Losing Weight but Not Fat
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bryandlandry
Posts: 10
I am trying to lose weight. My digital scale says I am 201 lbs with 28 percent body fat. I know that body fat percentage is high. I was 232 lbs about two or three months ago but I am not losing any of the fat and my body fat percentage is not going down. I'm trying to cut out the fat. I slip sometimes, I'm not gonna lie. But I do some mild exercise daily (treadmill about 2-3 mph for 30-40 minutes).
Why am I losing weight and not fat?
Why am I losing weight and not fat?
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Replies
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First of all, how the heck do those scales know how much your body fat % is...?0
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Also...Why are you saying you're not losing weight/fat. Seems like you lost 31 pounds?0
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Wait...Are you confusing fat and weight? When you lose weight you are losing fat, and possibly muscle if you're not weight training. You're up past 200 lbs...so 30 pounds lost is great, but yes-you still have fat.0
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There are two things at work here.
1) Those scales are actually pretty horrible at measuring body fat. I would be surprised if you were only 28% body fat 30 lbs. ago, unless you are pretty tall.
2) Much of the weight you are losing could be muscle. For example, you say you are cutting out fat, but are you eating enough protein? Without sufficient protein in your diet, your body gets it from the muscles in order to keep your internal organs healthy. Also, if your only exercise is a slow to medium paced walk and you have been doing the same thing for a few months, you are not challenging your muscles. Again, your body decides that they aren't so important, so it uses up some of the muscle for energy and protein to use elsewhere. For starters, try varying the incline on your treadmill the next time you use it. Also, start looking into some kind of resistance training, like squats and push ups or weight lifting.0 -
Oh sorry, you're saying the body fat % on the scale is not going down. You can't trust those things.0
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Ok, these scales are not super-accurate. However even if the starting %BF and the ending %BF are off from reality, the general trend that they reflect should be sort of meaningful... right?
I have the same problem as briandlandry. Recently I have been losing weight but according to my evil scale my %BF is not decreasing much and my % lean mass is decreasing a lot: the exact opposite of what I want! Maybe the scale is just wrong but it's still making me kind of nervous.0 -
Ok, these scales are not super-accurate. However even if the starting %BF and the ending %BF are off from reality, the general trend that they reflect should be sort of meaningful... right?
I have the same problem as briandlandry. Recently I have been losing weight but according to my evil scale my %BF is not decreasing much and my % lean mass is decreasing a lot: the exact opposite of what I want! Maybe the scale is just wrong but it's still making me kind of nervous.
If you're strength training, don't worry about it too much. Just do all you can do to preserve muscle.
As for the scales, I don't know what to say. I never tried one.0 -
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arditarose wrote: »Also...Why are you saying you're not losing weight/fat. Seems like you lost 31 pounds?
I am physically the same size. My belly is as big as it ever was.0 -
concordancia wrote: »There are two things at work here.
1) Those scales are actually pretty horrible at measuring body fat. I would be surprised if you were only 28% body fat 30 lbs. ago, unless you are pretty tall.
2) Much of the weight you are losing could be muscle. For example, you say you are cutting out fat, but are you eating enough protein? Without sufficient protein in your diet, your body gets it from the muscles in order to keep your internal organs healthy. Also, if your only exercise is a slow to medium paced walk and you have been doing the same thing for a few months, you are not challenging your muscles. Again, your body decides that they aren't so important, so it uses up some of the muscle for energy and protein to use elsewhere. For starters, try varying the incline on your treadmill the next time you use it. Also, start looking into some kind of resistance training, like squats and push ups or weight lifting.
I'm trying to do that. Trying to build up gradually because I haven't done any exercise at all until recently. I'm not trying to build muscle or anything, just want to lose the belly fat.0 -
232lb @ 28% BF = 65lbs of fat
200lbs @ 28% BF = 56lbs of fat
But as others have said, the scales aren't very accurate anyway.bryandlandry wrote: »arditarose wrote: »Also...Why are you saying you're not losing weight/fat. Seems like you lost 31 pounds?
I am physically the same size. My belly is as big as it ever was.
Are you measuring with a tape? Have you measured your arms, legs, and other parts of your body? The 30lbs has to have come from somewhere.
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Even if your percent has stayed the same, you have still lost fat. 28% of 201 pounds is less than 28% of 232. You've just been losing muscle at the same rate, so the percentage of each stays the same. You should probably do some weight training and not let your deficits get too steep....try to force your body to take more from fat than muscle.0
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bryandlandry wrote: »
it's called bioelectrical impedance. the scale sends a very small current through your body. lean tissue, blood, fluids all conduct electricity very well. fat insulates against conduction. they weigh you, they measure how much current is getting through (and isn't) and then they calculate how much fat you have and how much water (or, perhaps, total of all conductive material in your body).
they are not necessarily particularly accurate - i have skinny legs and fat arms. a BEO device used to measure my body fat by passing a current from one hand, through my torso, to the other is going to get a different reading than my foot-to-foot reading because of the location of my body fat. BUT, each scale is fairly consistently inaccurate.. so if you don't take the number too seriously and only watch for general trends, you're good. it's useful, it's not gospel.0 -
First of all, how the heck do those scales know how much your body fat % is...?
They supposedly use an electric current or something. I know it's inaccurate, but I still use one as a rough gauge to see how things are going. Mine currently has me at like 32.5-33% (depending on day) down from around 36% in September.
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If you have lost 31 pounds then you would know. I wouldnt worry about the nody fat thing on the scales they cna be all over the place. Im a bit worried you cant remember whether you have been losing weight for 2 or 3 months? 10lbs a month is really good, but 15 a month is pretty heavy duty. Im surprised you have lost that amount on the basis of 30-40mins walk a day because that would mean your food deficit is severe?
Do you think your scales are accurate?
Btw you havent replaced all that with muscle.
If you have lost 31lb then it will be part muscle and part fat.
1. Check your scales are accurate.
2. Id just ignore the body fat function.
3. Use a tape measure instead.
4. If you arent doing any resistance training, then you are unlikely to be limiting muscle loss, so you should start.
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Body fat scales pass a tiny electrical current through the soles of the feet. As muscle (and water with some salt in it) conducts electricity better than fat, the scale registers the amount of resistance to the current and uses a formula (based on weight, gender, etc.) to give a body fat estimate. The accuracy of the reading can be affected by how hydrated you are, if you have been exercising, if your feet are calloused, etc. They tend to underestimate fat % in the very overweight, and overestimate it in the very lean. You can use the scales to see trends, but they really are not reliable, compared to other ways of measuring body fat (i.e. calipers, water immersion).
Are you measuring your waist, or just going on how big your waist looks when you say your belly is as big as ever? My belly is huge, but I have lost 7 inches from my waist, and 9 from my hips, so it is smaller than it was (and my clothes fit differently).
If your weight goes down, but the body fat % remains the same, you are losing some fat (i.e. 28% of 232 is 65, 28% of 201 is 56 = 9 pounds of fat lost). Everyone loses some of their lean muscle as they lose fat, particularly if they are trying to lose too much to fast, or are near a healthy weight. If you want to change your body composition (% of fat) resistance training can make a big difference, as well as making sure your body has enough calories/protein to retain and build muscle. If you can't afford weights/gym, there are exercises that use your body weight to build muscle. If you can get some weights, or go to the gym, there are free online resources to help you get a program going (i.e. strong lifts, ice cream, exercise videos on youtube like 30 day shred).
You may want to increase your cardio a few days a week, like using a couch to 5k running program (there are free instructions for this online), or, again, youtube exercise videos. Make sure you are getting your heart rate high enough to burn significant calories; i.e. you can talk but you can't sing. Your body will adapt to the exercise you do, so you do have to keep asking more of it to get the same results as far as building muscle and calorie burn go.
Anyways, don't obsess over the scale fat % as it will not be very accurate. Congratulations on your weight loss so far, and good luck.0 -
I don't trust the BF% on those scales. If you are losing weight and inches, you're losing fat. You're going in the right direction.0
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If you have lost 31 pounds then you would know. I wouldnt worry about the nody fat thing on the scales they cna be all over the place. Im a bit worried you cant remember whether you have been losing weight for 2 or 3 months? 10lbs a month is really good, but 15 a month is pretty heavy duty. Im surprised you have lost that amount on the basis of 30-40mins walk a day because that would mean your food deficit is severe?
Do you think your scales are accurate?
Btw you havent replaced all that with muscle.
If you have lost 31lb then it will be part muscle and part fat.
1. Check your scales are accurate.
2. Id just ignore the body fat function.
3. Use a tape measure instead.
4. If you arent doing any resistance training, then you are unlikely to be limiting muscle loss, so you should start.
Food deficit? How much should I be eating? I average from 1000 to 1200 calories a day. Is that not enough?0
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