Body fat

shamahn17
shamahn17 Posts: 26 Member
edited September 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi...I still haven't lost anything but 2lbs...but my body fat dropped...)only a few tenths of a percent)...but i've been excersing like crazy...so my question is does body fat fluctuate ?

Replies

  • shamahn17
    shamahn17 Posts: 26 Member
    Hi...I still haven't lost anything but 2lbs...but my body fat dropped...)only a few tenths of a percent)...but i've been excersing like crazy...so my question is does body fat fluctuate ?
  • neverbeenskinny
    neverbeenskinny Posts: 446 Member
    No bodyfat does not fluctuate like body weight. Fat is just fat, it does not include water or any lean body mass, what you have is what you have until you lose or gain. But there are few methods of measurement that are accurate, most are not. Even with calipers it would depend on the person measuring you, as I have had inconsistent measurements of bodyfat. If you are having a personal trainer measure by calipers, make sure that you have the same person do it every time.

    You can get varied results depending on how you are getting your measurements.
  • AlbertSchwartz
    AlbertSchwartz Posts: 810
    Hi, some of the electronic scales calculate % body fat by measuring the electrical impedance of the person. I have one but i'm not sure how accuarate it is. When i first got on it it gave my weight but not my body fat as i think i was too heavy lol poor me. It does give my % fat now and i have seen it drop but not as much as i would have expected/ hoped.

    Anouther measurment to consider is measuring your size, get a tape measure and measure your weist, chest etc... then you can more of an idea of what your body is doing.

    Al

    Edit: Some scales work out the % fat from tables they have stored, so again, i'm not sure how accurate they are.
  • may_marie
    may_marie Posts: 667 Member
    hi there,

    my scale has a body fat calculator in it and it fluctuates, first because the scale itself can vary, and second because it depens what the scales sees as fat, in otherwords, i have noticed, that if i weight before i use the toilet, the body fat % is higher then after. so i guess the scales see my......... as fat.
    (sorry for the nature of this, not easy to explain..lol)

    your body fat % doesnt fluctuate daily, but your scale does, basicly
    may
  • neverbeenskinny
    neverbeenskinny Posts: 446 Member
    I have done some research on the scales, to get the most accurate body fat percentage, it recommend that you don't drink any liquid for at least 4 to 5 hours and have not exercised for at least 12 hours, so I would think that you would get a more accurate reading first thing in the morning.
  • Manda86
    Manda86 Posts: 1,859 Member
    that's when I do my weigh in- and because everything looks so much flatter in the morning ! :0)
  • shamahn17
    shamahn17 Posts: 26 Member
    Thanx everyone...i'll stick to mornings b4 i excercise!!
  • mkeithley
    mkeithley Posts: 399
    At my gym, I had someone measure me with both, the calipers and the digital hand held thing. We did it 4 times w/each one for a total of 8 times and each time was different, sometimes dramatically different. So now I don't use a scale OR measure body fat. I have heard it can be off + or - up to 5%. That is ALOT when we are talking body fat %!!!!:cry: Also I was told it takes longer to lose body fat % than pounds. I would say measuring your inches lost would be a more accurate way to judge your success:bigsmile:
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