Weight going down, but body fat going up?

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maillemaker
maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Back in February I bought a Withings Wifi BodyScale WBS01 scale. It measures body fat%, heart rate, and your weight, and tracks CO2 levels in your air, and will tell you if it's going to rain that day or not. :) It transmits this through WiFi back to the Withings web site and shares with MFP, which makes it very easy to track your weight. I weigh myself every morning.

Since 2/27 I'm down 8 pounds in weight, but my BMI has gone from 38 to 40, and my body fat percentage has gone from 43% to 48%.

Fat Mass:
http://i.imgur.com/0n7HgyZ.png

Weight/BMI:
http://i.imgur.com/WYFHdgt.png

Does this mean I'm losing muscle instead of fat?

I don't exercise; I am only using a calorie deficit.

Replies

  • higgins8283801
    higgins8283801 Posts: 844 Member
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    Those scales are not really accurate with body fat. I have an aria and it says I'm anywhere from 24.4% to 28% however I recently had a body pod test done and I'm at 20.2%. My range is 119lbs to 123 and I'm 5'2.

    When eating at a deficit you can almost guarantee you're losing muscle but don't really fret too much about the percentages those scales dish out.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    You're going to lose some muscle mass inevitably. You can minimize that by strength training. And most of what you lose will be fat, especially if you have a lot of fat to lose.

    And, agreed, those body fat scales are notoriously inaccurate.

    Your BMI by the way should not have gone up if you've lost weight, well, not unless you're also losing height. :) I think you may have miscalculated.
  • thin1dayplease
    thin1dayplease Posts: 291 Member
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    I'm no expert, but I would say they aren't accurate. I really fail to see how it is possible to be losing weight yet gaining body fat. Surely the body burns fat first, before muscle?
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    thin1dayplease wrote: »
    I'm no expert, but I would say they aren't accurate. I really fail to see how it is possible to be losing weight yet gaining body fat. Surely the body burns fat first, before muscle?

    You can gain body fat *percentage*, not absolute body fat, if you lose muscle too fast. That doesn't typically happen unless someone is losing at a large deficit close to goal weight, and is dropping muscle mass too quickly.
  • brocej
    brocej Posts: 24 Member
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    Scales are very inaccurate. They work by passing a current through your body and measuring the delay in receiving it back. This makes them sensitive to factors such as how hydrated you are. Use them as a gauge but expect 5-10% variance.

    Photos and a mirror provide better feedback IMO.
  • brocej
    brocej Posts: 24 Member
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    That said, you probably are losing some muscle mass if you are not strength training. I highly recommend starting.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    maillemaker wrote: »
    Back in February I bought a Withings Wifi BodyScale WBS01 scale. It measures body fat%, heart rate, and your weight, and tracks CO2 levels in your air, and will tell you if it's going to rain that day or not. :) It transmits this through WiFi back to the Withings web site and shares with MFP, which makes it very easy to track your weight. I weigh myself every morning.

    Since 2/27 I'm down 8 pounds in weight, but my BMI has gone from 38 to 40, and my body fat percentage has gone from 43% to 48%.

    Fat Mass:
    http://i.imgur.com/0n7HgyZ.png

    Weight/BMI:
    http://i.imgur.com/WYFHdgt.png

    Does this mean I'm losing muscle instead of fat?

    I don't exercise; I am only using a calorie deficit.

    While yes you only need calorie deficit to lose weight. Weight lifting helps to change what is actually lost to help keep muscle mass.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    I could easily see that you'd be losing lean muscle mass on a calorie deficit with no exercise which could raise your body fat percentage. That said, there's no way your BMI could increase after losing 8 pounds (unless you also lost height) so something is definitely not right with the scale.

    I highly recommend strength training to help you maintain muscle mass as you lose fat. As a comparison, I started weight lifting last year. My weight hasn't dropped too much but I'm wearing clothes I could only wear at my lowest weight which is about 10 pounds less than I weigh now. Personally, I'd rather be visibly smaller than see a lower number on the scale and have to eat less to maintain that lower weight.
  • maillemaker
    maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
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    OK I think I know what the deal is.

    I corrected my height. For years I have said I was 5'11", but last night I was measuring the kids and I measured myself and I am only 5'8". So I went in and updated my height in the system. But evidently it is not retroactively applying the height change.

    It's possible that the height is used in calculating the body fat mass also.
  • mburgess458
    mburgess458 Posts: 480 Member
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    Height will impact the bodyfat percentage on those scales also.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    maillemaker wrote: »
    OK I think I know what the deal is.

    I corrected my height. For years I have said I was 5'11", but last night I was measuring the kids and I measured myself and I am only 5'8". So I went in and updated my height in the system. But evidently it is not retroactively applying the height change.

    It's possible that the height is used in calculating the body fat mass also.

    Maybe you shrinking?
  • Shadowsan
    Shadowsan Posts: 365 Member
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    Quick obvious question...

    ... Are you drinking more fluids?

    Fat stores water to help fuel metabolism. More hydration = more 'fat' mass.

    Just keep at it, throw in some extra weight training in and keep your logging tight and you'll be fine.
  • maillemaker
    maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
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    >... Are you drinking more fluids?

    Yes, I'm drinking water like crazy.

    I drink about 96 ounces a day.

    I drink water almost exclusively.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    maillemaker wrote: »
    OK I think I know what the deal is.

    I corrected my height. For years I have said I was 5'11", but last night I was measuring the kids and I measured myself and I am only 5'8". So I went in and updated my height in the system. But evidently it is not retroactively applying the height change.

    It's possible that the height is used in calculating the body fat mass also.

    Well that would do it.
  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,112 Member
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    No your body fat and BMI has not changed that much during that short of period.
    The scales are affected by your body's water content, yours has varied significantly from all the usual suspects.
  • kcharisse0215
    kcharisse0215 Posts: 1 Member
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    I've been doing strength training twice a week and cardio 3 times. I was reducing bmi more than weight. This week I dropped a lot of weight but my bmi actually went up! I'm using My Fitness Pal and Garmin Vivofit HR. I'm logging calories and try to keep track of all of my exercise. What am I doing wrong?
  • hazleyes81
    hazleyes81 Posts: 296 Member
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    kcharisse0215 wrote: »
    I've been doing strength training twice a week and cardio 3 times. I was reducing bmi more than weight. This week I dropped a lot of weight but my bmi actually went up! I'm using My Fitness Pal and Garmin Vivofit HR. I'm logging calories and try to keep track of all of my exercise. What am I doing wrong?

    Nothing. Your BMI can't go up if you're losing weight. Its based on height and weight. Height won't change, and when weight goes down BMI goes down.
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
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    maillemaker wrote: »
    OK I think I know what the deal is.

    I corrected my height. For years I have said I was 5'11", but last night I was measuring the kids and I measured myself and I am only 5'8". So I went in and updated my height in the system. But evidently it is not retroactively applying the height change.

    It's possible that the height is used in calculating the body fat mass also.

    Yes, I think the height is used in the calculation.

    I have a funny story about 5'8" vs 5'11", though. I'm a little under five foot nine, but men my height always seem to say they are five foot ten. So my boss at work one day asked how tall I was. I hesitated, and said "are you asking for real, or asking as a man?" which I am sure sounded kind of crazy, he thought for a moment and said "as a man" so I answered, "Oh, then I am five foot ten." Which was exactly what he was asking for, of course.


    Also our biometric screenings at work make me insane because they round the men's heights UP but the women's heights DOWN, so I am standing next to a man almost exactly my height, he's slightly shorter, but they put me as 5'8 and him as 5'9.

  • DearestWinter
    DearestWinter Posts: 595 Member
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    robininfl wrote: »
    maillemaker wrote: »
    OK I think I know what the deal is.

    I corrected my height. For years I have said I was 5'11", but last night I was measuring the kids and I measured myself and I am only 5'8". So I went in and updated my height in the system. But evidently it is not retroactively applying the height change.

    It's possible that the height is used in calculating the body fat mass also.

    Yes, I think the height is used in the calculation.

    I have a funny story about 5'8" vs 5'11", though. I'm a little under five foot nine, but men my height always seem to say they are five foot ten. So my boss at work one day asked how tall I was. I hesitated, and said "are you asking for real, or asking as a man?" which I am sure sounded kind of crazy, he thought for a moment and said "as a man" so I answered, "Oh, then I am five foot ten." Which was exactly what he was asking for, of course.


    Also our biometric screenings at work make me insane because they round the men's heights UP but the women's heights DOWN, so I am standing next to a man almost exactly my height, he's slightly shorter, but they put me as 5'8 and him as 5'9.

    That is hilarious! I've also noticed men round up and women round down. I'm slightly shy of 5'5" but say I'm 5'4". Don't get me started on how many guys I've gone out with who've said 5'10" on their profiles but were barely taller than me. I admit there is more discrimination for shorter guys so that's probably where it comes from. I'm happy to go out with shorter men - it's the lack of honesty that bothers me. As if I wouldn't notice.

    Sorry for the hijack, OP. Glad you've got the issue figured out!
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    maillemaker wrote: »
    OK I think I know what the deal is.

    I corrected my height. For years I have said I was 5'11", but last night I was measuring the kids and I measured myself and I am only 5'8". So I went in and updated my height in the system. But evidently it is not retroactively applying the height change.

    It's possible that the height is used in calculating the body fat mass also.

    More likely what it has to do with is that BIA scales are all but useless for measuring body fat percentage. Here's a great article by James Krieger explaining the inaccuracies and issues with BIA devices: http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/index.php/free-content/free-content/volume-1-issue-4-the-pitfalls-of-body-fat-measurement-parts-3-and-4-bod-pod-and-bioelectrical-impedance-bia/the-pitfalls-of-bodyfat-measurement-part-4-bioelectrical-impedance-bia/

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