Here's Why Tracking Body Fat Is Important
robingmurphy
Posts: 349 Member
Despite adhering to a reduced calorie 1600 calorie diet and increasing weight lifting, I did not lose a single ounce over this past week. Luckily, I have a Tanita body fat scale and it says the true situation is that I lost about 2 lbs of body fat ... but I also gained about 2 lbs of lean (muscle and water to support muscle growth). So glad I'm keeping an eye on body fat more than overall weight!
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Replies
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Yes tracking bf% is important but body fat scales are highly inaccurate unfortunately0
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That's great that you realize you can lose fat without losing weight. I would be cautious about the scale. The method they use is called Bioelectrical Impedance and it is notoriously inaccurate. When I measure body fat on them it reads the same month after month, despite calipers and tape measure showing body fat percentage loss. I also know that visually my body fat is much lower than the scale reads.0
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I hate to burst your bubble, but that didn't happen. Those scales aren't accurate. It's likely more of a hydration issue. That being said, a week isn't nearly long enough to worry about the scale.0
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On those scales my bf% is different at different times of the day. That's not how it works0
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Tracking measurements/BF% is helpful as well. However, not to rain on your parade, but two points:
1) Bioelectrical impedance analysis estimates of BF are not highly accurate, and can swing over 4% due to hydration.
2) NOBODY is putting on two lbs of muscle in a week. Even a young man in a bulk couldn't do that, and recomp (losing fat/gaining muscle while staying at the same weight) is quite a bit slower.0 -
I hate to say it but I've got a strong feeling that you didn't gain 2 lbs of muscle in a week (if you did, I want to know your program).
IF the scale you're using is accurate (and body fat scales are notorious for not even being just a little bit accurate) then chances are that the vast majority of the lean mass you gained is water.
That said, it's not uncommon for "progress" to not be seen in the first week. Keep at it and as the water lets go and the fat continues to dwindle you'll see your results.
Another note, a better option than the body fat scales is to take measurements with a tape and track the change in inches.0 -
Sorry to say this but if you are on a calorie deficit you did not gain 2lbs on lean muscle.
Firstly and probably most importantly, you can't gain while on a deficit.
Secondly even with the best gaining diet and training programme going you wouldn't be able to put on 2lbs of muscle in a week. The body just can't build that much muscle in a short space of time.
Thirdly, all scales which proclaim to measure body fat % are inaccurate at best. I can weigh myself multiple times in a row and depending on where I place my feet on the scales I can gain or lose up to 7% BF.0 -
Nobody, not even on steroids gains 2 pounds of muscle in a week. As others have said scale accuracy is very poor0
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For me, the scale is pretty accurate for tracking changes if I measure at the same time of the day at a similar hydration level. I've had a DEXA scan which confirmed the scale reading. Certainly hydration (to support muscle growth) is part of the lean gain - not all is muscle of course.0
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If you are in a deficit, eating less calories than your maintenance, then you are not going to be gaining anything. If your weight hasn't changed and is constantly remaining the same, while you are lifting, then you are in recomp and are eating at maintenance.
Even then you are not going to be gaining or losing 2lbs a week of anything.0 -
Yep ^^ it's a difference in the water content.0
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Yes, it's correct that tracking bodyfat is important. However, using calipers and additionally taking measurements (for guys, obviously your waist is important). And to some degree you can't read too much into the short term fluctuations. Moreover I agree those scales are useless. For example, the bodyfat % can change pretty significantly just from taking a dump. Try it; weigh yourself before and after. No way should a colon eel result in 1/2 to a full percent body fat change.0
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What singingflutelady said ...
The best way I found to compare was clothing. Belts never lie, while a tight pair of pants and shirt, tried on every month at about the same part of the month, will give you a great idea of changes.
Also try to use one of the body fat calipers (I like the Accu-Measure ones). Don't worry about trying to figure out your body fat using them (So many different formulas, variables like your age/gender, etc), just keep a record of the numbers so you can compare month by month. You can pick up a set for $7-$20.
And because I like numbers and information:
1 liter of muscle weighs 1.06kg (2.30lbs) -- 1.1 g/mL
1 liter of fat weighs 0.90kg (1.98lbs) -- 0.9 g/mL.
1 liter of water weighs 1.00kg (2.20lbs) -- 1 g/mL -- Just for comparison.
1lb of fat uses 2-3cals per day just as a normal part of functioning.
1lb of muscle burns 7-10cals per day just as a normal part of functioning.
So, a lb of muscle will burn more cals than a lb of fat, but not a lot more.0 -
Ok guys, I ordered some calipers. Lets see what they say.0
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Calipers will be just as inaccurate if not used by someone well trained. And even then they aren't all that accurate. The most accurate methods of measurement are hydrostatic weighing (or air displacement like a bod pod) and DEXA. And even those are not completely accurate.
https://examine.com/blog/an-accuracy-thing-measuring-body-fat-percentage/0 -
Nice sentiment OP but it's pretty much impossible to track body fat correctly, lol. Calipers would never work for me with all the loose skin either.0
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So you're trying to tell me I just shouldn't let a week with no noticeable loss in body weight despite a definite calorie deficit drive me crazy and look for other answers? I should just wait it out? Ugh.0
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robingmurphy wrote: »So you're trying to tell me I just shouldn't let a week with no noticeable loss in body weight despite a definite calorie deficit drive me crazy and look for other answers? I should just wait it out? Ugh.
Correct.
Weight loss/management is measured in months and years, not days and weeks.0 -
robingmurphy wrote: »So you're trying to tell me I just shouldn't let a week with no noticeable loss in body weight despite a definite calorie deficit drive me crazy and look for other answers? I should just wait it out? Ugh.
You need a trending app
Libra / happy scale
Or site
Trendweight.com
Weight loss isn't linear0 -
robingmurphy wrote: »So you're trying to tell me I just shouldn't let a week with no noticeable loss in body weight despite a definite calorie deficit drive me crazy and look for other answers? I should just wait it out? Ugh.
Most definitely. Weight loss isn't linear. Some weeks, you may lose nothing or gain a tiny bit. Other weeks, you may end mysteriously dropping 5 lbs. All while eating and doing pretty much the same thing. It's the long term trend over a matter of weeks/months that will tell you if what you are doing is working.0 -
The_Enginerd wrote: »robingmurphy wrote: »So you're trying to tell me I just shouldn't let a week with no noticeable loss in body weight despite a definite calorie deficit drive me crazy and look for other answers? I should just wait it out? Ugh.
Most definitely. Weight loss isn't linear. Some weeks, you may lose nothing or gain a tiny bit. Other weeks, you may end mysteriously dropping 5 lbs. All while eating and doing pretty much the same thing. It's the long term trend over a matter of weeks/months that will tell you if what you are doing is working.
I like your username0 -
My past month while in maintenance. BTW, that big drop in weight in the middle, that was my weigh in after getting back home from Christmas vacation and eating 5000 surplus calories over the week...
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I enjoy my WiFi Aria Fit Bit scale that also logs body fat. For me I don't really care about how accurate it is. I must admit that as the % goes down I get slimmer and as it goes up I start to see some evidence that I have put on weight. Of course the actual weight also tells me that too.0
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The_Enginerd wrote: »robingmurphy wrote: »So you're trying to tell me I just shouldn't let a week with no noticeable loss in body weight despite a definite calorie deficit drive me crazy and look for other answers? I should just wait it out? Ugh.
Most definitely. Weight loss isn't linear. Some weeks, you may lose nothing or gain a tiny bit. Other weeks, you may end mysteriously dropping 5 lbs. All while eating and doing pretty much the same thing. It's the long term trend over a matter of weeks/months that will tell you if what you are doing is working.
I like your username
I only wish someone hadn't already taken "Enginerd" already. They aren't even an active user
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The_Enginerd wrote: »My past month while in maintenance. BTW, that big drop in weight in the middle, that was my weigh in after getting back home from Christmas vacation and eating 5000 surplus calories over the week...
That's nothing, I put on ten pounds during a long weekend (lots of drinking and eating). When I got back my scale displayed "Guest". I had to manually set my weight so scale knew who I was again.0 -
robingmurphy wrote: »So you're trying to tell me I just shouldn't let a week with no noticeable loss in body weight despite a definite calorie deficit drive me crazy and look for other answers? I should just wait it out? Ugh.
Yes!
Since you are female, expect your weight to fluctuate with hormones.
You always get the the number you deserve. You don't always get the that number when you deserve it.0 -
"I should just wait it out? Ugh." Do I ever know what you mean! But seriously, if you wait it out, you will get your reward. What I do to comfort myself during the ugh period is take a lot of body measurements. I usually find that one or more of them are showing progress while I'm waiting for the scale to move again. I don't know a darn thing about body fat measurement, but inches are meaningful to me, as is the ability to fit into clothes I couldn't fit into before. I know a week feels like forever, but it's not, and after you've seen it happen for a week once or twice, and seen it move down again at the end, you'll start to believe that in your bones. Just don't get discouraged and fall off the wagon in the meantime!0
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Nice tool! Thanks!0
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OMG I WISH I could put on 2lb of muscles in a week. I wouldn't have to be bulking for months if that were the case!0
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