Body fat % help

nickiejohnson
nickiejohnson Posts: 58
edited September 23 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all! Hope everyone is having a great Wednesday! I have a question about body fat %. Even though I'm losing weight my body fat % is not going down? Any suggestions on what I need to do? I have a scale that measures it and it is shockingly high, like literally off the chart high-which was very surprising! Any help would be appreciated :)
Thanks!

Replies

  • Slammedtoys
    Slammedtoys Posts: 18
    scale does not accurately measure your body fat... get one of those body fat pinch scales for an accurate number
  • Slammedtoys
    Slammedtoys Posts: 18
    these

    http://www.acaloriecounter.com/weight-training-results.php
  • MaybeImNot
    MaybeImNot Posts: 122 Member
    your hydration level affects those readings, so that's one thing to think about-- more dehydrated means higher readings.
    also, if you have lotion on your feet, if they're wet, etc- also affects the reading.

    If the problem is really your body fat percentage, you aren't keeping enough protein and calories coming in and may need to lower cardio and up strength training to solve the problem, too.
  • Altiv
    Altiv Posts: 174 Member
    I had the same problem, I'm 5'6" and a couple of months ago I weighed 72 kilos (158 lb.), fairly normal, but my percentage of body fat was 32% (this was measured at a gym), almost obese, I was told most of that fat was in my back so I started lifting weights focusing specially on that area and almost two months later the percentage lowered to 23%.
    That being said, the only advice I can give to you is to train doing both cardio and localized weight lifting =)
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Scales are not the best to measure it, but if it is correct this is scarry, this means you are losing as much muscle as you are fat. If this is the case you may want to increase your caloric intake, focus on getting more protein, and do more strength training to build muscle. Losing muscle will slow your metabolism down and if you do get to your goal weight you may be the dreaded "skinny fat"

    See where you fit in: http://www.womenfitness.net/body_fat.htm
    Body Type
    Athlete <17%
    Lean 17-22%
    Normal 22-25%
    Above Average 25-29%
    Overfat 29-35%
    Obese 35+%
  • ChuckgM3
    ChuckgM3 Posts: 302 Member
    The scales the measure BF% only measure your lower body (electro-static pulse from one foot to the other) whereas the handlebar style at the gym only measure your upper body, neither are extremely accurate, but maybe if you take measurements from both and average them out, you won't necessarily get an accurate BF% reading, but you should see a delta from your previous measurements and be able to tell that it's going down. Like the others said hydration is the biggest factor so make sure you're doing it at approx the same time of day with the same level of hydration.
  • cranberrycat
    cranberrycat Posts: 233 Member
    I track my bodyfat % on the computer. Many diet sites offer a bodyfat calculator. You will need to take a few measurements, and then the program will calculate your estimated bodyfat%. They are actually fairly accurate. And, regardless of accuracy, if you are losing weight AND inches, then it is likely that you are losing fat.

    On the other hand, if you are losing weight but NOT losing inches, then you could have a problem, as your body may be turning to its lean stores (muscle) for energy. This commonly happens on severely calorie-restricted diets. So, make sure you are eating your calories and not consistently dropping below your calorie goal.
  • noltes2
    noltes2 Posts: 202 Member
    Lift weights to build muscle, do long cardio sessions to burn the fat. Also, like some already said - scales are not accurate for body fat so get the calipers done by a trainer :)
  • murf19
    murf19 Posts: 453 Member
    Scales are not the best to measure it, but if it is correct this is scarry, this means you are losing as much muscle as you are fat. If this is the case you may want to increase your caloric intake, focus on getting more protein, and do more strength training to build muscle. Losing muscle will slow your metabolism down and if you do get to your goal weight you may be the dreaded "skinny fat"

    I agree with eric . What are your carb vs protien intakes. Up the protien and lower the carbs
  • andythorn1969
    andythorn1969 Posts: 17
    I use scales that measure body fat% too.

    I remember that they took a while to set up as I had to enter age, height, sex etc.

    My readings can fluctuate quite a bit and as they work by measuring electrical resistance in the body, I'm guessing that sometimes my skin is damper or maybe my bladder is full increasing the conductivity of my body somehow.

    I don't think these type of scales are hugely accurate. I've seen on TV that there are fat measuring chambers that somehow calculate you body volume and density somehow. I think this is the most accurate way of measuring your body fat and if you really are that concerned about you might want to look this method up.

    I no expert (at all), but I have heard that strength training and protein intake are the key to changing the ratio of lean muscle to fatty tissue and hence to decreasing your body fat percentage.

    I hope that kind of helps.

    Boomshanka,

    Andy
  • rockabyesarojane
    rockabyesarojane Posts: 471
    bumping for later.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Lift weights to build muscle, do long cardio sessions to burn the fat. Also, like some already said - scales are not accurate for body fat so get the calipers done by a trainer :)

    Long cardio session will also burn off muscle as well as fat, so you may want to do HIIT instead. Google HIIT to get an idea.
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