Weight loss stalled but body comp improved?

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chrissywelsh10
chrissywelsh10 Posts: 66 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So - for the last 2 weeks I have lost & gained the same 100g despite my 1300kcal daily.
I’m 78.8kg & 5ft 5, 35 & female. I was getting a little down about it (I tightened up my logging) & today was no different - but I went into the stats of my body composition scales.

I have lost 2% body fat
Gained 3% muscle

So now my questions start.

How accurate are these kinds of scales?
Is it even possible to gain muscle in a deficit?
Would running 30mins twice a week and 1 hour of yoga really gain you muscle? Doesn’t seem enough for that.

Any insights welcome & if you have experience of this... thanks community!

Replies

  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    Here's a good read on how accurate those scales are(n't): https://weightology.net/the-pitfalls-of-bodyfat-measurement-part-4-bioelectrical-impedance-bia/
  • h1udd
    h1udd Posts: 623 Member
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    (1) body composition scales are not accurate, they work on inductance so you can get different readings depending on your hydration levels

    (2) Fat loss for a lot of people happens in blocks, so you loose nothing for a couple of weeks, then woosh and you drop 2lbs .. people have theorized that as you loose fat the cells fill with water then after a while the cels finally release the water and the weight drops - dunno how accurate this is, but "whooshes" are common.

    (3) You are a woman - consider your cycle, you will retain water in the lead up

    (4) Have you upped exercise, new or increased workouts will cause inflamation that will retain water for a couple of weeks

    (5) Check your nuitrients and macros out ... any increase in Sugar, salt or carbs compared to normal - all promote water retention

    Basically dont worry, fat loss isnt linear for me and many people and I hold weight for a few weeks, then drop, then hold, then drop .. you just have to have confidence in the process and keep on track, if after a month you havent dropped then reassess calorie intake
  • MarkusDarwath
    MarkusDarwath Posts: 393 Member
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    If you're talking about a scale that uses Bioelectric Impedance Analysis to determine body fat, the accuracy depends on the quality of the scale. The better ones are at least equal to or better than trying to do your own skin-fold calipers or taking multiple tape measurements to plug into a math formula.
    As to gaining muscle while in a deficit, there are some who will claim it's flat out impossible. Others, such as myself, believe that recomposition is a real possibility, however, it generally requires that the dietary calorie deficit be pretty small and progressive strength training is needed to force the muscle growth.
    From what you've described it seems likely that you may well have burned some fat, but are maybe holding onto more water in it's place. Mathematically, any reduction in body fat percentage is going to raise your lean mass percentage, just because the two have to total to 100%. Also, because BIA works largely due to the difference in water content between fat and muscle tissue, an increase in muscle hydration is going to look to the scale like higher muscle mass. (this is because fat tissue contains little water, and water content increases the electrical conductivity of body tissue.)
    In general, I wouldn't pay too much attention to what the scale says regarding muscle percentage or bone mass (if yours has that). The body fat percentage isn't going to be DEXA scan accurate either, but in most cases it's close enough to work with and will help track your general trend. Knowing your total weight and Body Fat %, it's pretty easy to calculate how much of your weight is fat and lean mass. Any increases you see in lean mass weight are generally going to be either changes in water composition or muscle gained, and again, muscle gain is a slower process that usually requires training specifically to that goal.
    Even if you have a couple percent of body fat being replaced by water content, I wouldn't view that as a bad thing unless you're actually gaining total weight from it. The body is a complex and dynamic system that needs to frequently rebalance itself in response to change, so being in a dietary calorie deficit and burning fat is often not going to be a linear progression. As long as something is changing we have to stay confident that we're heading in the right direction, even if there are some periods where the changes don't include scale weight.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    Scales aren't accurate at all for BF%. There's no way you gained 3% muscle in two weeks.
    If you haven't lost weight you are eating more than 1300 calories. Start with using a food scale for weighing everything you eat and log it here.
  • chrissywelsh10
    chrissywelsh10 Posts: 66 Member
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    Thanks for all the reply’s - I use food scales for everything & have done for over half a year. And I know that’s the usual culprit for lack of loss.

    Thanks for all the advice on scales as well as body. I’ll keep working away - it is indeed perhaps a woosh waiting to happen.

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