Interpreting numbers--weight and body fat %

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missbis
missbis Posts: 116 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I went to the gym today and my trainer took my weight and body fat percentage to compare it to my stats before Christmas:

12/21/12: Weight = 195.4, body fat = 34.3%
1/3/12: Weight = 198.2, body fat = 33.9%

So technically I gained 2.8 pounds, but my body fat went down. Does that mean I gained muscle? My trainer says it does, but I didn't eat too well over the past 10 days and I didn't exercise because I was out of town.

Can someone enlighten me? Thanks! =)

Replies

  • panzerduff
    panzerduff Posts: 21 Member
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    Looks like you could be holding a bit of water weight. The number on the scale usually isn't relevant when you have a BF% measurement. Did you take in more sodium than usual during Christmas?
  • missbis
    missbis Posts: 116 Member
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    Definitely! So will the number on the scale go down after a few days of a low-sodium diet? I am a little ignorant as to how water weight works. But thanks for the response!
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    0.4% is well within the errors of testing. It means nothing.
  • missbis
    missbis Posts: 116 Member
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    0.4% is well within the errors of testing. It means nothing.

    What about my weight?
  • prokomds
    prokomds Posts: 318 Member
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    Both numbers are well within the range of normal fluctuations - plus the % of error with these sort of tests. What I'd really recommend is measure after a month, after two months, and those numbers will have much more meaning.

    As for the weight, specifically, mine goes up and down a couple pounds day to day, and I believe that's normal. How much sodium you've been eating has a lot to do with it (causes you to retain more water). All normal :)

    Just keep moving forward, you need more than a week or two to have real valuable measurements. Good luck!
  • missbis
    missbis Posts: 116 Member
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    Both numbers are well within the range of normal fluctuations - plus the % of error with these sort of tests. What I'd really recommend is measure after a month, after two months, and those numbers will have much more meaning.

    As for the weight, specifically, mine goes up and down a couple pounds day to day, and I believe that's normal. How much sodium you've been eating has a lot to do with it (causes you to retain more water). All normal :)

    Just keep moving forward, you need more than a week or two to have real valuable measurements. Good luck!

    Thanks! He usually takes my measurements monthly, but I wanted to see what happened over the holidays. I was worried that I gained weight, which I technically did.

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