Weight and Body Fat at Odds?

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Was noticing that my weight over the past month has been slowly decreasing but at the same time my (reported) body fat has increased. What up? During this period I would say I have been spending more time at the gym with weights so if anything I’d expect more lean mass; I have a hard time believing I’m loosing lean mass. Anyway, I have no answer to this so open to any suggestions. It may just be that body fat measurements aren’t that great in the short term but a month is longer than just “short term”.

  • http://putt1ck.blogspot.com Chris Puttick

    Depends how you are measuring body fat percentage. I agree it is unlikely that body weight reduces while exercise levels remain the same or increase and have body fat percentage go up; accuracy of the measuring system in use might be the issue.

    • http://ken.net Ken Snyder

      I use the Withings scale as my normal measurement. It uses electrical impedance (from the feet) which isn’t perfect but it’s super convenient. To supplement I’ve also bought the Omron hand held monitor to see how it compares. This purchase is a bit newer but my impression is it follows a similar trend line but consistently measures me to have a lower body fat %.

      Beyond just equipment what I’ve done to help make my results consistent are always measure only the moment when I wake up and always before I shower (as the humidity the shower creates provides mild interference to my measurements). Is there anything else you’d suggest? I do have tape measures and calipers but I haven’t started using them yet.