Weights down but Fats up

[Bon]

Hiya all I notice my weights been dropping but body Fats keep increasing. This is demoralising. I had been observing for months 

[Dominique]

You need to look at the numbers from a broader, longer-term perspective. In another topic one month ago, you mentioned you were 91 kg / 31% BF in 2016. You then reported numbers for early October 2017: they were around 81-82 kg / 25-26%. Your latest numbers are about 80 kg / 24%. What I see here is a steady decrease for both weight (91 -> 82-82 -> 80) and BF% (31 -> 25-26 -> 24).

As I suggested before, do link your Fitbit account to TrendWeight, and look at the longer-term trends (eg. 3M or 6M), instead of the very short ones (2W or 4W). Also take body measurements (e.g. waist circumference): it’s quite likely your waist is slimmer at 80 kg than it was at 91 kg one year ago. This would be a clear sign of lower BF, regardless of what your scales says.

[Bon]

How do one get trendweight to profile a longer period other than 4 weeks. These are my results so far

[Dominique]

You need to access TrendWeight on a computer in order to be able to change the period. It doesn't allow you to do it on a mobile device, probably because the interface hasn't been designed or optimized for mobile devices. It's a pity, but it's the way it is for the time being. Check it on a computer and you will see all other periods: 3M, 6M, 1YR, All.

[BodyBeheld]

What are you using to measure your body fat? 

[Dominique]

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@BodyBeheld wrote:

What are you using to measure your body fat? 

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I can’t speak for @Bon, but my own body fat % values come from the Fitbit Aria scale, which I have been using since June 2013. My guess is @Bon is also using a BIA scale, though not necessarily the Fitbit Aria, since there are other similar scales that can sync indirectly to your Fitbit account.

Note that BIA scales do not measure body fat %, but rather estimate it, once you provide them with information about yourself (age, gender, height and body type). BIA as a method for estimating body fat has known limitations (for instance, it is very sensitive to the hydration level of your body). It appears not to work well for everybody, but I’ve found it has worked rather well for me.

[Baltoscott]

@Bon -- glad to see you linked to TrendWeight.  It makes it much clearer that your BF% is going down along with your weight (as one would expect unless you are in an extreme calorie deficit) rather than up.   

You are on a good trend.  Keep doing whatever you've been doing.  

[BodyBeheld]

Yes, I'm asking because BIA can vary based on several factors (especially hydration). So, I wouldn't rely on that as being accurate to the degree that  @Bon is looking for. Calipers, in the hands of a skilled person, are more accurate. So, I guess my point is to not take those numbers as seriously as one might think. 

This thing looks pretty cool though: https://shapescale.com/?gclid=CjwKCAiArrrQBRBbEiwAH_6sNMAeFfvKLXR9kyNH9XZwAwGAYhM4rLl4RcMRQLblMvXaWB...

Not sure if I would spend that kind of money but it's amazing what the technology is doing with this type of thing....

pretty soon we won't need doctors, haha!

[Dominique]

I probably wouldn’t be one of the early adopters (I prefer to let others be on the "bleeding edge"), but the Shape Scale does look cool! 

I’m well aware of the limitations of BIA, but I nevertheless track BF% estimates obtained with my Aria, for the reasons mentioned in this other discussion (mostly convenience). I don’t have a qualified PT at my disposal every morning, so calipers are not an option for me. And anyway, BF% is just a number, there are other ways to assess one’s progress (or lack thereof).

[WavyDavey]

I  don't believe estimated percentages are too accurate, and go by waist and neck measurement. Belt notches don't lie.

[Bon]

I am using fitbit aria weighing scale which can estimate my bf. I believe it's using BIA technology. 

[BodyBeheld]

Yeah, that's not the most accurate way to measure body composition and definitely varies based on hydration and other factors. 

If using calipers is not an option I suggest using a good old tape measure. Measure your upper arms, your upper thighs, your hips and waist and record those numbers. You can check in on these measurements periodically. I wouldn't obsess about it. It looks like you have been moving in the right direction for some time. 

Not to say you shouldn't evaluate your diet. I'm a huge fan of low-carb, high-fat diets, but they're not for everyone. Not everyone metabolizes fat the same way. I don't know what you're doing for diet but a check-in there might be worth it. 

[NYCypher]

The day to day body fat% number does go up and down because of hydration but I just don't believe it to be a true read of how much fat you have.  Instead I use it as a general guide that I'm doing things right as I see the average number go down over 1 to 2 weeks.

[Bon]

Cool bf is dropping steadily 

[Dominique]

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@NYCypher wrote:

The day to day body fat% number does go up and down because of hydration but I just don't believe it to be a true read of how much fat you have.  Instead I use it as a general guide that I'm doing things right as I see the average number go down over 1 to 2 weeks.

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@NYCypher: I agree with you averages are the way to go when monitoring progress (that’s why I love TrendWeight, since it does it for me). However, I’ve found (for myself) the fluctuations from day to day are actually quite small, as you can see on this chart:

This is probably due to having a very regular schedule, for both training and eating. I had to go off plan for one week (last week of October, grey data points on the chart) because of a trip to the US: this meant I had to eat out all the time and wasn’t able to train at all. It took me about 10 days to "recover" from that after returning. The rest of the time, I mostly do the same things everyday: weight train 5 days a week, have more or less the same step count and eat the same number of meals at the same times with the same macros. Also: as I very seldom eat out, my sodium intake is quite stable: food served at restaurants tends to be very salty, which in turns affects hydration and thus skews BF% displayed by the scale.

[Dominique]

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@BodyBeheld wrote:

Not to say you shouldn't evaluate your diet. I'm a huge fan of low-carb, high-fat diets, but they're not for everyone. Not everyone metabolizes fat the same way. I don't know what you're doing for diet but a check-in there might be worth it. 

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@BodyBeheld: you’re right to say it’s not for everyone. I think a low-carb diet can be very beneficial for people who have developed insulin resistance. This is often the case for those who are carrying a lot of extra weight, and/or are pre-diabetic (often goes hands in hands). For them, low carb will help stabilize insulin, while high-fat will provide satiety and make it easier to sustain the deficit needed to lose weight.

For someone with good insulin sensitivity, a low carb / high fat approach doesn’t have these benefits. I have been able to drop weight (7.5 kg / 16.5 lbs since the beginning of this year) while eating a relatively high amount of carbs. I personally see more benefits in carbs, as they are a better fuel for the kind of exercising I focus on (weight lifting). Plus it allows me to eat a more diverse diet.