weight gain BF drop

donna_glasgow
donna_glasgow Posts: 869 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
STATS

Sat 30th June ----weight 163lbs BF 31.7%
Sat 28th July
weight 166lbs BF 30.4%

should I be happy or sad ??

Replies

  • awmejia
    awmejia Posts: 147 Member
    Happy
  • jenluvsushi
    jenluvsushi Posts: 933 Member
    Body fat is the only thing I care about....I say HAPPY!
  • DoomCakes
    DoomCakes Posts: 806 Member
    Happy :) Always nice to lose fat. Muscle weighs more than fat, so if you lost some fat and gained a pound you may have just gained some muscle!
  • Anola13
    Anola13 Posts: 36 Member
    Very happy! Did you buy something that gives you your body fat or did you go to the doctor?
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    nice one! i'd be happy, well done :D
  • donna_glasgow
    donna_glasgow Posts: 869 Member
    Very happy! Did you buy something that gives you your body fat or did you go to the doctor?

    I use www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/mbf/ to calculate my BF%

    Im not sure about accuracy but a few ppl here seem to use this one and I guess if I use the same one all the time then its deffo a drop :)
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    Did you buy something that gives you your body fat or did you go to the doctor?

    Not to discredit all of the people saying you should be happy (we should all be happy!)...but how did you measure? So many things affect the scale, that I would likely ignore 3lbs in either direction regardless.

    My weight fluctuates 6lbs in a day.

    The bodyfat thing is good, if your method is accurate. To accurately measure less than 1% would be difficult at best though. I use an AccuMeasure, which is at least repeatable (well, it is if you can pinch the same fold of skin every time lol). They cost about $5, and often have free shipping on Amazon. Among the most inaccurate methods of bodyfat measure I know, are scales, hand held units, and the tape measure method.

    Anyway, my suggestion is to be happy you're paying attention to the numbers (write them down in a log!)...but don't give them an undue amount of power over you. 3lbs of weight gain...unless it's followed by more, is no big deal. Less than 1% bodyfat gain or drop (again, method is very important here), will fall within the margin of error/repeatability of any home, or even most medical based methods of measure.
  • donna_glasgow
    donna_glasgow Posts: 869 Member
    Did you buy something that gives you your body fat or did you go to the doctor?

    Not to discredit all of the people saying you should be happy (we should all be happy!)...but how did you measure? So many things affect the scale, that I would likely ignore 3lbs in either direction regardless.

    My weight fluctuates 6lbs in a day.

    The bodyfat thing is good, if your method is accurate. To accurately measure less than 1% would be difficult at best though. I use an AccuMeasure, which is at least repeatable (well, it is if you can pinch the same fold of skin every time lol). They cost about $5, and often have free shipping on Amazon. Among the most inaccurate methods of bodyfat measure I know, are scales, hand held units, and the tape measure method.

    Anyway, my suggestion is to be happy you're paying attention to the numbers (write them down in a log!)...but don't give them an undue amount of power over you. 3lbs of weight gain...unless it's followed by more, is no big deal. Less than 1% bodyfat gain or drop (again, method is very important here), will fall within the margin of error/repeatability of any home, or even most medical based methods of measure.

    I use www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/mbf/ to calculate my BF% My hubby measures me, and measures several times to "try" and make it the most accurate we can, I dont know if this way of measuring BF is accurate but useing the same site every time means a drop is a drop ... the actual % may be off but thats the same (i guess) for any system :)
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    I use www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/mbf/ to calculate my BF% My hubby measures me, and measures several times to "try" and make it the most accurate we can, I dont know if this way of measuring BF is accurate but useing the same site every time means a drop is a drop ... the actual % may be off but thats the same (i guess) for any system :)

    That's what I'm saying though. Less than 1% changes can be made just by being more, or less hydrated that day.

    Is it a drop, based on using the same method and trying to be repeatable? Sure!

    Is it a drop in actual bodyfat? There's no way to say, because it falls within the rather large margin of error in that system, due to human error in the actual measurement, and/or other contributing factors like hydration, how full or empty your stomach is (this affects waist measurements), how much waste is in your system (again, this affects measurements), and a dozen other things. It's possible for you to LOSE bodyfat (even a semi appreciable amount), and for those numbers to go UP.

    Does that make more sense?
  • wgn4166
    wgn4166 Posts: 771 Member
    Be happy. i have lost very little pounds but lost inches. i am happy with that.
  • donna_glasgow
    donna_glasgow Posts: 869 Member
    I use www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/mbf/ to calculate my BF% My hubby measures me, and measures several times to "try" and make it the most accurate we can, I dont know if this way of measuring BF is accurate but useing the same site every time means a drop is a drop ... the actual % may be off but thats the same (i guess) for any system :)

    That's what I'm saying though. Less than 1% changes can be made just by being more, or less hydrated that day.

    Is it a drop, based on using the same method and trying to be repeatable? Sure!

    Is it a drop in actual bodyfat? There's no way to say, because it falls within the rather large margin of error in that system, due to human error in the actual measurement, and/or other contributing factors like hydration, how full or empty your stomach is (this affects waist measurements), how much waste is in your system (again, this affects measurements), and a dozen other things. It's possible for you to LOSE bodyfat (even a semi appreciable amount), and for those numbers to go UP.

    Does that make more sense?

    yes it all makes sense :) weight loss weighting and measuring is not an exact science .... but and educated guess lol x
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    I use www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/mbf/ to calculate my BF% My hubby measures me, and measures several times to "try" and make it the most accurate we can, I dont know if this way of measuring BF is accurate but useing the same site every time means a drop is a drop ... the actual % may be off but thats the same (i guess) for any system :)

    That's what I'm saying though. Less than 1% changes can be made just by being more, or less hydrated that day.

    Is it a drop, based on using the same method and trying to be repeatable? Sure!

    Is it a drop in actual bodyfat? There's no way to say, because it falls within the rather large margin of error in that system, due to human error in the actual measurement, and/or other contributing factors like hydration, how full or empty your stomach is (this affects waist measurements), how much waste is in your system (again, this affects measurements), and a dozen other things. It's possible for you to LOSE bodyfat (even a semi appreciable amount), and for those numbers to go UP.

    Does that make more sense?

    yes it all makes sense :) weight loss weighting and measuring is not an exact science .... but and educated guess lol x

    Yep.

    As long as things are going down...this is good. Bodyfat is more important than the scale by ten miles...but 1% isn't enough to make a judgment on :).

    Do yourself a favor though. Pick up an AccuMeasure (search on Amazon, $4-$5 or so). It's a bodyfat caliper, but it's designed to only use one measuring point for repeatability. It's probably not as accurate overall as the 3 or 7 point methods, BUT...it's far more repeatable (which is more important!), and isn't affected by things like waste or food in your system, or by bloating etc. It can be affected by hydration (you store fluids..the number can go up)...but minimizing the chances for error is the name of the game.

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