Body fat % up slightly, but still losing weight?

Tabbyjoolz said:

I did my weekly weigh-in and body fat measurement at my usual Boots branch.

The great news is I've lost even more weight, but my body fat percentage is up by 0.2%. At this stage I'm not too concerned, but it is not a trend I would like to see snowball.

First off, I'm curious as to why this is happening and where my weight loss is coming from (hoping it's not muscle).

Second, what can I modify to ensure that I consistently lose body fat? I walk anything between 5.5 miles and 10 miles a day and eat a very low-carb, high fat diet. I'm not eating any more than usual.

Third, am I just fighting my Thrifty Gene now that winter's on its way?

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do you get enough protein... to avoid to loose muscles-weight ?
and how much excercises do you do... ?

about 1 gram of protein (0.8 - 1.0 gram/ kg )pro kg body-weight is adequate ... for most people doing a little excercise

and if weigth-training maybe 1.5 gram of protein pro kg body-weight

On my daily weigh-ins my body fat can vary by up to 2% according to my Omron scales.. not something I particularly stress about though.

I'd try and work out your protein just so you can be sure you're getting enough but wouldn't stress it just this once

I think men should have alittle more protein pro kg body-weight to maintain their body than women as women on average seem to have less % of mucles in their body
if you are a musclular type 1 gram or more would be the least I think...

I use the Withings Heart Health & Body Composition wifi scales, and also note the changes in body fat % - this does correlate for me when I do less weights. If you don't like weights, you could use resistance bands or good old body weight exercises, such as lunges, pushups, planks and squats.

I wouldn't worry about a slight fluctuation of 0.2%. I use the Omron scales every day and my body fat varies by more than that from day to day..
In the last week my figures were:17.8%; 17.8%; 18.3%; 18.1%; 17.7%; 17.9%; 18.3% .
I just take it as a general trend and that my figures are around 17-18% That is within the 'normal' range for my gender and age (13.0-24.9%).

The 'normal' figures for a female are;
Age 18-39; 21.0--32.9%
Age 40-59; 23.0-33.9%
Age 60-80: 24.0-35.9%

What are your protein sources? .8g per kg of lean body weight for me is 44g of protein so about 5-6 oz per day. I eat about 5 oz animal/ fish protein and some extra in veggies, nuts and seeds.

I agree with @bulkbiker that the body composition percentages can vary a little over time. I also use Omron scales, at home, so I have a consistent way of measuring my stats (i.e. always immediately on rising, nekkkkid, having emptied my bladder), so no variances in bladder content or weight of clothing, and even then they vary a bit.

To be honest, I put it down to hydration levels and just plain old variances.

These days I step onto the scale every morning (same conditions as above), and just glance at the weight. That varies too, for similar hydration, how much I actually ate the night before (how much of it is still "on-board") and so on, and then once a week, I go through the whole scan (takes about a minute), measuring my weight, Fat %, Muscle %, BMI, Visceral Fat and resting metabolic rate.

These days, within my usual metric variances, which are relatively modest, the measure I keep the keenest eye on is my Visceral Fat levels, which I like to keep very tight. If I saw that going up, without obvious reason, I would want to look at things a bit further. Thankfully, it hasn't caused me too much concern.

In your shoes, as you have had success with your approach thus far, I wouldn't be keen to change anything hastily, but to keep a keen eye on things over the next couple of weeks. If you feel very unsettled, you could do an interim measure too, unless it's a big effort to get into Boots.

Fingers crossed for you.

AndBreathe said:

These days I step onto the scale every morning (same conditions as above), and just glance at the weight. That varies too, for similar hydration, how much I actually ate the night before (how much of it is still "on-board") and so on, and then once a week, I go through the whole scan (takes about a minute), measuring my weight, Fat %, Muscle %, BMI, Visceral Fat and resting metabolic rate.


Fingers crossed for you.

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Your Omron is obviously posher than mine I just get weight, fat %, visceral fat % and BMI...

bulkbiker said:

Your Omron is obviously posher than mine I just get weight, fat %, visceral fat % and BMI...

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Mine is the BF511. It also has memories for 4 users, plus a Guest profile. It means MrB can also have a profile, as he likes to keep an eye on things. He doesn't have any medical issues; just likes to stay very trim, but he always has.

Tabbyjoolz said:

The Boots I use is on the way into work, so I might try it again on Monday.

I'm going to get to grips with the TRX and do more resistance work.

My protein sources are eggs, meat, fish, nuts cheese, cream and soya milk. I can eat small amounts of lentils and other pulses without a spike.

Since I've been on LCHF I'm actually consuming fewer calories as I feel fuller! I guess I could fit in a bit more protein if I needed to!

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Completely coincidentally, these were in a Lidl offers I received tonight. I already posted a link in the weigh-in thread, just for information.

http://www.lidl.co.uk/en/our-offers-2491.htm?action=showDetail&id=37707&ar=3

I thought for the cash, those seem really good value. Of course, not everyone wants to have scales at home, and I respect that.

Tabbyjoolz said:

I do have scales at home, but they're not very accurate and I've had them for years. I've just treated myself to the Omron 511. It arrives tomorrow. While I'm waiting for them to arrive I shall do some training with my TRX.

If anyone's curious about TRX, here's a link: https://www.trxtraining.co.uk/products/trx-home-gym

I found out about TRX from a personal trainer I worked with years ago and I loved using it.

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Oooooh,........... Welcome to the Omron club.

I love my 511s so much that I have one set here and another set where I tend to hide from the cold.

It's like all these things, you'll get a bit obsessed to begin with, but within a short while, you'll find your own simple routine. Although those scales aren't cheap, I find the consistent and if you've been paying 50p or £1 per weigh-in, they soon cover their own costs.

Enjoy!

Tabbyjoolz said:

Good news. I stepped on to my beautiful swanky Omron scales today. I've lost another kilo and my body fat is decreasing, and I've put on some muscle. My visceral fat is on the low side of 'high', according to the very informative manual that comes with the scales. That has stayed the same since my inaugural weigh-in on the swanky scales on Saturday.

I've been reading up on visceral fat. Some websites say it's easy to lose, others say it'll take a while to budge. Doubtless the figure before diagnosis was very high. I'm now looking forward to that figure coming down more, along with my weight.

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Tabbyjoolz, I couldn't find too much reference to visceral fat in the manual when I read it. Could you point me in the right direction, with a section, or page number please?

I'm really pleased you seem to like your Omrons, but don't forget your fat/muscle percentages can vary a little day to day for all sorts of reasons.