Weight down but body fat percentage up?

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felly07
felly07 Posts: 43 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have lost 11lbs in 5 weeks and I am ecstatic. I have done lots of exercise - cardio & swimming and strength training - Body Pump (weights) and I know I have built muscle because I can see it in my arms and I am definitely feeling stronger, so, why the heck has my body fat percentage gone up from 28% to 28.5%? Can any clever bod figure this out?

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  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
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    It's imperfect measurement. The only way to measure body fat is maybe after you are dead they can sort the fat from the tissue and bone! otherwise, they have to use calipers or electro-thangs and those are made imperfect by water weight and mis-use, even having someone else perform the caliper test would give you a different result!
    Keep up the good work, you know you're progressing and seeing results!
  • dkb228
    dkb228 Posts: 73 Member
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    What are you using to calculate your percentage?
  • felly07
    felly07 Posts: 43 Member
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    What are you using to calculate your percentage?

    One of those scales with the infra red thingy. You have to hold on to the bars at the side.
  • Egger29
    Egger29 Posts: 14,741 Member
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    It is most likely that you also lost some lean mass as part of your weight loss which would account for an increase in body fat %age. Keep in mind lean mass is 75% water so any lack of hydration at a given weigh-in will skew your results as well.

    You wnat to ensure you maintain your current lean mass with regular strength training (Including ample rest between workouts for recovery), while on a calorie restricted intake, to minimize the chance of muscle breakdown and losses.

    That being said .5% is relatively minor so I would suggest you look back at what you've been doing and see what you might do differently over the next few weeks. As well, most portable measuring devices have a margin of error of +/- 3%.

    You want to look at the long term changes over several months compared to each other to really see the results.

    Cheers!
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    What are you using to calculate your percentage?

    One of those scales with the infra red thingy. You have to hold on to the bars at the side.

    Infrared or bio impedance?

    Infrared is the worst in terms of accuracy. Bioimpedance can be affected by hydration status--I have been frustrated with some of the test/retest numbers I get with our scale.

    Basically, ignore the numbers. Take some circumference measurements (or have a really good friend take them for you) and track those. It won't give you a body fat percentage number, but it will be reliable.
  • felly07
    felly07 Posts: 43 Member
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    Thank you Egger. You are right it is pretty neglible. Really interesting to read your post and consider the loss of lean body mass and hydration.
  • felly07
    felly07 Posts: 43 Member
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    What are you using to calculate your percentage?

    One of those scales with the infra red thingy. You have to hold on to the bars at the side.

    Infrared or bio impedance?

    Infrared is the worst in terms of accuracy. Bioimpedance can be affected by hydration status--I have been frustrated with some of the test/retest numbers I get with our scale.

    Basically, ignore the numbers. Take some circumference measurements (or have a really good friend take them for you) and track those. It won't give you a body fat percentage number, but it will be reliable.

    Not too sure Azdac, I shall try and find out. Thank you for all your replies <3
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    It is most likely that you also lost some lean mass as part of your weight loss which would account for an increase in body fat %age. Keep in mind lean mass is 75% water so any lack of hydration at a given weigh-in will skew your results as well.


    While theoretically that's possible, it's unlikely, given the numbers, that the OP could have lost that much lean mass (if indeed she lost any at all). To end up with the numbers she reported that would mean that almost 9 or the 11 lbs lost was lean mass. Again, possible, but hardly likely. I suspect it's more likely a hydration or some other methodological error.
  • Egger29
    Egger29 Posts: 14,741 Member
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    It is most likely that you also lost some lean mass as part of your weight loss which would account for an increase in body fat %age. Keep in mind lean mass is 75% water so any lack of hydration at a given weigh-in will skew your results as well.


    While theoretically that's possible, it's unlikely, given the numbers, that the OP could have lost that much lean mass (if indeed she lost any at all). To end up with the numbers she reported that would mean that almost 9 or the 11 lbs lost was lean mass. Again, possible, but hardly likely. I suspect it's more likely a hydration or some other methodological error.

    That is correct and I fully agree. (Apologies, I didn't do the math before responding...just speculation). Hydration would play a big role in the personal measuring devices however with different results based on the time of day, food, and water intake.

    Thank you for the assisted clarification. :-)
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
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    It is most likely that you also lost some lean mass as part of your weight loss which would account for an increase in body fat %age. Keep in mind lean mass is 75% water so any lack of hydration at a given weigh-in will skew your results as well.


    While theoretically that's possible, it's unlikely, given the numbers, that the OP could have lost that much lean mass (if indeed she lost any at all). To end up with the numbers she reported that would mean that almost 9 or the 11 lbs lost was lean mass. Again, possible, but hardly likely. I suspect it's more likely a hydration or some other methodological error.

    Not to mention that with only two BF% measurements it can be hard to see a trend, up or down, unless the method is REALLY accurate. Theoretically, even very devices should show a trend over time, but not always before they drive you totally batty!
  • Oishii
    Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
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    I know my scales are hopeless for body fat. Don't let it get to you and keep up the good work!
  • CraftyGirl4
    CraftyGirl4 Posts: 571 Member
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    What are you using to calculate your percentage?

    One of those scales with the infra red thingy. You have to hold on to the bars at the side.

    Those things are terribly inaccurate.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,695 Member
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    What are you using to calculate your percentage?

    One of those scales with the infra red thingy. You have to hold on to the bars at the side.
    Actually that's electrical impedance and can be affected by the total water in your body. Just a quick note: you probably DIDN'T build muscle since that's almost impossible on a calorie deficit. If you "see" your muscles, then that means your body fat percentage is lower.
  • jg627
    jg627 Posts: 1,221 Member
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    A nice big bowel impaction removal would do it, but if you didn't wake up in a bathtub filled with ice, a fresh scar and a note explaining that your fecal impaction was removed to be sold on the black market, then it's probably the method for bf calculation you're using. I don't know much about the infra red, but bio-electrical impedence has a huge margin of error. In addition to hydration, on the ones you stand on, if your thighs touch together at all while it's measuring, that will throw it off by a lot too.
  • felly07
    felly07 Posts: 43 Member
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    Some really interesting, knowledgeable and thought provoking information here, Really impressed with you lot! It is a scale that you stand on. I will be careful to make sure I am hydrated and I hve my legs apart next time I measure my BF%.

    Thank you for the positive comments too.
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
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    There was a wellness fair at work and they had a body fat % measurement tool that you hold in both hands. She admitted it could be 5% off in either direction.
  • Mrs_TrimWaistFatWallet
    Mrs_TrimWaistFatWallet Posts: 486
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    BF %'s are only accurate given that for both readings you had the same body water %. This is a small fluctuation and it's probably negligible.

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