Body fat down, weight up??

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ssei1982
ssei1982 Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi All!
So, my office is doing a biggest loser contest, we're about three weeks in now. We do weekly weigh-ins on one of those scales that shows weight and also body fat %. I've been trotting along well so far, was down 8 lbs last week. Now, this week I weigh in and I am only down 5 pounds! If anything I have been working out HARDER the last little bit. My body fat %, however dropped another .5%. So, what gives? I'm feeling rather frustrated now, working out harder only to have the scale go up. Any insight?

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  • alicia6292
    alicia6292 Posts: 3
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    I can completely relate! I had lost 8lbs since the end of December, and when I weighed in this week I had gained 2lbs back. I'm sticking to my calorie limits (athough I could still eat heallthier) and am working out harder and more consistently. My body fat percentage has gone down though which is good. But its always frustrating to see the numbers on the scale go back up.
  • 2013sk
    2013sk Posts: 1,318 Member
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    Use a tape measure!!!!

    Your probably losing inches - You can lose inches but gain on the scales - Its tricky with the scales.

    Photos & the tape measure always wins : )

    I never weigh myself now - But I know I am getting smaller - My leggings are now too big for me, I don't need numbers to tell me I am losing
  • Citrislazer
    Citrislazer Posts: 312 Member
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    If you've been working harder, you probably have temporary water retention from building muscle. That's totally normal. It should pass in about 2 weeks. It's discouraging at first, but you'll loose more weight if you keep at it rather than quitting your workout. If you haven't started losing some of that gained weight after the 3rd week, reevaluate your food intake. I'm fairly confident you will lose the weight considering your fat% is down. It's just extra water helping to heal and build muscle.
  • shazbox1
    shazbox1 Posts: 175 Member
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    I believe your muscles can also retain more water if you are working them out hard. So your weight would go up, and the percentage of that weight that is fat would be lower.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Those threads with body fat % are not accurate.

    /thread

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