how lose fat??

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ADLundquist
ADLundquist Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, I'm eating a reasonable amount of food 1600-1800 cal. a day, and I am losing weight. My scale tells me both weight and percentage of body fat. The weight is going down faster than the fat percentage. I have a fibromyalgia so I am doing some weightlifting at home, but have to go very slow when it comes to increasing the weight I use. I also swim 2 or 3 days a week. Is there something else I should be doing to make sure that I lose fat instead of muscle??

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  • Johncalvinfields
    Johncalvinfields Posts: 179 Member
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    I worried myself crazy over this , til I realized that I'm a 50 year old man which of course my body has changed with age but I have seen much improvement by eating lean protein, cutting out sugars , drinking plenty of water and low carbs. The key secret, is exercise and calorie counting. It' may be a slow process but it works
  • rianneonamission
    rianneonamission Posts: 854 Member
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    If you are losing muscle as well as fat it would likely indicate that you are not fuelling your body sufficiently, and thus it becomes so desperate for extra fuel that it goes for the first thing it finds. So my first suggestion is to eat more.

    In terms of exercise would focus on the weights, but of course you have to go slowly. However, there is nothing inherently wrong with more reps at a lower weight versus fewer reps at a higher weight. Swimming is good too because of the resistance of the water.

    @tinkerbellang83 is correct about the inaccuracy of body fat readings on scales. However, it does give an indication of whether it is going up or down as long as you use the same set of scales. They work by sending a tiny electric signal up your body and back down, and apparently the signal normally only goes up as far as the pelvic area.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,072 Member
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    rianneonamission wrote: »
    If you are losing muscle as well as fat it would likely indicate that you are not fuelling your body sufficiently, and thus it becomes so desperate for extra fuel that it goes for the first thing it finds. So my first suggestion is to eat more.

    In terms of exercise would focus on the weights, but of course you have to go slowly. However, there is nothing inherently wrong with more reps at a lower weight versus fewer reps at a higher weight. Swimming is good too because of the resistance of the water.

    @tinkerbellang83 is correct about the inaccuracy of body fat readings on scales. However, it does give an indication of whether it is going up or down as long as you use the same set of scales. They work by sending a tiny electric signal up your body and back down, and apparently the signal normally only goes up as far as the pelvic area.

    Results can also be skewed by hydration and temperature.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    OP- it takes a lot to "move the needle" on body fat. So far, about every 10# has been a percentage point. it's a good tool to track progress, but not nessarily accurrate. There's about a 7% difference between my scale reading and my DEXA. The scale was lower.
  • rianneonamission
    rianneonamission Posts: 854 Member
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    It does indeed get skewed by hydration and temperature.
  • Old_Cat_Lady
    Old_Cat_Lady Posts: 1,193 Member
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    Those body fat measurements on scales are always so wrong. Not sure why they are even on scales.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
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    Sounds like you are doing things right so just stay the course. To all the people poo pooing the scale body fat readings. I find the rate of change very accurate as I gain or lose. I don't get all cought up in "is the exact % number correct". It is the movement up or down over time that I focus on.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    A few thoughts.

    How much protein are you eating? More might help stave off muscle loss.

    How much weight are you losing per week? If you are too aggressive in your goals, more will come from muscle. Sometimes slower loss is better.

    Yeah, the scales are not that accurate, but it's probably as good as anything for measuring. You just need to be consisten in when you step on the scale to reduce the impact of hydration etc.
  • rfrenkel77
    rfrenkel77 Posts: 103 Member
    edited September 2017
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    Rr
  • rfrenkel77
    rfrenkel77 Posts: 103 Member
    edited September 2017
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    ADLundquist wrote: »
    Hi, I'm eating a reasonable amount of food 1600-1800 cal. a day, and I am losing weight. My scale tells me both weight and percentage of body fat. The weight is going down faster than the fat percentage. I have a fibromyalgia so I am doing some weightlifting at home, but have to go very slow when it comes to increasing the weight I use. I also swim 2 or 3 days a week. Is there something else I should be doing to make sure that I lose fat instead of muscle??

    If the weight is coming down, it's water and fat, your body will not breakdown organs and muscles for fuel if you have fat. Your worry is unfounded. You dont have to do anything special. Don't trust some fat estimate of a scale, a scale that can tell body fat content is a lab size equipment in a university setting that uses electric currents. That's not your bathroom scale. Good luck.
  • ADLundquist
    ADLundquist Posts: 4 Member
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    thanks everyone, I did recently increase protein and am eating less carbs. The dr. said the "d" word. (pre-diabetes) so I have done some research and am trying to follow those guide lines. It sounds like I'm on that right track. Thank you very much.

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