I've been losing weight steadily for the last 8 months or so.
Today I weighed myself on on of those weight/BMI/Body fat jobbies. I am always weighed on the same machine and today I noticed that:

24/02/10 73kg total weight/17.6kg fat
14/04/10 71.1kg total weight/17.5kg fat

I've lost 1.9kg from total body weight but only 0.1kg fat.

If I'm not losing fat, what am I losing????

If it was one of the machines that runs a current through you, they vary massively depending on how hydrated you are. My fat % will be about 2% higher in the morning (due to dehydrating overnight) than in the evening. I just use mine as a guide to long term trends.

If you aren't exercising or taking on enough protein then you'll be losing muscle mass but to be honest those scales are a waste of time. For an accurate body fat measurement you need to have it measured properly with calipers by an expert. Eat healthy and exercise. ignore the scales except for a rough comparison

Hair?

a **** big tape worm, you may look thinner, but he's now a chunky little monkey in you intestines 😀

a **** big tape worm, you may look thinner, but he's now a chunky little monkey in you intestines

It's my tape worm, so leave the little (not so little now) fekker out of it! 😉

Hair?

No, Nº1 all over.

If you aren't exercising or taking on enough protein then you'll be losing muscle mass but to be honest those scales are a waste of time.

My thought, but over the last year it's been quite linear between fat/overall. Today was a bit odd. Eating plenty of protien I guess, so shouldn't be a problem. I know they're not perfect scales, it's nice to see the numbers. 😀

it's nice to see the numbers.

Yeah with you on that one but there is no way that when i weigh myself on a monday after a wild weekend and again on a tuesday morn, that the 7 pounds i have lost is anything other than cider 😆

Water / hydration.
The scales are accurate, it's just your composition is different each session.

Stick with it and you'll see a very gradual reduction, you'll also start to notice it too, which is 1/2 the battle!

I'd be pretty pleased with the numbers 71kg…

But +1 for the scales being inaccurate for body fat. They are rubbish. Skin fold calipers are the only way to measure it – and they are pretty cheap. I might get some actually.

molgrips – Member

I'd be pretty pleased with the numbers 71kg…

But +1 for the scales being inaccurate for body fat. They are rubbish. Skin fold calipers are the only way to measure it – and they are pretty cheap. I might get some actually.

Those analysers are rubbish, lots and lots of work has been done in this area, the skin calipers only give you some information, the only way to get an accurate body fat estimate is to do skin fold, body measurements (diameters, chest waist biceps etc, and importantly volume displacement measurements (chuck you in a pool and see how much water you displace). Honest its true, I spent a year of my life developing body fat analysis kit..

71kg ?

Well assuming you're not a short arse (sub 5'6) or a skinny giant (>6'4") then you're in the Normal BMI range anyway.

Have a pie to celebrate.

I spent a year of my life developing body fat analysis kit..

More information please!
Off your own back? For a company? Research?

Almost certainly to do with water retention

I went to a professor at Cardiff uni who used skin fold calipers on me for an estimate. I'm sure your methods are better but it's not entirely practical for a quick check in the morning is it?

Its just measurement error in the machines.

skin fold is reasonably accurate done properly. Pinch an inch – abdomen and upper arm will give you an aproximate comparison.

You will be losing fat – you don't lose muscle bulk unless you have changed your exercise regieme dramatically and burnt all your fat off

I vary by as much as 5 lbs a day on my scales (3-4repeated readings taken), but rarely does the body fat or H2O content reading change, which is odd!

71kg ?

Well assuming you're not a short arse (sub 5'6) or a skinny giant (>6'4") then you're in the Normal BMI range anyway.

Have a pie to celebrate.

Or that could show what rubbish BMI is 🙂 25% body fat, if the scales are even vaguely correct. Have a salad 🙂

Well assuming you're not a short arse (sub 5'6) or a skinny giant (>6'4") then you're in the Normal BMI range anyway.

1.82m, a bit on the light side. I was up to 85 kg when rowing. Now I'm looking for 10-15% body fat to get back competing. I used to be a bit of a goat, but since asthma I've had to change my approach.

I understand the high street machines are not the best way/most accurate, but then again I'm not training for the olympics!!

I try to weigh myself at more or less the same time to try and remove any imbalances. Going for a crap before a race really can help you lose an important couple of kilos.

Calipers are best used by an expert who knows how to maintain an equal pressure at all points.

Most reliable is volume displacement, but it's a bit difficult in a shopping centre between classes. 😆

Not sure if it's muscle as my riding seems to be getting better, finally, after a couple of years in the wilderness. 😆

I'm 84kg with 22kg of fat if my scales are to be believed, TBH it's probably not wildly inaccurate, akthough remember its mainly measuring your legs as thats where the current goes. So if you seem to carry your fat in your thighs like me they probably over read. There is no way there's 22kg of fat on me, I'm a long way form being a skinny runt, but 25% fat is a bit pesimistic.

Maybe get one of the ones you hold in your hands and take an average of the results.

Callipers etc have been shown to be just as fallible.

And the bouyancy thing is impractical and still relies on you having absolutely no air in your lungs which is borderline impossible.

I have some of those scales……. 17-18% fat…..
Professional with callipers <14%.

Maybe get one of the ones you hold in your hands and take an average of the results.

This is hand held, I'm a cyclist- no fat in the legs, it's all around the waiste!!! LOL.

I guess a lot of the fat is internal and hidden. I'll be happy when there is no visible fat.

And the bouyancy thing is impractical and still relies on you having absolutely no air in your lungs which is borderline impossible.

Fully paid up member of the asthmatic society, getting the air in there in the first place is the problem, ha ha!

The best "measurement" is probably looking in a mirror 🙂

Do you wobble when you run?

Going for a crap before a race really can help you lose an important couple of kilos.

Jes's.
That's a 5lb poo!
The size of a small new born baby.
What do you eat that produces such a result?!

PS – Are you in the UK All Comers Poo team, if not, you should be! 😉

What do you eat that produces such a result?!

Haven't you noticed that All Bran is a lot cheaper than the latest XTR bling. 😆

Your best measurement is how well you place in races 🙂

And don't go on about pooing. You poo anyway, regardless of how fat you are. It's not like if you're thin you think 'oh I'm ok I don't need to have a poo ever again'

🙄

Problem with the "Race poo" is that they never provide suitable reading material in those Portaloos!