I got a BMI scale and now I feel like *kitten*...

lilylefebvree

I’ve been going to the gym regularly and eating much healthier for about 6 months now. I definitely lost some weight (I believe about 15 pounds, I dont know my EXACT starting weight.) I got this new “Intellegent scale”, and now I just feel like utter *kitten* after the results. I can not believe my body fat percentage is 36! I do strength training at the gym and try to eat in a caloric deficit everyday! Based on my stats, what do you suggest I do? I really would like to have a much lower body fat percentage by June. I’ve really been working so hard and I want this so so bad! Should I drink protein since it says my protein is so low? I’m vegetarian so its hard to get protein sometimes. Please Please Please give me any advice you have.

RunnerGrl1982

Hi!

First off........breath. Don't panic.

Second, unless you are getting a Dexa Scan, those scales are notoriously inaccurate. Don't put too much worth into it.

Third, congratulations on all your success so far. Keep up the awesome work and what you're doing is obviously working, so try not to fret too much over what the "intelligent" scale is telling you. You have accomplished great things so far.

Doing strength training is fantastic. You're improving your health and getting stronger.

janejellyroll

Scales that offer body fat readings are notoriously inaccurate. I wouldn't let this information to get me.

How could a scale tell if your protein is low? It seems like this scale is offering features that don't even make sense. There is no way I'm aware of that a scale could tell you that you aren't getting enough protein.

lx1x

Fancy scale are not always accurate..

Unless you go and have # done professionally to compare. Personally shouldn't worry about it much.

hypocacculus

I say throw your "intelligent" scale in a skip. Keep to your diet and exercise and your body fat will look after itself.

MikePTY

These "intelligent" scales are not very intelligent. They will give you a very rough estimate but they can be wildly off. Unless you get it professionally measured, I wouldn't worry much about it. Continue working out and eating at a calorie deficit, and the progress will come.

I'd try not to set too much of a time goal for yourself. "I want to lose X by X date" can be tempting, but sometimes progress is slower than we hope but it is still progress. This is about lifestyle change, not short term gains.

DancingMoosie

If you think you are over fat for your weight and are at risk for low bone density, do more strength training. I'm not sure what you are doing now, but follow a progressive lifting routine. Don't put too much thought into the scale. It's probably inaccurate and giving you false information. How tall are you? Your weight is not very high...

steveko89

Bioimpedance is a notoriously unreliable way to measure body fat percentage (assuming that's the technology it's using). I've never heard of "protein" mass either. I'm a big numbers person so I get it can be easy to get hung up on metrics, but it's important to evaluate success and self-worth in other ways. If you look in the mirror do you see the fruits of your labor in terms of improved body composition? If you struggle to see change in the mirror I'd encourage taking and reviewing progress photos, many times we're are own harshest critic and can have trouble seeing past what we perceive to be our biggest flaws.

More details would be helpful in terms of providing targeted advice (age, height, weight, maybe some photos if you're comfortable, and what your current calorie and macro targets are set). In general, body composition is improved by eating at a reasonable deficit (or maintenance if being underweight is a risk), following a structured progressive resistance training program, and consuming sufficient protein (what constitutes "sufficient" is hotly debated). Try to not get bogged down by the little stuff; stick to the basics, be consistent, and trust the process.

lilylefebvree

DancingMoosie wrote: »

If you think you are over fat for your weight and are at risk for low bone density, do more strength training. I'm not sure what you are doing now, but follow a progressive lifting routine. Don't put too much thought into the scale. It's probably inaccurate and giving you false information. How tall are you? Your weight is not very high...

Thank you for the response! I’m 5’0, I started working out regularly in August/September and have progressively went up in weights since

lilylefebvree

RunnerGrl1982 wrote: »

Hi!

First off........breath. Don't panic.

Second, unless you are getting a Dexa Scan, those scales are notoriously inaccurate. Don't put too much worth into it.

Third, congratulations on all your success so far. Keep up the awesome work and what you're doing is obviously working, so try not to fret too much over what the "intelligent" scale is telling you. You have accomplished great things so far.

Doing strength training is fantastic. You're improving your health and getting stronger.

Thank you very much, I appreciate it! I would like to cut body fat even more, do you have any tips on how to get best results with that?

DancingMoosie

lilylefebvree wrote: »

RunnerGrl1982 wrote: »

Hi!

First off........breath. Don't panic.

Second, unless you are getting a Dexa Scan, those scales are notoriously inaccurate. Don't put too much worth into it.

Third, congratulations on all your success so far. Keep up the awesome work and what you're doing is obviously working, so try not to fret too much over what the "intelligent" scale is telling you. You have accomplished great things so far.

Doing strength training is fantastic. You're improving your health and getting stronger.

Thank you very much, I appreciate it! I would like to cut body fat even more, do you have any tips on how to get best results with that?

Do you want to lose weight? The only way is to remain in a deficit. Strength training helps you maintain your muscle mass while you lose (hopefully more fat).

cwolfman13

lilylefebvree wrote: »

RunnerGrl1982 wrote: »

Hi!

First off........breath. Don't panic.

Second, unless you are getting a Dexa Scan, those scales are notoriously inaccurate. Don't put too much worth into it.

Third, congratulations on all your success so far. Keep up the awesome work and what you're doing is obviously working, so try not to fret too much over what the "intelligent" scale is telling you. You have accomplished great things so far.

Doing strength training is fantastic. You're improving your health and getting stronger.

Thank you very much, I appreciate it! I would like to cut body fat even more, do you have any tips on how to get best results with that?

Losing weight = lower BF%. Diet is the most important part of that. Exercise can help a little.

sarahEA88

I lost 10% fat in a day... by switching scales. Don't sweat it. You will hopefully be able to use it over time to notice improvements, but as others have said, the actual number is probably not accurate. Also, they tend to greatly fluctuate depending on your hydration level.

cvgolfcoach

Find a service where they put you under water. Not do they give you a much more accurate analysis but they also give you a lot of information to help you achieve your goals.

Luciicul

I quite like my bioimpedance scale. It may not be as accurate as a DEXA scan, but it helps on those days where your weight flatlines or goes up and you can see the % of water has increased - water retention, rather than true weight gain. Use it for long enough and you'll see the general trendline and not get so worried about the blips that don't make sense.

At my fittest, I got a DEXA scan, and where it said I was 18% body fat, my scales said 22%; Dexa showed 46.7kg muscle, while scales said 42.7kg muscle mass. I vaguely remember instructions on my scale say something about them not being accurate for athletes and people with lots of muscle - tend to overestimate fat and underestimate muscle in people with a good amount of muscle.

Now I've put on a lot of weight (fat, not muscle) since then, so my scales say I'm 48% fat. Might not be terribly accurate, but seeing I weigh almost twice as much as I used to, it's not far off!

I don't know your case; you know your own body. If the scale's reading doesn't make sense with what you see in the mirror; go with your own gut, the scales can mistake muscle for fat.

ExistingFish

Dont' worry about your scale. They are not super accurate.

It says your BMI is overweight. You are overweight by ONE POUND. 128lbs would put you in the healthy/normal category. I'm the same height as you. What you are doing is working, you are literally one pound away from a "healthy" BMI (not that BMI is super great...but that's another debate).

Keep doing what you are doing. Don't let this scale get to you.

SCoil123

This may be a silly question but what is it measuring as “protein mass”?

New_Heavens_Earth

sarahEA88 wrote: »

I lost 10% fat in a day... by switching scales. Don't sweat it. You will hopefully be able to use it over time to notice improvements, but as others have said, the actual number is probably not accurate. Also, they tend to greatly fluctuate depending on your hydration level.

I gained 4% body fat and weight stayed the same overnight

This morning it gave me an error code, which according to the manual meant moisten my feet and try again. Ha! The only thing that worked reliably was the daily maintenance calories it gave me was +/- 100 calories of my TDEE.🤔

MikePTY

To follow up on this, they have some body fat scale at the gym you can pay a dollar at and it weighs you and gives you your body fat reading. I measured myself before the workout, and got 22. 9%, body fat. After the workout, 30.3% 😂. So yeah I wouldn't put too much stock in those readings.

lx1x

MikePTY wrote: »

To follow up on this, they have some body fat scale at the gym you can pay a dollar at and it weighs you and gives you your body fat reading. I measured myself before the workout, and got 22. 9%, body fat. After the workout, 30.3% 😂. So yeah I wouldn't put too much stock in those readings.

If I were you..ask for refund! Lol