body fat percentage

I am having a difficult time understanding this...my body fat percentage is 12.5. In the last 6 weeks I have lost 4 inches but my body fat percentage has stayed the same. Does this mean I am losing muscle mass? I exercise vigorously five days a week and eat a healthy diet. I am just confused...if inches are coming off but percentage is the same what does this mean?

12.5% is amazingly lean for a girl! I think the minimum recommended body fat for a female is 10-12% b/c of essential fat. Maybe that's why you can't get it any lower. Just out of curiosity, being that lean where do you see any fat left still?

bump... good sites

My body fat calculations were done using a caliper (from abdomen, near my knee and the back of my arm. I am not trying to get a lower body fat percentage. I am more concerned that I am losing muscle since my measurements (inches with tape measure) are dropping but my body fat percentage is not. I may be over-analyzing this but i am just somewhat confused. I am quite active, run, cycle and weight train 5 times a week at moderate to high intensity. I maintain approx 1400 calories a day, eating every 2-3 hrs. I have recently added an additional protein shake in the evening. I pretty consistently maintain a lower carb/fat higher protein diet.

Are you losing strength when you weight lift? If so, that could an indication that you're losing muscle mass or you're over-training.

12.5 bf% is great and I'm not surprised since you run/cycle. Just make sure you are eating more than 75% of your TDEE (maintenance calories), that is a good way to still burn enough body fat while maintaining muscle mass. If you want to gain muscle mass, it's recommended that you eat around your TDEE.

I appreciate your information, you seem to have the nutrition information dialed in. I do notice that occasionally I feel a little sluggish/dragging with exercise (more in the last couple of weeks when I have also seen a drop in my weight.) but I just likened it to the fact that I had worked 10 hrs in a job where I am required to wear a lead vest/skirt for prolonged periods. Could you explain maintenance calories. I have been following a 1400 calorie diet (even on the days where i exercise hard.) Over the course of 8 months I have dropped 35 inches and 12% body fat so it has definitely not been a rapid reduction in either. Again, I appreciate the information:)

Here is a good website to figure out your TDEE: http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

But keep in mind that your TDEE (maintenance calories) is only estimate based on your activity level. So if you have it set on heavy exercise in the website, you will need to make sure you exercise at least 6 times a week. So just keep in mind that it can be a bit lower/higher than estimated. Also keep in mind that you have a 10 hour job which will also impact your TDEE depending on your physical work activity.

So, I am not sure about your actual goal but I'm assuming it's crucial for you want to keep your muscle mass.

In doing so, I would recommend eating AT LEAST above 75% of your TDEE. Here's why: to maintain your muscle mass (strength in the gym), you have to make sure you do some form of weight training. Weight training puts a ton of pressure on your body depending on the intensity. Eating closer to your TDEE (at least 75%) will add to the recovery time.

Now when it comes to losing body fat %, it's inevitable that you will lose SOME strength at the gym because you aren't eating at your TDEE. This is why most body builders go on "bulking" phases when they are eating above/close to their maintenance calories. What I am recommending to you is a "cutting" phase which involves losing bf% while still maintaining most of your muscle mass.

You may also want to read up on this if you're interested in figuring out the best macro formula for you: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981

Currently I am doing the 40%carbs/30%fats/30%protein on days I work out and 35%carbs/35%fats/30% protein on days I don't work out. You probably already know this but good fats and protein are essential to recovery time after weight training or cardio.

Hope this helps, and feel free to PM me if you have any questions. You've made pretty amazing progress so far (-12% bf) so keep it up!

Calipers are said to be inaccurate for people who are very lean, so it is highly possible you have not lost much muscle mass

That having been said if you have lost 4 inches, odds are you lost fat and muscle in equal portions to what you had when you lost weight. So yes, you would have had to lose muscle mass, but not proportionately more than the fat you lost.