Wait? What? and confusion sets in

TacticalSumo
TacticalSumo Posts: 23 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
LOL, now I am not one who hawks a scale or one that puts faith in looking at a scale every day but part of my morning routine is before I get in the shower and get ready for work I get on my FitBit Aria out of habit. Now slowly the confusion sets in lol in my mind and I look like that confused dog with his head tilted lol, and what I referring to is I set goals for myself like I do very often when it comes to nutrition and fitness. Now over the past 11 weeks I have been stripping weight off like crazy (to date its 35lbs), now the confusing part is my weight is going down but my body fat % is going up? Wait that cannot be right? So im like wait is this darn scale is broken lol? au16ge0uxgnh.jpg


Can anyone explain this? Thought it was interesting lol to say the least

bf.JPG 28.9K

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Wait...you've lost 35 pounds in a month? Yeah, that's probably a ton of muscle gone.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    Body fat scales are typically neither accurate nor precise.
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
    Scales are not accurate for body fat readings, so don't trust that. For at home readings, calipers are more accurate, but are still prone to error. Better just to take pictures to see your progress over time.

    But, yes, please clarify. Did you really lose 35lbs in a month?!? If you did, then body fat % is the least of your issues.
  • Josalinn
    Josalinn Posts: 1,066 Member
    I'd just like to comment on the drawing. Did you draw that? It is awesome!
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    I read it as 35 pounds total, but like crazy (not the full amount) this month.
  • TacticalSumo
    TacticalSumo Posts: 23 Member
    edited August 2015
    LOL No 35lbs sice June 2nd, sorry about that I should have clarified...11 weeks
  • TacticalSumo
    TacticalSumo Posts: 23 Member
    LOL Sorry guys wrong upload LOL the right one should be up
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    35 pounds in two and a half months is still faster than recommended. Deguello is right that BF% scales are fairly inaccurate, but it's still likely you're losing a bit of LBM at the rate you're losing.
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    35 pounds in two and a half months is still faster than recommended. Deguello is right that BF% scales are fairly inaccurate, but it's still likely you're losing a bit of LBM at the rate you're losing.

    agreed. If you're trying to conserve LBM, lose at a slower rate.
  • TacticalSumo
    TacticalSumo Posts: 23 Member
    Well the weird part is I usually stabilize around 12 to 14 weeks. I am just eating clean with a 2140 calorie goal with a split of 50 % Protein 30 % Carbs and 20 % Fat break down. I work out 5 days a week and do Cardio 3 times a week and Jui-Jitsu 2 to 4 times a week. Very active but not doing anything out of the ordinary.
  • TacticalSumo
    TacticalSumo Posts: 23 Member
    edited August 2015
    I know the healthy loss rate is about 2 lbs a week and anything over that is not recommended.

    I know that scales are not accurate, I just thought for a min, like I was going crazy lololol going backwards? LOL darn scale, and I know for anything remotely accurate it should be a test consisting of

    Skin Calipers
    Bioelectrical Impedance
    Hydrostatic Weighing
    DEXA (Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry)
    Air-Displacement Plethysmography
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
    Do you seriously think you saw a 3% change in body fat in less than two weeks?

    Body fat % doesn't change that fast. It just doesn't.

    Scales are inaccurate. That's all there is to it.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    Body fat scales are typically neither accurate nor precise.

    Nailed it
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited August 2015
    Also 35lbs in 11 weeks, are you morbidly obese and under doctor supervision ..cos if not ..slow that *kitten* down
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    TacticalSumo wrote: »
    I know the healthy loss rate is about 2 lbs a week and anything over that is not recommended
    2lbs a week if you have over 100lbs to lose..

    You have less than 50 in total and now less than 20...1/2lb a week is what is recommended.

    Eating lots of protein doesn't help maintain muscle mass...you have to do some sort of resistance training.

    Protein is typically 0.8 grams for every lb you weigh, fats are 0.35 grams for every lb and carbs fall after that...

    You are possibly losing LBM...do some form of resistance training...either body weight or a progressive load lifting program.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Trying to determine why those percentages are off is basically like asking why a Magic 8 Ball isn't giving you the correct answer. They both share similar accuracy.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Hornsby wrote: »
    Trying to determine why those percentages are off is basically like asking why a Magic 8 Ball isn't giving you the correct answer. They both share similar accuracy.

    hqdefault.jpg
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    I've had a Fitbit Aria wifi scale for two years, and the body fat percentage is completely useless. It sends a pulse up one leg and down the other, then guesstimates your upper body. (And it's completely thrown off by hydrated you are.) Some people in the Fitbit Users group say theirs are accurate enough to see a trend. Mine is not.

    I love never having to log my weight, though. And it comes in black. The first troubleshooting step is to reset your scale by taking out the batteries, waiting ten seconds, then putting them back in.

    Sync your Fitbit account with a free website called Trendweight.com to plot a moving average.

    And try switching your setting from regular to lean: https://www.fitbit.com/settings/device/scale/
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    If you're losing 3+ lbs per week, you are probably losing some muscle/lean body mass. However, I wouldn't expect the body fat% to rise much. It would just stay the same. Like, let's say you're 25% lean mass. If you STAY at 25% while losing, that means for every 3 lbs of fat you lose, you're also losing 1 lb muscle.

    Honestly, I recommend buying a tape measure or skin caliper to take measurements. If you ARE losing lean mass, you need to nip it in the bud right now so you still have muscle left when you're done.
  • TacticalSumo
    TacticalSumo Posts: 23 Member
    Yeah I am doing 1g per body pound of protein and I see a nutritionist for my nutrition goals twice a month, I eat clean, very clean but me being in Law Enforcement, it only costs me 5 bucks per appointment for her and its awesome for meal plans and how to eat right. And I lift weights 5 days a week with a split routine and cardio 3 times a week. And not even close to being morbidly obese and yes I am under a doctors care. Part of the extreme weight loss is due to the TEST C that I take twice a week under a doctors care that basically Accelerates the weight loss when I cut calories down to the 2100 range.
  • TacticalSumo
    TacticalSumo Posts: 23 Member
    edited August 2015
    LOL I appreciate the feedback guys :) I started this post off because I thought the scale going backwards on Body Fat % was funny and that it would be comical to share. I see now that maybe I guess ill have go back to the doc and reevaluate my weight loss or up my calories and slow the weight loss down. :) Thats why I am on here because this community rocks

    - Even though I get my blood work down once a month and all my stats are in range and nothing out of the ordinary.

    - My weight loss is always rapid when I choose to cut, its usually 2 to 3 pounds usually per week
    - I usually drink a gallon and a half to two gallons of water a day.
    - Prep my meals for the week
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    TacticalSumo wrote: »
    I know the healthy loss rate is about 2 lbs a week and anything over that is not recommended
    2lbs a week if you have over 100lbs to lose..

    You have less than 50 in total and now less than 20...1/2lb a week is what is recommended.

    Eating lots of protein doesn't help maintain muscle mass...you have to do some sort of resistance training.

    Protein is typically 0.8 grams for every lb you weigh, fats are 0.35 grams for every lb and carbs fall after that...

    You are possibly losing LBM...do some form of resistance training...either body weight or a progressive load lifting program.

    1lb/week is fine. Every major website (mayo clinic, CDC, WebMd, etc...) says that 1-2lb/week is fine and recommended by many professionals. There are of course exceptions (small women, nursing mothers, etc...). It may not be optimal for muscle retention, but is fine if you want to go that route. I lost 2lb/week with only 45lb to lose and I'm stronger and healthier than ever. I do not regret it one bit and could not imagine taking 1.4 year to lose it when I don't have to wait that long. 2lb is also 1% of my bodyweight, another common metric used for safe weight loss rate.

    0.8g/lb of protein is 2.2 times the recommended amount of protein for the average person (0.8g/kg) and is on the upper end of suggested for body builders (up to 2g/kg). The fat suggestion is on the high side, but ok.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited August 2015
    TacticalSumo wrote: »
    LOL I appreciate the feedback guys :) I started this post off because I thought the scale going backwards on Body Fat % was funny and that it would be comical to share. I see now that maybe I guess ill have go back to the doc and reevaluate my weight loss or up my calories and slow the weight loss down. :) Thats why I am on here because this community rocks

    - Even though I get my blood work down once a month and all my stats are in range and nothing out of the ordinary.

    - My weight loss is always rapid when I choose to cut, its usually 2 to 3 pounds usually per week
    - I usually drink a gallon and a half to two gallons of water a day.
    - Prep my meals for the week

    If you're under direct supervision I wouldn't stress too much about it

  • TacticalSumo
    TacticalSumo Posts: 23 Member
    Thanks rabbit, I'm not stressing at all, I just thought that when I was half asleep this morning it was funny that my scale showed a weight loss and increase in body fat
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    My bodyfat scale fluctuates enormously based on water and other things--it's really common for fat percentage to go up when weight drops, although it will usually drop again so that the overall trend is down. I've given up on tring to figure it out.

    I've also found that in recent months, when I'm at a normal bodyfat percentage, it seems consistent with what the real number likely is (based on DXA, although that's somewhat outdated now). When I first started and was quite obese I think it understated my fat percentage (although who knows).

    Anyway, I ignore it other than occasionally being bemused by these things, since I don't trust it a bit and it does have wild inexplicable fluctuations.
  • RockstarWilson
    RockstarWilson Posts: 836 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    35 pounds in two and a half months is still faster than recommended. Deguello is right that BF% scales are fairly inaccurate, but it's still likely you're losing a bit of LBM at the rate you're losing.

    I always wonder how they calculate BF% from the bottom of your feet.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories