Increase body fat percentage at a caloric deficit?

iamacatperson

Is it possible for a digital weighing scale to log a 2% body fat increase (span of 2 weeks) while I'm on a caloric deficit (while weight stays the same)? I am currently at 1,200 calorie / day goal and on most days, I am even eating below that (e.g. 900-1000 only). Not because I am forcing myself not to eat as much but I am already full.

I am also mostly sedentary (office job) and currently, not really targetting to exercise but merely to reduce body fat through diet. I'm more of skinny fat. And since I have no weight loss, it shouldn't be coz I am losing muscle mass that's why there's an increased fat percentage?

I have to say that I like to drink and once a week, I'd drink maybe at 300-400 calories excess (1600 on a drinking day) but overall, the entire week, am still in a deficit.

I'm at 152cm and weigh at about 48kg. Any possible explanation?

AnnPT77

Body weight scales are just not that accurate. Their quite imprecise estimates of body fat are affected by all kinds of irrelevant factors like relative hydration. Since you're female and appear young, I'm guessing you're premenopausal and subject to hormone-related water weight fluctuations over a time period that as short as two weeks. That's simply too short a time to get a valid reading of what's happening, even if the scale were accurate enough to detect it.

Your best bets to lose mostly fat and as little lean tissue as possible would be to lose weight slowly, make sure you get enough protein (about 0.6-0.8g minimum per pound of goal weight daily, ideally), and (yes) exercise, especially strength exercise.

If I'm doing the conversions right, you're already pretty thin (BMI 20.8). You have only a few pounds to lose. That means you should be aiming for an ultra-slow loss rate, specifically 0.25kg per week or less. A weight trending app (Happy Scale for iOS, Libra for Android, Trendweight, Weightgrapher, etc.) would help you monitor that, but you'll still need at least 4-6 patient weeks to get an idea where things stand.

Definitely eat all of your assigned calories most days, if you want to lose mostly fat, not muscle. If you are full after 900 or 1000, change what you're eating. Usually the easiest way to add calories without being overfull is to add fats, like oil on your salad or in cooking, avocado, nuts or nut butters, etc.

Don't worry about the scale's body fat estimate. It isn't precise enough. Lose slowly, get enough protein, and if possible add some exercise (eating back those calories as MFP expects). That's your best bet to lose mostly fat, as little as possible muscle.

TavistockToad

Scales aren't accurate for measuring bodyfat