Chandelle MacMillan Chandelle MacMillan

The “Skinny-Fat” Phase: Why Feeling Softer During Weight Loss Is More Common Than You Think

Feeling softer during weight loss is more common than you think. Learn why muscle activation and body composition matter more than the scale during periods of change.

Many women expect weight loss to feel empowering right away.

But instead, they notice something unexpected:

  • their clothes are looser

  • the scale is down

  • yet their body feels softer, less supported, or less “toned”

This phase is often described as feeling skinny-fat — and while the term isn’t ideal, the experience behind it is very real.

The good news?
This phase is common, temporary, and explainable.

What People Mean by the “Skinny-Fat” Phase

The “skinny-fat” feeling usually shows up when:

  • body weight changes faster than muscle adapts

  • muscle activation decreases

  • tissue support hasn’t caught up to size changes

It’s not about body shape being “wrong.”
It’s about body composition being out of sync.

In other words:
The scale moved faster than structure did.

Why Weight Loss Can Lead to Softness

Your body is made up of:

  • fat

  • muscle

  • water

  • connective tissue

When weight changes quickly, the body often loses:

  • fat

  • fluid

  • some degree of muscle engagement

Muscle provides firmness, tone, and support.
When muscle activation drops, tissues can feel looser — even at a smaller size.

This is why people say:

“I’m lighter, but I don’t feel as solid.”

That sensation isn’t failure.
It’s feedback.

Why This Phase Is So Common Right Now

This experience has become more common as:

  • appetite changes

  • eating patterns shift

  • activity levels change

  • bodies move through faster transitions

When the body isn’t receiving consistent signals to engage muscle, it adapts by conserving energy — not by maintaining tone.

That’s normal physiology, not a personal shortcoming.

Why Chasing More Weight Loss Usually Backfires

When softness shows up, many women instinctively try to:

  • eat less

  • push harder

  • train more aggressively

But adding stress often makes things worse.

The body doesn’t tighten under pressure.
It tightens when it feels supported and stable.

This is why the solution isn’t “more weight loss” — it’s better muscle engagement and tissue support.

How the Body Moves Out of the “Skinny-Fat” Phase

This phase resolves when:

  • muscle activation improves

  • tissues receive consistent stimulation

  • circulation and lymphatic flow are supported

  • the nervous system feels safe enough to adapt

As muscle engagement returns, many women notice:

  • improved firmness

  • better posture

  • a more defined shape

  • increased confidence in how their body feels

Not because they lost more weight — but because their structure caught up.

Where Supportive Muscle Activation Fits In

At Corehauss, Eurowave sessions are used to support:

  • gentle muscle activation

  • tissue tone

  • body awareness

  • structural support during transitions

This isn’t about forcing outcomes or replacing medical care.
It’s about helping the body reconnect to muscle engagement when it needs support the most.

The Takeaway

Feeling softer during weight loss doesn’t mean you’ve done anything wrong.

It means your body is in transition.

The goal isn’t to be smaller at any cost.
The goal is to feel supported, strong, and confident inside your body.

When muscle activation is supported, the rest follows.

If you’re navigating body changes and want to feel more supported as your body adapts, Eurowave may be a helpful tool to explore.

👉 Learn more about Eurowave sessions at Corehauss

Support your structure. Support your strength. Support your long-term health.

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Chandelle MacMillan Chandelle MacMillan

Why Rapid Weight Loss Can Change How Your Body Feels — Not Just How It Looks

Weight loss is often framed as a visual outcome.
But many women are surprised to find that when weight changes quickly, the biggest shift isn’t what they see in the mirror — it’s how their body feels.

Comments like these are incredibly common:

  • “I feel smaller, but softer.”

  • “My strength feels different.”

  • “I’ve lost weight, but I don’t feel as solid.”

  • “My body doesn’t feel supported the way it used to.”

These experiences are not a sign that something has gone wrong.
They’re a sign that body composition is changing faster than structure can adapt.

Weight Loss and Body Composition Are Not the Same Thing

The scale measures total mass.
It does not tell you what that mass is made of.

Your body is a combination of:

  • muscle

  • fat

  • water

  • connective tissue

  • fascia

When weight drops quickly — for any reason — the body may lose:

  • fat

  • fluid

  • muscle tone

That loss of tone is often what creates the sensation of softness, weakness, or instability — even as the number on the scale goes down.

This is why focusing only on weight can feel confusing or discouraging.

Why the Body Can Feel “Less Supported” During Rapid Change

Muscle provides more than strength.
It provides structure.

When muscle activation decreases:

  • posture can feel less stable

  • joints may feel less supported

  • the core may feel weaker

  • tissues may feel looser or less responsive

This doesn’t mean muscle is “gone forever.”
It means it needs intentional activation again.

And during periods of rapid weight change, that activation often doesn’t happen naturally.

Softness Is a Signal — Not a Failure

Softness during weight loss is often interpreted as something negative.

But from a physiological perspective, it’s simply information.

It can signal:

  • reduced muscle engagement

  • less resistance placed on the body

  • lower daily movement intensity

  • changes in nervous system signaling

  • changes in circulation and fluid dynamics

In other words, the body is adapting — and asking for support.

Why Long-Term Metabolic Health Depends on Muscle Preservation

Muscle is metabolically active tissue.
It plays a role in:

  • insulin sensitivity

  • glucose uptake

  • posture and balance

  • joint protection

  • long-term weight stability

Preserving muscle tone during weight loss isn’t about aesthetics.
It’s about function, resilience, and sustainability.

This is why many women shift their focus from “losing more weight” to:

  • feeling stronger

  • feeling tighter

  • feeling more supported

  • improving body composition

That shift is often where confidence returns.

Where Supportive Muscle Activation Fits In

During periods of rapid change, the body doesn’t always receive enough stimulus to keep muscles fully engaged.

Supportive activation methods — especially those that are:

  • non-invasive

  • low stress

  • adjustable

  • and gentle on the nervous system

can help the body:

  • reconnect to muscle engagement

  • improve tissue tone

  • feel more stable and supported

  • maintain structural integrity during transition

This is the context in which technologies like Eurowave are used — not as treatment, not as replacement for medical care, but as support for the physical structure of the body.

The Takeaway

If your body feels different during weight loss, you’re not doing anything wrong.

You’re experiencing a normal physiological response to rapid change.

The goal isn’t just to be smaller.
The goal is to be strong, supported, and stable inside your body.

That’s where long-term health lives.

A Gentle Invitation

At Corehauss, we focus on supporting muscle activation, tissue tone, and body awareness — especially during periods of change.

If you’re navigating weight loss and want your body to feel more supported along the way, Eurowave may be a helpful tool to explore.

👉 Learn more about Eurowave sessions at Corehauss

Support your structure. Support your strength. Support your long-term health.

Read More