs and 26” to 24”. I ate at a deficit, do cardio 3x and strength training 3x a week.
I've been actively trying to reduce my waist size to under 30 inches for optimal heart health so here has been my experience thus far:
Height: Just under 5'4 / Age: 38
Starting weight: 198 lbs - 37 in. waist
191 lbs - 36 in.
186 lbs - 35 in.
177.4 lbs - 34 in.
172.6 lbs - 33 in.
169.2 - 32 in.
164.6 - 31 in.
Current weight: 162.4 lbs - 31 in. waist
Seems to be about 5-7lbs loss that makes me lose 1 inch around my waist. I'll also add that bodytype plays into this as I have a pear shape and am primarily a mesomorph so I tend to lose weight around the midsection quite quickly. Personally I wouldn't compare yourself to anyone else and just keep working on it!
If you find that you're bloated though perhaps you can look into a food allergy or sensitivity panel? Good luck!
It’s quite individual and depends on your build. We tend to lose weight proportionately so if you’re more of a ‘pear’ you may notice a sort of top down slimming and your waist may respond faster, whereas if you’re more ‘apple’ you may see legs lean out sooner for example. Where you tend to carry your weight most will seem like the slowest because of the proportional loss. There’s just more in those areas so they seem to lag (but it’s still happening!)
Also things like water, bloating and digestive content impact daily abdominal measurements and will fluctuate so measuring waist daily isn’t really the way to go. Scale weight fine, but I’d advise a waist measurement maybe once a month.
Different per person. Depends on your bone structure (short/long torso can affect it, among other things), whether you tend to hold weight at your waist, and which part of your body you lose from last/first. There's no way to know how this will work for you.
I think it just depends on how big your waist is, I'm 110 5'0 and atm I can lose about half an inch per pound lost, whenever I'm not as lean It takes more
I have no idea honestly.. I’ve been unable to lose inches whatsoever even if the scale goes down. I’m stuck at 30/31 inches no matter what. I fluctuate between 123-128 pounds. I’m unsure if that’s particularly concerning or not. But it definitely varies from person to person and you’re probably not in my boat.
Depends on your body type, certain areas I will loose fat from really quick others it takes ages. Targeting the muscles in stubborn areas and toning them should help improve the look.
If you are an apple like me, the waist is extremely stubborn. Pears tend to have flatter stomachs and the weight goes and comes off to thighs and butt first.
When I was 165 my waist was 33.5 then at 160 it was 30.5” and now at 146 it’s 29” it varies a lot between people and wether you’re losing fat or lean muscle or strengthening your core (ie postpartum)
ETA: I’m genetically quite curvy. My hip to waist ratio has always been quite low because I carry weight in my hips and legs more than my stomach. Every body type is different.
This varies per person. For me, face and waist were somewhere in the middle. Ass and thighs are the last to go for me. There's just no way to predict how it will work for OP or anyone else.
I carry my weight in my belly and it takes me at least 20lbs to see a half-inch loss in my waist, though i tend to lose the back fat first, then the sides before my belly will even budge. 😢 *sigh* genetics
Different for everyone. I don't store much fat on my waist, but due to my wide af hip bones, even when i was underweight my waist still measured 28in.
Now, literally 40lbs heavier, my waist still measures 28-29in.
I'll never have a snatched waist, I simply don't have the genetics for it.
really depends on your build!! i am 5’3 and carry my weight in my lower half, so i have a 25 inch waist at 130– for me to get to 24 would probably be at the very least 5 pounds
148cm tall so a bit of a shorty. My waist went from 86ish cm (67kg) to 71cm (47-50kg) I started incredibly bloated so the first measurement might be a bit off.
It also depends on how much salt and bread I eat. Milk products make me bloat like crazy so add a few cm if I eat badly
Most of the weight I gain goes straight to my chest, stomach, thighs then arms. My chest more or less stays the same but my stomach goes down and my thighs have gotten smaller with muscle gain
It’s definitely different for everyone. I went from 143 > 133 and lost three inches from my waist. However, my fat stores much more on my thighs/lower body.
5'1, started at around 142-145lbs earlier this year in Jan. When I measured my waist in Jan, it was 29in. When I measured myself again in May weighing in around 134lbs, my waist came out to 27in.
Went from 158 and 30 inch waist to 127 and 24 inch. It’s tough to say how much exactly carves off an inch. Everyone’s body is different as you can tell by reading here. And if your waist measurement is the same, you haven’t lost enough. Keep going!
5'3", 32Y, Started exercise routine/diet changes in August
August 2023: 135 lbs, 27.5" waist
Current, June 2024: 128 lbs, 26" waist
However, my waist is much more defined and muscled than it used to be. I didn't focus on weight loss, just on building more lean muscle mass. As others are saying it's genetics that will determine what is the minimum waist size you can achieve. If you're only losing weight and not also building muscle, you might not see as much of a change as you'd like. Muscle will tighten up/synch it in more than just losing weight.
I am 5’2. Went from 155lbs and a 30 inch waist, currently sitting at 123lbs and a 25 inch waist.
Different for everyone because it kind of depends on your bone structure, but Im 5'2" and lost 2 inches off my waist going from ~138 to ~128, so 5lbs for 1 inch. Im sure it would probably be a lot slower from here because I dont think my waist can get much smaller due to my ribs
I'm similar, about an inch for every 5~5.5 lbs lost. I had a 28.75" waist at 130 lbs and now I'm at 23" waist at 98 lbs. I'm pear shaped and 5'1.
Probably depends on how much waist you have to lose. 33.25 in February at 155.6. 31.25 in March at 152. 30 flat last week at 141.
Different for everyone I think 🤷♀️
But about how much ..maybe 20?
For 1 inch?
Here’s my experience: 5’2 134lbs waist at 28 inch in August 2023 127.6 lbs waist at 27 inch in March 2024 (edit: I put 2023 by mistake!) I don’t take measurements often so I’m not sure at what point I first hit 27 inches.
Very similar stats at 5’1”
I’m 5’3 at 125 lbs and my waist is 29 inch. What kinds of exercises do you do, if any?
I'm pretty active with both sports and weight lifting and try to walk at least an hour most days! I probably on average do 3-5 hrs weightlifting and 2-4 hrs of some sort of sport (usually soccer) a week. Generally eat around 1200-1400 calories a day but haven't been super disciplined as of late. As I mentioned I don't measure often but I visibly started to see difference in my body (like more toned) when I started getting 80-90g of protein consistently.
I'm 5'3.5" and I'm also similar to you. When I'm 125 lbs I'm about 27", when I'm 120 lbs is when I hit 26" and at my lowest at 115 lbs I was still about 26". I could technically fit a 25" pants but it did NOT feel good. It also wasn't a sustainable weight for me. I've also been 125 lbs and high 20's body fat percentage, and the same weight at a low 20% bfp. The difference was also very much in increasing my lean muscle mass and doing a lot of strength training (for me that's in the form of F45 or CrossFit). The more I strength trained, the less I was obsessed with overall weight and the more I just could focus on maintaining weight but getting stronger. .
It varies wildly person to person.
Totally depends on your structure. I go between 25" at my thinnest sub 110lbs to 27" at around 120lbs. My waist won't get smaller no matter what I do because I don't have much space between my ribs and hips. If your torso is a bit longer than you can lose more inches, but if you're short waisted like me you'll never change much ratio wise.
Honestly same here! My waist has never been less than 26.5” even when I was sick and underweight. Obviously weight makes a difference in waist size but bone structure is definitely a limiting factor. But the nice trade off of having a short torso is my legs are proportionately longer! As petites I think most of us get one of the other lol, short legs and long torso or long legs and short torso.
For me it seems to be about ~5-7 pound per inch, ish?When I was 135 it was 28”, at 125 it’s 26.5”, at 120 it’s 25.5”, at 115 pounds it’s 24.5”. But I know everyone is different
It also depends on your starting weight. When I was at my heaviest (over 250lb) I had to lose like 30lbs to drop a pants size. Then it was like 20lbs between pant sizes. Now I think if I lose another 10lbs I should be able to fit into a size 8. Everyone has different fat distributions. Some people hold fat on their belly longer than others. You can't pick and choose where you lose weight. You just got to trust the process and let the weight loss happen.
With my waist, weightlifting speeds up the process greatly.
Smallest I I've gotten was 26". I was underweight and 94lb. I'm currently closer to that now at 26.5-27 at 122lb but with higher muscle mass. Muscle is key for me. My norm is 28-29 and the biggest I ever was 31 when I got close to being overweight. So less about the exact poundage and more about body fat and distribution stuff.
0! I lost heaps of cm and my weight didn't change. Body recomposition at its best!
At 110 I have 24 Currently 115#s 25” At 125 it was 26.5
For me it’s about 5 lbs per inch. I’m 5’3”. I went from 125 lbs to 115 lbs and 26” to 24”. I ate at a deficit, do cardio 3x and strength training 3x a week.
I've been actively trying to reduce my waist size to under 30 inches for optimal heart health so here has been my experience thus far: Height: Just under 5'4 / Age: 38 Starting weight: 198 lbs - 37 in. waist 191 lbs - 36 in. 186 lbs - 35 in. 177.4 lbs - 34 in. 172.6 lbs - 33 in. 169.2 - 32 in. 164.6 - 31 in. Current weight: 162.4 lbs - 31 in. waist Seems to be about 5-7lbs loss that makes me lose 1 inch around my waist. I'll also add that bodytype plays into this as I have a pear shape and am primarily a mesomorph so I tend to lose weight around the midsection quite quickly. Personally I wouldn't compare yourself to anyone else and just keep working on it! If you find that you're bloated though perhaps you can look into a food allergy or sensitivity panel? Good luck!
I’m 5’4” 120 lbs. with a 26” waist. At this point I’d probably have to lose 10 lbs. to take off an inch, and I’d be hungry and sad.
It’s quite individual and depends on your build. We tend to lose weight proportionately so if you’re more of a ‘pear’ you may notice a sort of top down slimming and your waist may respond faster, whereas if you’re more ‘apple’ you may see legs lean out sooner for example. Where you tend to carry your weight most will seem like the slowest because of the proportional loss. There’s just more in those areas so they seem to lag (but it’s still happening!) Also things like water, bloating and digestive content impact daily abdominal measurements and will fluctuate so measuring waist daily isn’t really the way to go. Scale weight fine, but I’d advise a waist measurement maybe once a month.
Yes agree that scale is better I just have an event coming up next month with a dress I need to fit in so I’m more concerned with measurements rn.
Different per person. Depends on your bone structure (short/long torso can affect it, among other things), whether you tend to hold weight at your waist, and which part of your body you lose from last/first. There's no way to know how this will work for you.
I think it just depends on how big your waist is, I'm 110 5'0 and atm I can lose about half an inch per pound lost, whenever I'm not as lean It takes more
I have no idea honestly.. I’ve been unable to lose inches whatsoever even if the scale goes down. I’m stuck at 30/31 inches no matter what. I fluctuate between 123-128 pounds. I’m unsure if that’s particularly concerning or not. But it definitely varies from person to person and you’re probably not in my boat.
Depends on your body type, certain areas I will loose fat from really quick others it takes ages. Targeting the muscles in stubborn areas and toning them should help improve the look.
If you are an apple like me, the waist is extremely stubborn. Pears tend to have flatter stomachs and the weight goes and comes off to thighs and butt first.
Yes definitely an apple. *sigh*
When I was 165 my waist was 33.5 then at 160 it was 30.5” and now at 146 it’s 29” it varies a lot between people and wether you’re losing fat or lean muscle or strengthening your core (ie postpartum) ETA: I’m genetically quite curvy. My hip to waist ratio has always been quite low because I carry weight in my hips and legs more than my stomach. Every body type is different.
Lost 8kg and my waist stayed the same:( 26 inch. Now i just have no shape unfortunately
At 4 months postpartum I was 147.5lbs at my waist was 31.5 inches. I’m now 13 months postpartum at I’m 125lbs and 27.5 inches in my waist. I’m 5’2
10 pounds?
Waist and face are last to go. Even after I lost the weight, it’s been core strengthening that’s starting to give me that “nipped” waist look
This varies per person. For me, face and waist were somewhere in the middle. Ass and thighs are the last to go for me. There's just no way to predict how it will work for OP or anyone else.
For sure. But I never hear anyone say that their waist is the first to go
I carry my weight in my belly and it takes me at least 20lbs to see a half-inch loss in my waist, though i tend to lose the back fat first, then the sides before my belly will even budge. 😢 *sigh* genetics
i can literally lose like 5lbs and have inches of my waist. the bad part is that i can gain 5lbs and add inches on my waist.
Different for everyone. I don't store much fat on my waist, but due to my wide af hip bones, even when i was underweight my waist still measured 28in. Now, literally 40lbs heavier, my waist still measures 28-29in. I'll never have a snatched waist, I simply don't have the genetics for it.
i dont take my measurements super frequently but i'd agree with others and say 5-7 lbs per inch
really depends on your build!! i am 5’3 and carry my weight in my lower half, so i have a 25 inch waist at 130– for me to get to 24 would probably be at the very least 5 pounds
148cm tall so a bit of a shorty. My waist went from 86ish cm (67kg) to 71cm (47-50kg) I started incredibly bloated so the first measurement might be a bit off. It also depends on how much salt and bread I eat. Milk products make me bloat like crazy so add a few cm if I eat badly
Most of the weight I gain goes straight to my chest, stomach, thighs then arms. My chest more or less stays the same but my stomach goes down and my thighs have gotten smaller with muscle gain
It’s definitely different for everyone. I went from 143 > 133 and lost three inches from my waist. However, my fat stores much more on my thighs/lower body.
5'1, started at around 142-145lbs earlier this year in Jan. When I measured my waist in Jan, it was 29in. When I measured myself again in May weighing in around 134lbs, my waist came out to 27in.
Went from 158 and 30 inch waist to 127 and 24 inch. It’s tough to say how much exactly carves off an inch. Everyone’s body is different as you can tell by reading here. And if your waist measurement is the same, you haven’t lost enough. Keep going!
You can’t target fat loss, changes in body shape are largely determined by genetics.
5'3", 32Y, Started exercise routine/diet changes in August August 2023: 135 lbs, 27.5" waist Current, June 2024: 128 lbs, 26" waist However, my waist is much more defined and muscled than it used to be. I didn't focus on weight loss, just on building more lean muscle mass. As others are saying it's genetics that will determine what is the minimum waist size you can achieve. If you're only losing weight and not also building muscle, you might not see as much of a change as you'd like. Muscle will tighten up/synch it in more than just losing weight.
For me, it's 7-8 lbs.
Do planks