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Gained weight but dropped bmi?
bnmoyler
Posts: 133 Member
In six weeks, I didn't lose anything. In fact, I gained a 1 pound but my bmi dropped. What does this indicate?
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Replies
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Do you mean BMR (basal metabolic rate)? Or perhaps body fat?
BMI (body mass index) is calculated using only your height and weight, so if your height stays the same and your weight increases, your BMI cannot go down.0 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
BMI is a calculation of body fat based upon height and weight. It's measured by a device that you place your hands on it calculates. So six weeks ago, I weight 138 and my BMI was 24.9. I checked it today and I weighed 139 but BMI was 23.6. I use the same device every time since I know different machines can vary slightly. Now I'm trying to figure out what that means. Does it indicate the loss of fat and gain of muscle possibly?0 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
BMI is a calculation of body fat based upon height and weight. It's measured by a device that you place your hands on it calculates. So six weeks ago, I weight 138 and my BMI was 24.9. I checked it today and I weighed 139 but BMI was 23.6. I use the same device every time since I know different machines can vary slightly. Now I'm trying to figure out what that means. Does it indicate the loss of fat and gain of muscle possibly?
Ah, If I'm understanding you... body fat estimation. Impedance or whatever it's called. Yes, I have a scale that does that. it varies wildly.
Usually based on my hydration. Suppose it could be muscle. dunno.
BMI is normally just done with a website
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm
http://www.webmd.com/diet/body-bmi-calculator
And it NEVER goes down when the scale goes up.0 -
Do you mean BMR (basal metabolic rate)? Or perhaps body fat?
BMI (body mass index) is calculated using only your height and weight, so if your height stays the same and your weight increases, your BMI cannot go down.[/quote
BMI is a measure of body fat using height and weight. You can weigh more (hence, muscle) with a lower BMI. So a person of the same height and weight who was solid muscle would have a much lower BMI than a person who was more flabby.0 -
Ah. That device you used purports to measure body fat %. BMI is weight divided by height squared. As others have said, the only way for weight to increase while BMI decreases is to become taller.
Two people of the same height & weight -- one flabby and one solid muscle-- would have identical BMIs, different BF%.0 -
Maybe you did actually gain height (perhaps simply a posture improvement)?0
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OK, you're talking body fat %, not BMI. Anywho, you can gain weight and still have a lower body fat % if you're gaining muscle. You don't look like you've got a lot of body fat to lose...are you doing strength training?0
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As others have said, BMI only changes with height or weight changes. I suspect your device is guesstimating your body fat.BMI is a person's weight in kilograms (kg) divided by his or her height in meters squared. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) now defines normal weight, overweight, and obesity according to BMI rather than the traditional height/weight charts.
from:
www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=161250 -
OK, you're talking body fat %, not BMI. Anywho, you can gain weight and still have a lower body fat % if you're gaining muscle. You don't look like you've got a lot of body fat to lose...are you doing strength training?
Any idea how accurate impedance testing with the hands is? I don't.0 -
Ah. That device you used purports to measure body fat %. BMI is weight divided by height squared. As others have said, the only way for weight to increase while BMI decreases is to become taller.
Two people of the same height & weight -- one flabby and one solid muscle-- would have identical BMIs, different BF%.
Hrm...Well, maybe that's what it is. Body fat %....Obviously it's a good thing if it's still continuing to drop...but my weight went up. Does this mean that I've gained muscle??? I'm trying to figure out what's going on so I know the adjustments that need to be made.0 -
Or you're differently hydrated. Keep at it, and look for longer term trends. But yes, it's looking like it might be going the right direction, which is great.Ah. That device you used purports to measure body fat %. BMI is weight divided by height squared. As others have said, the only way for weight to increase while BMI decreases is to become taller.
Two people of the same height & weight -- one flabby and one solid muscle-- would have identical BMIs, different BF%.
Hrm...Well, maybe that's what it is. Body fat %....Obviously it's a good thing if it's still continuing to drop...but my weight went up. Does this mean that I've gained muscle??? I'm trying to figure out what's going on so I know the adjustments that need to be made.
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Ah. That device you used purports to measure body fat %. BMI is weight divided by height squared. As others have said, the only way for weight to increase while BMI decreases is to become taller.
Two people of the same height & weight -- one flabby and one solid muscle-- would have identical BMIs, different BF%.
Hrm...Well, maybe that's what it is. Body fat %....Obviously it's a good thing if it's still continuing to drop...but my weight went up. Does this mean that I've gained muscle??? I'm trying to figure out what's going on so I know the adjustments that need to be made.
That all depends on what you've been doing. Have you been strength training and eating at a surplus?0 -
Hrm...Well, maybe that's what it is. Body fat %....Obviously it's a good thing if it's still continuing to drop...but my weight went up. Does this mean that I've gained muscle??? I'm trying to figure out what's going on so I know the adjustments that need to be made.
I'd cross-check with you're basic measurements. You can use a tape measure to get another guesstimate on your body fat % (you can also use calipers, but that takes a bit of practice). Google "body fat measurement with tape measure, female". Don't expect it to match the little hand-measurement %...no two body fat measurement techniques can seem to agree, but if the trend is downwards with both measurements, then you're on a roll.
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arditarose wrote: »Ah. That device you used purports to measure body fat %. BMI is weight divided by height squared. As others have said, the only way for weight to increase while BMI decreases is to become taller.
Two people of the same height & weight -- one flabby and one solid muscle-- would have identical BMIs, different BF%.
Hrm...Well, maybe that's what it is. Body fat %....Obviously it's a good thing if it's still continuing to drop...but my weight went up. Does this mean that I've gained muscle??? I'm trying to figure out what's going on so I know the adjustments that need to be made.
That all depends on what you've been doing. Have you been strength training and eating at a surplus?
I have been strength training...I've been on 1200 calories for months now. I've increased my cardio and I've been pretty much eating back all my calories. So, I don't know if that really counts as a surplus.0 -
arditarose wrote: »Ah. That device you used purports to measure body fat %. BMI is weight divided by height squared. As others have said, the only way for weight to increase while BMI decreases is to become taller.
Two people of the same height & weight -- one flabby and one solid muscle-- would have identical BMIs, different BF%.
Hrm...Well, maybe that's what it is. Body fat %....Obviously it's a good thing if it's still continuing to drop...but my weight went up. Does this mean that I've gained muscle??? I'm trying to figure out what's going on so I know the adjustments that need to be made.
That all depends on what you've been doing. Have you been strength training and eating at a surplus?
I have been strength training...I've been on 1200 calories for months now. I've increased my cardio and I've been pretty much eating back all my calories. So, I don't know if that really counts as a surplus.
No. You can't gain muscle on 1200 calories. That is a large deficit.0 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »OK, you're talking body fat %, not BMI. Anywho, you can gain weight and still have a lower body fat % if you're gaining muscle. You don't look like you've got a lot of body fat to lose...are you doing strength training?
Any idea how accurate impedance testing with the hands is? I don't.
So, I found some information about these devices. They are called handheld BMI devices and they are used to give an accurate BMI measurement by measuring body fat percentages.
http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/handheld-bmi-machine-work-15559.html0 -
nutmegoreo wrote: »As others have said, BMI only changes with height or weight changes. I suspect your device is guesstimating your body fat.BMI is a person's weight in kilograms (kg) divided by his or her height in meters squared. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) now defines normal weight, overweight, and obesity according to BMI rather than the traditional height/weight charts.
from:
www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=16125
http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/handheld-bmi-machine-work-15559.html0 -
Ah. That device you used purports to measure body fat %. BMI is weight divided by height squared. As others have said, the only way for weight to increase while BMI decreases is to become taller.
Two people of the same height & weight -- one flabby and one solid muscle-- would have identical BMIs, different BF%.
Here's some info about handheld BMI machines. They measure using body fat to give you a more accurate estimate.
http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/handheld-bmi-machine-work-15559.html0 -
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »OK, you're talking body fat %, not BMI. Anywho, you can gain weight and still have a lower body fat % if you're gaining muscle. You don't look like you've got a lot of body fat to lose...are you doing strength training?
Any idea how accurate impedance testing with the hands is? I don't.
So, I found some information about these devices. They are called handheld BMI devices and they are used to give an accurate BMI measurement by measuring body fat percentages.
http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/handheld-bmi-machine-work-15559.html
And there's your answer:
Sure wish they wouldn't call them BMI machines.While handheld BMI machines are capable of producing readings with an error margin of about 4 percent, the results can be skewed by skin temperature, hydration and food that might be present in your stomach.0 -
surplus eating 1200 calories. No sorry OP. Not sure what you are gaining in the 1 pound. Water weight?0
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I wouldn't worry about the number. If you're happy with your body, it's all good.0
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A handheld BMI device is meant to measure BMI and then calculate BF% to come up with a more helpful "Real-BMI." It is meant to counter some of the problems that the BMI calculation has, such as calling athletes overweight when they just have a very low BF%.
Handheld BMI devices are as accurate as BF% scales: they're not. They can vary 5-10% from accurate measurements. They are skewed by: hydration levels, when you last ate, what you last ate, level of moisture/hydration of hands/feet (depending on handheld or scale), level of callousing on hands/feet, grip, posture, etc etc etc.
Gaining 1 lb one day means nothing. That's well within the regular fluctuations our bodies have. If you notice that your weight continues to go up over time, then you need to adjust your intake/burn ratio. You are not building muscle on 1,200 calories a day. I advise that you reevaluate your calorie goal, since your profile says your goal is less than 20 lbs away. You should only aim to lose .5-1 lb/week.0 -
britishbroccoli wrote: »A handheld BMI device is meant to measure BMI and then calculate BF% to come up with a more helpful "Real-BMI." It is meant to counter some of the problems that the BMI calculation has, such as calling athletes overweight when they just have a very low BF%.
Handheld BMI devices are as accurate as BF% scales: they're not. They can vary 5-10% from accurate measurements. They are skewed by: hydration levels, when you last ate, what you last ate, level of moisture/hydration of hands/feet (depending on handheld or scale), level of callousing on hands/feet, grip, posture, etc etc etc.
Gaining 1 lb one day means nothing. That's well within the regular fluctuations our bodies have. If you notice that your weight continues to go up over time, then you need to adjust your intake/burn ratio. You are not building muscle on 1,200 calories a day. I advise that you reevaluate your calorie goal, since your profile says your goal is less than 20 lbs away. You should only aim to lose .5-1 lb/week.
Thanks so much. You have been very helpful. I appreciate your feedback.0 -
yopeeps025 wrote: »surplus eating 1200 calories. No sorry OP. Not sure what you are gaining in the 1 pound. Water weight?
Possibly. Stress.0 -
arditarose wrote: »arditarose wrote: »Ah. That device you used purports to measure body fat %. BMI is weight divided by height squared. As others have said, the only way for weight to increase while BMI decreases is to become taller.
Two people of the same height & weight -- one flabby and one solid muscle-- would have identical BMIs, different BF%.
Hrm...Well, maybe that's what it is. Body fat %....Obviously it's a good thing if it's still continuing to drop...but my weight went up. Does this mean that I've gained muscle??? I'm trying to figure out what's going on so I know the adjustments that need to be made.
That all depends on what you've been doing. Have you been strength training and eating at a surplus?
I have been strength training...I've been on 1200 calories for months now. I've increased my cardio and I've been pretty much eating back all my calories. So, I don't know if that really counts as a surplus.
No. You can't gain muscle on 1200 calories. That is a large deficit.
Not necessarily true. Someone new to lifting could gain muscle on a deficit, it's just not going to be a lot and it won't continue indefinitely. I also can gain muscle on a deficit but it turns out that I'm some type of hormonal freak.0 -
With the exception of newbie gains, you can not gain muscle in a deficit. Those scales are not accurate and the pound is most likely due to water retention.0
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Liftng4Lis wrote: »With the exception of newbie gains, you can not gain muscle in a deficit. Those scales are not accurate and the pound is most likely due to water retention.
Look at OP's picture -- she looks good, but she doesn't look like she's been lifting heavy for months. I could believe her having a pound of newbie gains over six weeks, even if she's netting 1200 calories (OP says she's "eating back all her calories", so her gross is going to be higher than 1200, perhaps significantly higher). <shrug> it's all guesswork...I don't know what program (if any) she's lifting to, how much more she's lifting now than six weeks ago, any of her non-weight measurements, yada yada yada. I'll go back to sleep now
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This discussion has been closed.
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