Body fat %

sueclare38

Over the past couple of weeks I've gained 1.5 lbs but my bf% has gone down from 35.5 to 32.5, I've been doing insanity and weights. Am I correct in thinking that the fact the weight is up doesn't matter as bf% has gone down. Is this because fat is being replaced by muscle?

stefjc

If you haven't already now is the time to start using a measuring tape. You'll soon notice that you get smaller even if you gain a few pounds.

sueclare38

I've been measuring, I have lost quite a lot of inches since I started using mfp, but not since I started insanity 3 weeks ago, not enough to note anyway. Yet my jeans feel looser round the waist. It's harder to measure my stomach and waist accurately due to day to day bloating, so I won't really notice a difference until there's a significant loss, but my legs and arms feel firmer.

Susieq_1994

In my experience .. When I am doing a hard work out (30DS) my body fat percentage temporarily goes waaay down as my weight goes up due to my muscles holding on to water while they repair themselves after all that work! After they have healed up.. My body fat percentage went back up by 1% (It had gone down by like 4% or so) and my muscle percentage (Which had gone up) went down a little bit, but the numbers were still pretty good!

yarwell

Over the past couple of weeks I've gained 1.5 lbs but my bf% has gone down from 35.5 to 32.5, I've been doing insanity and weights. Am I correct in thinking that the fact the weight is up doesn't matter as bf% has gone down. Is this because fat is being replaced by muscle?

Weight = Fat + Water + Muscle

130 lbs at 35.5% = 46.2 lbs fat
131.5 lbs at 32.5% = 42.7 lbs fat

sounds great, how are you measuring it ?

toutmonpossible

I don't think you would have put on an appreciable amount of muscle in a couple of weeks.

Francl27

I don't think you would have put on an appreciable amount of muscle in a couple of weeks.

This, especially if you are eating at a deficit.

It's very hard to measure body fat accurately, unless you're using calipers or other fancy tools.

Capt_Apollo

how are you measuring said body fat? if by electronic scale, those are usually the least accurate ever.

JaxDemon

I don't think you would have put on an appreciable amount of muscle in a couple of weeks.

It's very hard to measure body fat accurately, unless you're using calipers or other fancy tools.

I agree with the above. See if your local gym/health centre as bod pod or the use of calipers and you will get a much closer reading on your BF.

Bod pod told me I was 20.1% BF yet I was told by others who looked at some pics I posted that I was more like 25% though haha..

Unknown

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sueclare38

I've been weighing on bf scale every morning at the same time and it's been consistently going down gradually over the past couple of weeks.

FrenchMob

Those BIA scales are affected by hydration - if you do hard strength training, muscles hold one to water for repair, and water shows up as LBM on those scales. Those scales are good to determine a big picture trend, but not for an exact number.

sueclare38

So even though it's been a consistent loss it still may not be accurate?

stefjc

No! But it will show a trend. Calipers are not much better, human error etc. The only way is a bod pod and. to be honest, is it that important? A general trend in numbers and a tape measure is accurate enough for me.

itsfruitcake

What do you guys think how (in)accurate body fat scales are? I.e. is it just a couple of % up and down, or do you think they're totally off?

I'm considering getting one since I have no idea what my body fat % is (estimate: high ) and I'm not at a gym or anything where I could measure regularly.

Do you think it's worth getting one to (roughly) keep track, or what would be the best way to measure otherwise?

Francl27

I don't think you would have put on an appreciable amount of muscle in a couple of weeks.

It's very hard to measure body fat accurately, unless you're using calipers or other fancy tools.

I agree with the above. See if your local gym/health centre as bod pod or the use of calipers and you will get a much closer reading on your BF.

Bod pod told me I was 20.1% BF yet I was told by others who looked at some pics I posted that I was more like 25% though haha..

Yeah I'm also not convinced about how those gym tools work. Mine is done at the nurse every 3 months, I was 32% bf last time, calculated that I would be my current weight at 25% (providing I didn't lose any muscle, and I've been doing weights twice a week for that), and I still don't look like a 25% (although I guess it depends what pictures you look at, I've seen 3 different kinds and I sorta look like two of them). So who knows. I'm going back in 2 weeks...

stefjc

What do you guys think how (in)accurate body fat scales are? I.e. is it just a couple of % up and down, or do you think they're totally off?

I'm considering getting one since I have no idea what my body fat % is (estimate: high ) and I'm not at a gym or anything where I could measure regularly.

Do you think it's worth getting one to (roughly) keep track, or what would be the best way to measure otherwise?

I have a set of scales that include BF but that was just luck of the draw really. I sort of look but don't necessarily track it.

I do use a tape measure though. Cheap and cheerful and amounts to the much the same thing if you eat well and exercise. I tend to track my cholesterol and other bloods once a year or so anyway (anaemia), that gives me a good indicator of health improvements and that does for me.

If you want to know properly then you will need to find somewhere with a bod pod - not as easy here as int he US perhaps.

igotabulletproofheart

Over the past couple of weeks I've gained 1.5 lbs but my bf% has gone down from 35.5 to 32.5, I've been doing insanity and weights. Am I correct in thinking that the fact the weight is up doesn't matter as bf% has gone down.

Correct. Unless it's water retention but considering you've been strength training it most probably is that you've gained some muscle mass.

Is this because fat is being replaced by muscle?

No! No! No!
Fat is never "replaced" by muscle. You can reduce one and increase the other, but you cannot replace one with the other.

Francl27

Over the past couple of weeks I've gained 1.5 lbs but my bf% has gone down from 35.5 to 32.5, I've been doing insanity and weights. Am I correct in thinking that the fact the weight is up doesn't matter as bf% has gone down.

Correct. Unless it's water retention but considering you've been strength training it most probably is that you've gained some muscle mass.

Can't gain muscle while eating at a deficit, and scales that measure your BF are not accurate, as far as I know.