Body fat DECREASE but weight INCREASE?

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breezyAandii
breezyAandii Posts: 30 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi All

I've been on mfp for almost 3 months now but I've yet to post on a forum

I have a question, apologies if it's already been asked.

I started exercising a few months ago and did a skinfold test to measure my body fat percentage.
It was 28.3%. Three months later I did another and it was 24.6%.

I started out at 60.05kgs when I did the first skinfold test. When I did the second skinfold test,
I was 62.25kgs.

Can someone explain to me how this is possible?

Please don't say muscle weighs more than fat. A kg of fat is still equivalent to a kg of muscle in mass, according
to my understanding.

Thanks in advance for the reponses!

Replies

  • karenh311
    karenh311 Posts: 3 Member
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    Hi, you are right a kilo of fat weighs the same as a kilo of muscle. The difference is a kilo of fat has more volume( ie takes up more room) than a kilo of muscle. Hope that helps.
  • mandymack14
    mandymack14 Posts: 100 Member
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    I'm no expert but here's my 2 cents: You talked about exercising so I'd say you have been losing fat and building muscle (which weighs more than fat and is more compact). So even though you're a weeny bit heavier you have less fat and more muscle than you did at the first measurement.
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
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    As already pointed out muscle is denser than fat, so youve got rid of some the fat and replaced it with denser muscle. It's a good thing.
  • kazzsj0urney
    kazzsj0urney Posts: 57
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    At 28.83% and weighing 60.05 your body fat weighed 16.99 kilos....at 24.6% body fat and weighing 62.25 kilos your body fat is 15.3 kilos....so you lost just under 1.7 kilos of body fat but your lean mass has increased...this is not just muscle...but also tissue, fluids etc.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,398 MFP Moderator
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    Well there is some room for error in the skin fold test (especially hydration levels and how many spots you measured) but depending on your workout routine, it's possible you gained a few lbs of muscle or a lb and some water weight. But when people speak muscle vs fat, its volume, not weight. Its no different than saying a car weighs more than a feather.

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