WTF?

[the_gneech]

Okay, something weird going on here; on January 1, these were my stats in the morning:

Weight: 281 lbs
Bodyfat: 41.5%

Today, these are my stats in the morning, according to the same scale:

Weight: 290 lbs
Bodyfat: 50%

My intake has not gone up, my exercise has gone WAY up, I can see the reduction of my waistline in the mirror, what's going on, here?

I have two basic theories so far. The first is muscle production. My leg muscles, particularly my hamstrings, are becoming noticeably denser, which would add weight. However, that should reduce bodyfat.

The second is that the scale is screwed up, which is certainly possible. It does occasionally have fits where it will say I weight 500 lbs, 200 lbs, then 6 lbs., none of which are very likely to be true. The question then becomes, was it right on the 1st, is it right today, or was it ever right at all?

I guess I'll just have to wait a week and try again. I sure don't want to be 290 lbs, 50% bodyfat ... that is a definite backslide from my best (which was in the neighborhood of 265 lbs, 35% bodyfat).

Bah.

-The Gneech

Comments

[katayamma.livejournal.com]

Muscle is denser than fat. Initially you will go up in weight as you begin working out, then it will drop off as your muscle tone starts to level off and the fat levels continue to drop.

Something I learned while taking three years of weightlifting in highschool.

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

That's why I'm more concerned about the bodyfat percentage than the weight, actually. -TG

[elektron.livejournal.com]

I personally doubt the accuracy of a scale measuring body fat (because nobody's ever told me how it manages to do it).

I also doubt a scale that is accurate to plus-minus 250 lbs. O.o

Oh well =-)

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

It has something to do with how good a resistor your body makes when the scale runs a very low-level electric current through you. -TG

[elektron.livejournal.com]

Try once before a class and once after =-)

(because it depends more on how sweaty your feet are - that's what I learned in physics yesterday... not that we were supposed to be measuring our own resistance, but hey...)

[tygermoonfoxx.livejournal.com]

First, I'd get a new scale. Then I would ignore it except for every so often. Scales are misleading and discouraging. Since he started exercising, my husband's waistline has gone down but his weight has gone up. The reason is simple: as you said, exercise builds muscle mass and muscle mass affects how much you weigh.

Bodyfat

[mysticleopard.livejournal.com]

I myself am a bit curious how a scale measures body fat. I would wager you're not getting an accurate measurement there. My bet is somewhere along the line you entered your height, or age, and your gender, and it just assumes using standard scales, weights, and the like. The comment about muscle being denser (and thus , even, weighing more) than fat is true. Your weight will increase as you add muscle bulk. Then, it will begin to decrease as the fat burns off.

If you want a true measurement of bodyfat, I suggest you see your doctor and get approval for this exercise regime too.

Spots

OT

[torakiyoshi.livejournal.com]

Cool avatar! :)

Re: OT

[mysticleopard.livejournal.com]

Thanks. It's courtesy of StarGazer :) He's a cute fawx from Dallas who I've somewhat fallen a bit for ;) *snickers*

Totally OT

[dragonpearl.livejournal.com]

Hey Gneech. I noticed your drawing style is getting better, especially when it comes to facial expressions and the way you tilt their heads. Good work.

And as for the bodyfat thing, I know there are other ways of measuring.

Re: Totally OT

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

Well thanks! -TG

[torakiyoshi.livejournal.com]

How does it calculate body fat? Does it actually do a volume/mass test and/or an electrical current test? If not, then I wouldn't worry about that part of it. It's likely you are adding body mass due to the workouts.

For myself, my intake has gone way down (I'm just not hungry like I used to be), and so I've lost sixty pounds since this time last year. But I wouldn't reccomend that approach. Too easy to become anorexic.

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

Electric. And no anorexic tiggies allowed! -TG

[torakiyoshi.livejournal.com]

I'm not anorexic-- I'm just not hungry. I eat when I am. It makes a huge difference in the total food consumption.

[sporklord.livejournal.com]

I'd like to have a scale that tells body fat percentage. My weight has been staying the same, but I've really gotten thinner. My legs, which were once mostly fat, are now almost completely muscle from constant Dance Dance Revolution, so I'm assuming that's why I'm still around 270.

[level-head.livejournal.com]

First of all, many microprocessor based "strain gauge" scales are quite twitchy. You need to use the scales every day, and determine a correlated average as opposed to a point measurement, which is likely to be off. Take seven readings, though out the high and low, and average the other five.

Bodyfat scales use impedence to measure fat content, and are also twitchy. Here's a description from one product:

These devices calculate body fat through a process called Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA). This technology is considered one of the most accurate and easily accessible methods of determining body fat levels. Bioelectrical Impedance is able to recognize fat at both the surface of the body and between internal organs where body fat is unseen. An unfelt, safe, extremely low energy, high frequency electrical signal is sent from one contact point on the body to another body contact point and a measurement of baseline impedance to the flow of the signal is made as it traveled through the body. Using knowledge of the conductivity of fat tissue, these devices calculate the speed at which the electrical signal travels through your body's tissues and the analyzer will use this electrical resistance information to calculate body fat weight and body fat percentage. Bioelectrical impedance results have been highly correlated as accurate with the method of underwater weighing and is considered as one of the three most widely accepted methods of measuring body fat (the other two are skinfold measurement and underwater weighing).

===|==============/ Level Head

[torakiyoshi.livejournal.com]

Haha! Yes, and when your water breaks, you'll be able to get rid of a lot of weight at once. ;)

[richvstone.livejournal.com]

Don't forget you're suppossed to weigh yourself at the same everyday....you weigh differently at different points of the day.

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

These measurements were taken at pretty close to the same time. Within an hour, anyway. -TG