Significant body fat change?

PuppyPuppy12

Hi, everyone:

So my gym got a new body fat measurement machine -- I can't say I know exactly how it works, but basically they put a pad on your arm and it calculates from there. I was measured in February and my reading was 20.3%; I was just measured today and it's 31.2%! But the thing I don't get is that my weight, body measurements, etc are all the same -- actually, I lost an inch from my waist.

So my question is: is such a significant change possible/reasonable, especially without me feeling like my body is that different? Or did the machine miscalculate? I'm kinda freaking out here! Thanks for your thoughts.

AliceDark

Those types of machines are wildly inaccurate. You'd be better off just guessing to determine your actual BF%.

cwolfman13

Those machines aren't accurate...nothing you wrap around your arm is going to be able to reliably give you your BF%.

sijomial

Does your waist size going down and your body fat going up by over 50% sound at all likely?

Don't trust those machines - take regular progress photos and measurements instead.

PuppyPuppy12

Thanks, everyone -- I was feeling like I'd gone mad! I said as much to the nurse who did the assessment and she said the change was because I'd gone on holiday for three weeks, but now I see that's likely silly too. Nice to know my sense of my own body/health hasn't gone off!