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Newbie Here - Weight vs Body Fat

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LoveCincy
LoveCincy Posts: 17 Member
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Hi All,
I'm on day 4 and have been doing surprisingly well, I never would have thought I could go low carb. My only 'symptom' is a very slight head ache which is totally manageable. I do have a couple of questions that I would love some input on though.

1. I'm down about 4 pounds (which is great) but my body fat has gone back up a little over 1% and this worries me a little bit. Is this something that will start going back down once my body goes into ketosis?

2. Is it OK if my carbs are under 20g a day? I'm finding that I don't reach the 20g mark but I haven't needed it so I've not worried about it but I want to make sure that this won't hinder my body at all.

This board has been super helpful with all the informational links and advice and I appreciate any feedback.

Thanks!!!

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  • LoveCincy
    LoveCincy Posts: 17 Member
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    Bumping this. I'm down 7 pounds now but I'm up 1.5% in body fat. Anyone have any experience with this or advice? I'm trying to be patient since the weight is finally coming off but I don't want my body fat going up too much either.

    Hopefully this trend will stop soon. Thanks to anyone for any help. :D
  • kiramaniac
    kiramaniac Posts: 800 Member
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    Are you measuring body fat with a body fat scale? Or calipers?

    I'm going to assume scale. My understanding is that the bodyfat measurements on the scale are related to hydration levels. Hydration levels meanwhile are very different on a high carb vs low carb diet. So in general, don't compare them. I think my scale even highlighted that morning readings could be inaccurate due to distribution of water in your body after sleep (?)

    Don't stress if you are under 20 g. That just means you are awesome :-) Watch the protein too - too much will convert to glucose in your body. I target 75% fat, which means I need 2 fat grams for every 1 gram of protein.

    Good Luck!
  • Lisa1971
    Lisa1971 Posts: 3,069 Member
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    Bumping this. I'm down 7 pounds now but I'm up 1.5% in body fat. Anyone have any experience with this or advice? I'm trying to be patient since the weight is finally coming off but I don't want my body fat going up too much either.

    Hopefully this trend will stop soon. Thanks to anyone for any help. :D

    I'm having the same problem! Since going low carb last week my body fat % increase by 3%!!!! WTF????? I use a body fat scale so hopefully what Kira said is right.
  • LoveCincy
    LoveCincy Posts: 17 Member
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    Are you measuring body fat with a body fat scale? Or calipers?

    I'm going to assume scale. My understanding is that the bodyfat measurements on the scale are related to hydration levels. Hydration levels meanwhile are very different on a high carb vs low carb diet. So in general, don't compare them. I think my scale even highlighted that morning readings could be inaccurate due to distribution of water in your body after sleep (?)

    Don't stress if you are under 20 g. That just means you are awesome :-) Watch the protein too - too much will convert to glucose in your body. I target 75% fat, which means I need 2 fat grams for every 1 gram of protein.

    Good Luck!

    Thank you! Yes, I'm using a scale - so this makes sense and is VERY good to know...It makes me worry less. I have been drinking a TON of water. Before the Keto diet I was drinking 6-8 cups a day and now I am drinking 12 or more so that could definitely be making the difference.

    Oddly enough even though I read lots of posts about people not able to get their fat, I have been pretty consistently at 70-75% fat and 20-25% protein and 5% or under on carbs. So far so good!

    And your links and informational posts have really been my life saver this first week! Thank you so much!
  • kiramaniac
    kiramaniac Posts: 800 Member
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    I usually count my morning weight (obviously! that's my lowest of the day, but I *think* that my body fat might be most accurate based on an evening reading.

    My swings of body fat readings can vary by 3% between nighttime and morning.

    When I went on vacation over New Years (and went off keto) my fat % went up about 3.5% in 36 hours as I went back on keto.
  • kiramaniac
    kiramaniac Posts: 800 Member
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    Good article on this:
    http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/bodyfatscales.html
  • LoveCincy
    LoveCincy Posts: 17 Member
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    I usually count my morning weight (obviously! that's my lowest of the day, but I *think* that my body fat might be most accurate based on an evening reading.

    My swings of body fat readings can vary by 3% between nighttime and morning.

    When I went on vacation over New Years (and went off keto) my fat % went up about 3.5% in 36 hours as I went back on keto.

    I have vacation coming up in a little over a week and I'm a bit worried about what will happen. Not sure that I will have the will power or ability to stay true to the Keto diet but I plan on at least trying. I'm OK with falling off the wagon for a bit but my fear is that I won't get back on after vacation. This has happened in the past when I followed low calorie diets.

    Anyhoo, thanks again for the valuable information! :D

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