Body Fat going in the wrong direction

b14a3w3
b14a3w3 Posts: 61 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am using the Aria scale in conjunction with my Fitbit pedometer. I am 5'6" and weighed 175lbs when I started using the scale 4 weeks ago and I weigh 167 now. My body fat started at 41.9% and is now 42.4%...horrible, I know but why is it going up?
I weighed myself on my old scale and it shows the same %
I am walking about 1500-1600 steps a day to start and have increase almost daily.
I do have a bubble butt and some stomach fat but am not large everywhere else. My legs are muscular and my husband says I am solid built.

I just bought the Shred and plan to start that but wanted to know why my body weight has not already started to decrease.
Thanks.

Replies

  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    I am using the Aria scale in conjunction with my Fitbit pedometer. I am 5'6" and weighed 175lbs when I started using the scale 4 weeks ago and I weigh 167 now. My body fat started at 41.9% and is now 42.4%...horrible, I know but why is it going up?
    I weighed myself on my old scale and it shows the same %
    I am walking about 1500-1600 steps a day to start and have increase almost daily.
    I do have a bubble butt and some stomach fat but am not large everywhere else. My legs are muscular and my husband says I am solid built.

    I just bought the Shred and plan to start that but wanted to know why my body weight has not already started to decrease.
    Thanks.


    This is very likely due to bf% measurement inaccuracy. It is very unlikely that your bodyfat% is increasing.
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    Those scale are very inaccurate.
  • b14a3w3
    b14a3w3 Posts: 61 Member
    What is the best way to measure body fat? Something easy. I don't want to stand on my head doing calculations. Thanks.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    You can't do it accurately and easily. But take you measurements of wrist, waist, and hips. Those are places that don't have a lot of muscle but do have fat deposits. As they get thinner you are losing fat and, if your weight is stable or lower, the relative proportion is decreasing.

    Or just look at how your clothes fit.

    To do it accuracy you need to look at air or water displacement.
  • cjc166
    cjc166 Posts: 222
    The scales are definitely inaccurate, and can fluxuate wildly based on your hyrdration and mineral levels.

    I recommend using measurements (abdomen, thighs, hips, etc..) and make sure that they are going in the right direction.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    What is the best way to measure body fat? Something easy. I don't want to stand on my head doing calculations. Thanks.

    All measurements of bodyfat% have error.

    http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=146

    I would rely on other metrics primarily (weight, how clothing feels, body measurements (tape), photographs, etc).

    Using bodyfat% is fine, but for this metric I'd go longer periods before checking.
  • Spartan_Maker
    Spartan_Maker Posts: 683 Member
    What is the best way to measure body fat? Something easy. I don't want to stand on my head doing calculations. Thanks.

    I assume that your scale uses bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). It's one the most affordable ways to measure body fat, but the results from that method are mostly determined by how much water and glycogen are stored in the body. With that in mind, if I eat lots of carbohydrates, sodium, and take creatine, I'll get a very favorable reading because I'll retain lots of water and glycogen which are viewed as lean mass; so, for instance, it makes it look like I gained muscle and lost fat all in a single day. By contrast, if I go low carb, I'll get a less favorable reading because that type of diet is diuretic and glycogen depleting.

    Over time, if you record BIA readings daily, it will provide a clear picture of whether you are trending in the right direction, but know that individual readings can be whacky, for the reasons I explained.

    In my view, you'd do well to measure your waist and hips bi-weekly. That'll tell you all you need to know.
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
    I am using the Aria scale in conjunction with my Fitbit pedometer. I am 5'6" and weighed 175lbs when I started using the scale 4 weeks ago and I weigh 167 now. My body fat started at 41.9% and is now 42.4%...horrible, I know but why is it going up?
    I weighed myself on my old scale and it shows the same %
    I am walking about 1500-1600 steps a day to start and have increase almost daily.
    I do have a bubble butt and some stomach fat but am not large everywhere else. My legs are muscular and my husband says I am solid built.

    I just bought the Shred and plan to start that but wanted to know why my body weight has not already started to decrease.
    Thanks.

    Don't know if it will work for you, since not everyone has this option, but I have a fitness professional at my gym measure my BF% with calipers, in conjunction with tape measurements. If they are both going down, I know I'm doing something right, regardless of what the scale tells me.

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