Aria body Fat Percentage only increases?

[TVornbrock]

Hey there,

Just got the scale for Christmas, stoked to try it out.  I'm a numbers guy so I like having all available information that I can get.

My issue with the scale over the first week is that I've decreased in LBS but the BF% is only going up?

For example my first weigh in (Dec 24th) was 225.4 LBS and 26.1% BF (I'm a male, 6'0" with a medium build).  I weight myself at the same time each morning when I wake up, before I've had any food/drinks and after a washroom break so it's consistent.  When I weighed myself this morning it read 219.7 LBS and 29.1% BF?  Why is that percentage only increasing?  I've got a half dozen other readings and they are all lower in LBS from the first time but higher BF%.  Help please 😄

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[mantababe]

im getting the same. i had an aldi scale before and i could see a steady increase of my LBM and a decrease in the BF, it also showed water % i expected the aria scale to be better esp compairing the price of the aldis one

its really disheartening seeing my BF figure increasing 

[tastybrew]

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@TVornbrock wrote:

Why is that percentage only increasing?

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BF%=(Mt-Ml)/Mt

Mt=Total mass

Ml=Lean mass

Since your total mass is the denominator your calculated BF% will increase as you lose weight. This inverse relationship is compounded by the fact that you will lose lean mass while you lose body fat. That's why, IMO, focusing on weight loss can be misleading from an overall health perspective. Maintain a proper exercise and diet regimen and eventually your ratio of BF to lean mass will decrease.

[mantababe]

this is why im very disappointed in this product. my last scales aldi crane showed muscle % and body fat, i would regualry see the muscle % increase and the BF decrease. 

and what i dont understand why DO I WANT to LOOSE lean mass...lean mass includes everything tht isnt body fat, i want to loose body fat and keep my lean mass not loose my mean mass

im sorry but none of this makes sense

by the way i run 3/4 times week i do HIT and i eat healthy, i have lost 2 stone over the last year i have also lost body measurement, i dont pay too much heed to weight as i want to exchange some of my BF for muscle, which is why im so disappointing in this product.....it is the other figures i look at more than the actual weight and ive spent nearly £100 on a set of scales which isnt delivering me the info i expected

[tastybrew]

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@mantababe wrote:

my last scales aldi crane showed muscle % and body fat, i would regualry see the muscle % increase and the BF decrease.

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You can see the lean mass vs fat mass in your weight log.

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@mantababe wrote:

and what i dont understand why DO I WANT to LOOSE lean mass...lean mass includes everything tht isnt body fat, i want to loose body fat and keep my lean mass not loose my mean mass

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Blame biology and physics. There is no way to only burn calories from your fat stores. Through science, training, and nutrition you can try and target fat stores for energy, but you'll still consume calories by burning muscle tissue.

[mantababe]

ok yes i get tht.....but im still disappointed in the fact tht the figures i am getting are not like i got from another set of scales

the scales i had before showed my muscle increasing and body fat decreasing.....the arial i have now show the opposite, the fact i am pointing out is tht i couls see before how i was improving....physics or whatever you want call it....arial scales give different and not so motivation readings.

as i was loosing weight on my crane scales i could see my muscle % going up [not fast but it was improving] my body fat figure was going down [to me tht is logical sense and what i was expecting] it also showed water % [which obviously changed up/down] BMR. BMI . bone mass and AMR

what do fitbit expenesive scales do..lean mass/BF and giving a figure tht demotivates ppl as you look at the figures and think im doing all tht exercise im eating well and yet my body fat is going up. 

[tastybrew]

Sounds like you were happy using a different scale.

[Majik]

I am having a similar problem with my scale. I am in excellent physical health. I weight train most days and run a 5k once a week. Over the last 20 days I have been training my core very intensely. My 6 pack (I should say 8 pack) is really looking ripped. I weigh myself every morning first thing after I use the bathroom. The only issue is that my fat % is creeping up by about 0.1 every other day but I am not gaining weight. It is very disheartening to see this because I know I am getting in better shape every day. I think what might be happening with me is that my new 6 pack might be interfering with the scale.  Densely packed core muscles might resist more electricity than not.

If you want to keep your lean muscle. I would suggest that you add some low carb protein shakes to your daily diet. At Least 1 in the morning and 1 before bed. If you keep enough protein in your diet, your body will not digest lesser used muscles looking for protein. You will see gains.

[mantababe]

yes i was but didnt realise it at the time...i wanted to keep everything in one place so thought getting the  fitbit one be idea not realising it wouldnt be anywhere near as good as the aldi one....oh well you live and learn 

[mantababe]

i do try to increase my protein but i wouldnt want add protein drinks as much as two a day, as im also trying to loose weight, and i try and stick to a calorie amount, and when im working tht would just up my intake far too much as no time for exercise on them days.

so do the scales work in a way tht they struggle to get thro fat ? is fat really densly packed?

[tastybrew]

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@mantababe wrote:

so do the scales work in a way tht they struggle to get thro fat ? is fat really densly packed?

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No, fat tissue is less dense than lean tissue. The scale measures the impedance through your body and calculates the BF% based on the resistance differentials between different material types in the body.

[mantababe]

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@tastybrew wrote:

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@mantababe wrote:

so do the scales work in a way tht they struggle to get thro fat ? is fat really densly packed?

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No, fat tissue is less dense than lean tissue. The scale measures the impedance through your body and calculates the BF% based on the resistance differentials between different material types in the body.

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thts what i thought so the poster saying tht the measurements cant get thro due to his lean mass being poss more dense doesnt make sense as the scales should surely regonised that it is not fat there but lean tissue...thus his fat % should not be raised due to him have lots of dense lean mass......if you understand what im saying???

[tastybrew]

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@mantababe wrote:

so the poster saying tht the measurements cant get thro due to his lean mass being poss more dense doesnt make sense as the scales should surely regonised that it is not fat there but lean tissue...thus his fat % should not be raised due to him have lots of dense lean mass.

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Agreed. That poster was also talking about 0.1% changes in BF%. That's nothing significant and can easily be explained based on variables that will affect the impedance such as hydration levels. Use the scale for what it's worth. I use the scale for trends and it works well for that, IMO.

[mantababe]

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@tastybrew wrote:

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@mantababe wrote:

so the poster saying tht the measurements cant get thro due to his lean mass being poss more dense doesnt make sense as the scales should surely regonised that it is not fat there but lean tissue...thus his fat % should not be raised due to him have lots of dense lean mass.

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Agreed. That poster was also talking about 0.1% changes in BF%. That's nothing significant and can easily be explained based on variables that will affect the impedance such as hydration levels. Use the scale for what it's worth. I use the scale for trends and it works well for that, IMO.

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i agree, i just have to get use to them, and forget the disappointment i feel about them. 

maybe fingers crossed fitbit will realise the scales shortcomings and improve them......

[tastybrew]

I guess I don't see any shortcomings beyond the hardware limitation of 802.11b. Best of luck to you with your fitness goals.

[mantababe]

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@tastybrew wrote:

I guess I don't see any shortcomings beyond the hardware limitation of 802.11b. Best of luck to you with your fitness goals.

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tht is obviously subjective.....as ive listed what my last scales did and i [poss stupidly] expected these more expensive scale to do the same, but they dont, and even tho due to its limitation is why to me these scales have big shortcomings 

[tastybrew]

I guess I'm still confused as to what your previous scale provided that the Aria doesn't. Nonetheless, to each their own.

[spgjustin]

I completely agree with this. You can also maintain the same weight buy lose inches.

1lb of muscle (in volume) is 1/3 the size of 1lb of fat. If you lose fat through cardio, and add a little bit of muscle though lifting weights, you can actually maintain the same weight, but your clothes will be too big.

This is why it's more important to judge success by the mirror, and how your old clothes fit. Just use the scale as a guide each week.

[Dominique]

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@Majik wrote:

The only issue is that my fat % is creeping up by about 0.1 every other day but I am not gaining weight. It is very disheartening to see this because I know I am getting in better shape every day. I think what might be happening with me is that my new 6 pack might be interfering with the scale.  Densely packed core muscles might resist more electricity than not.

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I think it is unrealistic to expect a scale that sends a weak current through your feet could detect subtle changes in muscle density in your abdominal region. BIA scales like the Fitbit Aria give you an overall ballpark estimate: even when used very consistently like you do, the margin of error is high enough for 0.1% variations to be meaningless. The Aria should be relatively good at showing meaningful trends over longer periods of time (several months/years). No matter how intensively you have been training your abs for the past 20 days, there’s only so much new muscle mass that can be added in that time, especially since abs are a relatively small muscle group.

If you are interested in monitoring progress in specific regions of your body, you may want to consider a device such as the BodyMetrix, which works with ultrasounds and is not affected by the hydration level of your body. Check the reviews on Amazon and you will see several people who are into fitness competitions are using it. Obviously, it’s not cheap, but neither are other reliable ways to determine body fat (eg. DXA, BodPod) and at least it’s something you can use at home almost everyday if you want.

An easy way to monitor fat loss progress (once a certain level of leanness has been achieved) is by looking at the vascularity in some of your body parts, eg. your shoulders and your arms, as with this guy (it’s not me!):

Once you start to see veins (not necessarily to the extent of the above photo, which was clearly taken for a physique show), you don’t need a BIA scale or any other device to tell there’s very little subcutaneous fat. The more prominent they are, the lower BF% is.

And if you want to impress chicks at the beach next summer with your super-shredded abs, they won’t care about your actual BF % anyway  

[mantababe]

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@tastybrew wrote:

I guess I'm still confused as to what your previous scale provided that the Aria doesn't. Nonetheless, to each their own.

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crane sports scales 

fat %

water %

muscle %

bone mass

BMI

BMR

AMR

and of course weight

i saw over the course of the months and my healthy eating and exercising a drop in body fat, an increase in muscle %....it was very motivational