Body fat percentage conundrum
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smelliefeet
Posts: 71 Member
Backstory: I rapidly gained weight after having an IUD inserted in late 2012. I've always been thin, and this trauma to my body caused me to gain 30 lbs in three months! It was a shocker and no doctor had answers except to have it removed, so I did. I immediately started eating less and attempting to move more (I was already a long distance runner at the time)
Since I am a firm believer in CICO and needed to know my stats, I do hydrostatic body fat testing to keep track of my progress, but the results are more than bizarre:
Height: 5'3"
2014 weight: 163 lbs
2014 body fat: 31.06%
2017 weight: 185 lbs
2017 body fat: 30.10%
How could I be 22 lbs heavier, yet around the same amount of body fat?
I'm convinced that I have a 40 lb tumor somewhere in my body
Exercise consistent from 2013 to 2017: 30 min cardio a day, from HIIT to elliptical to walking uphill on treadmill AND weights 2-3 times a week but I only do machines or dumb bells at home.
I have no known health issues. Sleep very well, feel generally in great health physically and emotionally (except the weight conundrum is really starting to get to me emotionally) so I never go to the doctor... but I'm thinking maybe its time? I just hear horror stories of doctors not taking fat patients seriously
**ETA: Re: my food diary, I don't consistently log on MFP, though I do occasionally. I consistently log in my Fit Bit app on my phone, so looking at my food diary here on MFP won't be helpful in answering my question.
Since I am a firm believer in CICO and needed to know my stats, I do hydrostatic body fat testing to keep track of my progress, but the results are more than bizarre:
Height: 5'3"
2014 weight: 163 lbs
2014 body fat: 31.06%
2017 weight: 185 lbs
2017 body fat: 30.10%
How could I be 22 lbs heavier, yet around the same amount of body fat?
I'm convinced that I have a 40 lb tumor somewhere in my body
Exercise consistent from 2013 to 2017: 30 min cardio a day, from HIIT to elliptical to walking uphill on treadmill AND weights 2-3 times a week but I only do machines or dumb bells at home.
I have no known health issues. Sleep very well, feel generally in great health physically and emotionally (except the weight conundrum is really starting to get to me emotionally) so I never go to the doctor... but I'm thinking maybe its time? I just hear horror stories of doctors not taking fat patients seriously
**ETA: Re: my food diary, I don't consistently log on MFP, though I do occasionally. I consistently log in my Fit Bit app on my phone, so looking at my food diary here on MFP won't be helpful in answering my question.
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Replies
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taking a quick look at your diary - you have some funky food entries
i.e. the 28th - you have 1229cal listed, but your macros has you with 89carbs remaining, 2 protein and 0 fat - which means you should have 346calories left over which is a huge difference1 -
smelliefeet wrote: »2017 weight: 185 lbs
2017 body fat: 30.10%
2014 weight: 163 lbs
2014 body fat: 31.06%
How could I be 22 lbs heavier, yet around the same amount of body fat?
You've added about 6 lb of fat. This indicates that your added LBM/water/non-fat:fat is just over 2:1. That's good, all things considered.
Assuming 3 full years, that's 22 lb over 156 weeks. As such, there was bound to be bulking (obviously), cutting (briefly, probably), and maintenance/recomp cycles. Take into account any potential errors in the testing, and your results aren't particularly inconceivable.
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smelliefeet wrote: »2017 weight: 185 lbs
2017 body fat: 30.10%
2014 weight: 163 lbs
2014 body fat: 31.06%
How could I be 22 lbs heavier, yet around the same amount of body fat?
You've added about 6 lb of fat. This indicates that your added LBM/water/non-fat:fat is just over 2:1. That's good, all things considered.
Assuming 3 full years, that's 22 lb over 156 weeks. As such, there was bound to be bulking (obviously), cutting (briefly, probably), and maintenance/recomp cycles. Take into account any potential errors in the testing, and your results aren't particularly inconceivable.
How do you get the extra 6 lb of fat? I am down in total body fat percentage (about 1% less) from 2014 even though I gained 22 lbs.1 -
smelliefeet wrote: »smelliefeet wrote: »2017 weight: 185 lbs
2017 body fat: 30.10%
2014 weight: 163 lbs
2014 body fat: 31.06%
How could I be 22 lbs heavier, yet around the same amount of body fat?
You've added about 6 lb of fat. This indicates that your added LBM/water/non-fat:fat is just over 2:1. That's good, all things considered.
Assuming 3 full years, that's 22 lb over 156 weeks. As such, there was bound to be bulking (obviously), cutting (briefly, probably), and maintenance/recomp cycles. Take into account any potential errors in the testing, and your results aren't particularly inconceivable.
How do you get the extra 6 lb of fat? I am down in total body fat percentage (about 1% less) from 2014 even though I gained 22 lbs.
30.1% of 185 = 55.7
31.06% of 163 = 50.6
So it's 5 more lb, not 6. Sorry for that mistake. And the gained non-fat:fat ratio is around 3:1.7 -
smelliefeet wrote: »smelliefeet wrote: »2017 weight: 185 lbs
2017 body fat: 30.10%
2014 weight: 163 lbs
2014 body fat: 31.06%
How could I be 22 lbs heavier, yet around the same amount of body fat?
You've added about 6 lb of fat. This indicates that your added LBM/water/non-fat:fat is just over 2:1. That's good, all things considered.
Assuming 3 full years, that's 22 lb over 156 weeks. As such, there was bound to be bulking (obviously), cutting (briefly, probably), and maintenance/recomp cycles. Take into account any potential errors in the testing, and your results aren't particularly inconceivable.
How do you get the extra 6 lb of fat? I am down in total body fat percentage (about 1% less) from 2014 even though I gained 22 lbs.
30.1% of 185 = 55.7
31.06% of 163 = 50.6
So it's 5 more lb, not 6. And the non-fat:fat ratio is around 3:1.
Interesting, so that means I gained a lot of muscle or I'm holding onto 10 lbs of water?
I don't really lift weights. I mean, machines at the gym and I have dumb bells at home where I'll do curls with my 8lb or squats while holding my 12 lbs but nothing excruciating. Would that make me gain ~5 lbs of muscle per year?0 -
smelliefeet wrote: »How could I be 22 lbs heavier, yet around the same amount of body fat?
I'm convinced that I have a 40 lb tumor somewhere in my body
It's not the "same" amount of body fat. It's the same "percentage" of body fat. To find out how much body fat each percentage is.. you need to do the math.
2014 163 x .3106 = 50lbs body fat
2017 185 x .3010 = 55lbs body fat
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smelliefeet wrote: »Interesting, so that means I gained a lot of muscle or I'm holding onto 10 lbs of water?
I don't really lift weights. I mean, machines at the gym and I have dumb bells at home where I'll do curls with my 8lb or squats while holding my 12 lbs but nothing excruciating. Would that make me gain ~5 lbs of muscle per year?
If you're only holding on to 10 lbs of water, then you're likely severely dehydrated. The human body is 50-60% water.
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So if I'm 3:1 ratio, and I'm only 5'3" 185 lb woman, technically "obese" I really don't understand my results.
Apparently my lean body mass to fat ratio is quite healthy, but I'm clearly over weight. That's the only reason I was pointing to either a major error in testing of both times I had body fat tested OR a medical issue
I'm highly doubtful I'm hanging on to much water weight as I drink ~3 liters a day and my pee is never dark yellow.0 -
smelliefeet wrote: »How could I be 22 lbs heavier, yet around the same amount of body fat?
I'm convinced that I have a 40 lb tumor somewhere in my body
It's not the "same" amount of body fat. It's the same "percentage" of body fat. To find out how much body fat each percentage is.. you need to do the math.
2014 163 x .3106 = 50lbs body fat
2017 185 x .3010 = 55lbs body fat
This^. And add to it that any way you measure body fat %, there is a definite margin of error. It's a notoriously difficult stat to get accurate. I have always used either MFP's NEAT method or a TDEE calculator that doesn't require a BF% number, and CICO has worked fine for me, all I know is that my BF% isn't what I want it to be LOL.1 -
smelliefeet wrote: »How could I be 22 lbs heavier, yet around the same amount of body fat?
I'm convinced that I have a 40 lb tumor somewhere in my body
It's not the "same" amount of body fat. It's the same "percentage" of body fat. To find out how much body fat each percentage is.. you need to do the math.
2014 163 x .3106 = 50lbs body fat
2017 185 x .3010 = 55lbs body fat
This^. And add to it that any way you measure body fat %, there is a definite margin of error. It's a notoriously difficult stat to get accurate. I have always used either MFP's NEAT method or a TDEE calculator that doesn't require a BF% number, and CICO has worked fine for me, all I know is that my BF% isn't what I want it to be LOL.
Yes I understand, and that's all very useful information but it is still a conundrum to me as I'm not sure how I would have gained almost 17 lbs of muscle mass (high end) and even 10 lbs (low end) when I haven't been lifting weights in the past two years (I just started in January)0 -
smelliefeet wrote: »
Yes I understand, and that's all very useful information but it is still a conundrum to me as I'm not sure how I would have gained almost 17 lbs of muscle mass (high end) and even 10 lbs (low end) when I haven't been lifting weights in the past two years (I just started in January)[/quote]
I'm confused... in your first post you stated "Exercise consistent from 2013 to 2017: 30 min cardio a day, from HIIT to elliptical to walking uphill on treadmill AND weights 2-3 times a week but I only do machines or dumb bells at home" But now it's.. you've only been doing weights for a month.
But beside the point... If your workouts stayed as is, while your body gained weight... it would need to add more muscle to move the added weight. You probably also added bone density for the same reason. Add in an increase in heart mass to pump more blood. There's also an increase to stomach size to accommodate the larger food intake.
While body fat percentage will give you a good idea of how much fat you carry, it doesn't mean the difference is all muscle. For the same reason why grow spurts in children don't automatically mean fat, an increase in size in adults is not all fat and muscle. Your body needs to make a LOT of adjustments to take care of the larger size.1 -
smelliefeet wrote: »Yes I understand, and that's all very useful information but it is still a conundrum to me as I'm not sure how I would have gained almost 17 lbs of muscle mass (high end) and even 10 lbs (low end) when I haven't been lifting weights in the past two years (I just started in January)
You didn't gain 17lbs of muscle mass. You gained 17lbs of Lean Body Mass, which includes muscle, bone, blood, internal organ other body tissue and water.
Muscle mass CANNOT be accurately measured by any common method of BF measurement. DXA and Hydrostatic testing are the best commerically available methods of BF testing. DXA can differentiate between LBM, bone and fat, while Hydrostatic testing can only differentiate between LBM and fat.
You can get better readings doing an MRI, CAT scan, total body electrical conductivity (not the same as using an OTC bioelectrical device), 24hr creatine excretion or total body phosphate testing, but these methods are expensive and generally would require doc approval and lab testing.
So, how much of the LBM is actually muscle can only be guessed -- strength gained can be a proxy for muscle growth -- but, if you did not do any progressively heavy lifting, it is unlikely that you gained much if any muscle at all.2 -
smelliefeet wrote: »Yes I understand, and that's all very useful information but it is still a conundrum to me as I'm not sure how I would have gained almost 17 lbs of muscle mass (high end) and even 10 lbs (low end) when I haven't been lifting weights in the past two years (I just started in January)
You didn't gain 17lbs of muscle mass. You gained 17lbs of Lean Body Mass, which includes muscle, bone, blood, internal organ other body tissue and water.
Muscle mass CANNOT be accurately measured by any common method of BF measurement. DXA and Hydrostatic testing are the best commerically available methods of BF testing. DXA can differentiate between LBM, bone and fat, while Hydrostatic testing can only differentiate between LBM and fat.
You can get better readings doing an MRI, CAT scan, total body electrical conductivity (not the same as using an OTC bioelectrical device), 24hr creatine excretion or total body phosphate testing, but these methods are expensive and generally would require doc approval and lab testing.
So, how much of the LBM is actually muscle can only be guessed -- strength gained can be a proxy for muscle growth -- but, if you did not do any progressively heavy lifting, it is unlikely that you gained much if any muscle at all.
That's reassuring to hear and makes sense to me. Even if I did gain 2-3 lbs of muscle, I still wonder why I have 15 lb of lean body mass left over. Bone? I'm a woman in my mid-30s who doesn't eat dairy and takes no supplements, I thought my bone density was supposed to go DOWN not up by lbs!!
Basically all of the answers I'm getting here are simply leading me to believe that I have gained a "mass" and it might be time to go to a doctor because it's not likely the type of mass I *want* !!!0 -
smelliefeet wrote: »smelliefeet wrote: »Yes I understand, and that's all very useful information but it is still a conundrum to me as I'm not sure how I would have gained almost 17 lbs of muscle mass (high end) and even 10 lbs (low end) when I haven't been lifting weights in the past two years (I just started in January)
You didn't gain 17lbs of muscle mass. You gained 17lbs of Lean Body Mass, which includes muscle, bone, blood, internal organ other body tissue and water.
Muscle mass CANNOT be accurately measured by any common method of BF measurement. DXA and Hydrostatic testing are the best commerically available methods of BF testing. DXA can differentiate between LBM, bone and fat, while Hydrostatic testing can only differentiate between LBM and fat.
You can get better readings doing an MRI, CAT scan, total body electrical conductivity (not the same as using an OTC bioelectrical device), 24hr creatine excretion or total body phosphate testing, but these methods are expensive and generally would require doc approval and lab testing.
So, how much of the LBM is actually muscle can only be guessed -- strength gained can be a proxy for muscle growth -- but, if you did not do any progressively heavy lifting, it is unlikely that you gained much if any muscle at all.
That's reassuring to hear and makes sense to me. Even if I did gain 2-3 lbs of muscle, I still wonder why I have 15 lb of lean body mass left over. Bone? I'm a woman in my mid-30s who doesn't eat dairy and takes no supplements, I thought my bone density was supposed to go DOWN not up by lbs!!
Basically all of the answers I'm getting here are simply leading me to believe that I have gained a "mass" and it might be time to go to a doctor because it's not likely the type of mass I *want* !!!
If those measurements came from a scale using BIA (bioelectric impedance analysis), you may as well completely ignore them. BIA is about as accurate as throwing a dart at a dartboard and using the number you hit as your BF%.
James Krieger wrote a great research review about the inaccuracy of BIA as a bodyfat measurement tool, it may reassure you to read it: 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/2 -
Somebody has already given you a link to the same site, nevertheless you said hydrostatic, so the below link, I think, fits better.
http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/index.php/free-content/free-content/volume-1-issue-3-the-pitfalls-of-body-fat-measurement-parts-1-and-2/the-pitfalls-of-body-fat-measurement-part-2/
In either case, it boils down to the fact that your percentage change is much smaller than the testing method's margin of error.1 -
Somebody has already given you a link to the same site, nevertheless you said hydrostatic, so the below link, I think, fits better.
http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/index.php/free-content/free-content/volume-1-issue-3-the-pitfalls-of-body-fat-measurement-parts-1-and-2/the-pitfalls-of-body-fat-measurement-part-2/
In either case, it boils down to the fact that your percentage change is much smaller than the testing method's margin of error.
My bad, I missed the hydro part. Good catch and good link.2 -
Somebody has already given you a link to the same site, nevertheless you said hydrostatic, so the below link, I think, fits better.
http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/index.php/free-content/free-content/volume-1-issue-3-the-pitfalls-of-body-fat-measurement-parts-1-and-2/the-pitfalls-of-body-fat-measurement-part-2/
In either case, it boils down to the fact that your percentage change is much smaller than the testing method's margin of error.
Thank you for the information, very useful. I will stop wasting my money getting body fat tests done and simply go on how I feel / the scale / how my clothes are fitting from now on
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Hydrostatic testing only measures your fat mass vs. your fat free mass, right? So that somewhere-around-17ish pound difference (because even hydrostatic testing isn't 100% accurate, so you can't say for absolute sure that there really is an exactly 17-pound difference) in your fat-free mass includes muscle, bone, organ tissue, blood and total body water. Keep in mind that people regularly see pounds of change in their weight from day to day due to water retention, so it's not outside of the realm of possibility to say that you're holding more water weight now on average than you did three years ago.
If it were me, these results would make sense and I wouldn't worry about having some undiscovered tumor. If you're having symptoms or if you would just feel better to have some type of full body scan, go to the doctor. I personally wouldn't waste the money.1
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