[Leia]

I am losing steadily in Phase one. Starting my second week.

DId my once a week body fat % measurement.

It INCREASED from what was a stable 36% to 37%.

I have been walking every day. Sure, no cardio as I feel a bit sluggish and quite proud of every mile walk I complete instead. Some days, twice a day.

Has anyone had body fat INCREASE as the scale goes down? Is this typical for South Beach? Am I worrying for nothing?

[zoerba]

sounds like an error. Weird!

[beachgal]

Leia, how are you measuring body fat? We've talked about it a lot in various forums here on 3FC and most of us agree that there isn't a really good way to measure fat percentage. The most accurate is that dunking in water thing, and even that varies wildly enough to not really be accurate. The electric machines are the least accurate, when compared to skilled use of calipers. Unskilled use of calipers, however, is totally inaccurate.

Guess what I'm trying to say is to not stress about it. It's unlikely that you actually gained fat. VERY unlikely. What's more likely is that your method for measuring was somehow skewed by the changes in your body. It's inaccurate, not you! I get my fat percentage checked at my nutrition clinic. They place two diodes on my hand and two on my foot and run current through my body. It's fast and seems to be fairly accurate. If you're truly concerned, you might see if you have a nutrition clinic locally that can help you with this. Otherwise, try measuring yourself with a tape measure and look for lost inches--fat takes up more room than muscle.

[Leia]

Okay. No more worrying about it. I AM losing inches. Ran to my truck today and the pants were trying to fall off.

The scale is the electric kind you stand on barefoot.

I also read somewhere that dehydration will skew the results terribly. As will an abundance of fluids.

I typically drink a 52 ounce mug of ice water every day before lunch; then a can of diet rootbeer at lunch; a 16 ounce tea and a lot more water in the afternoon, and as I type this, there is a half drank 40 ounce bottle of water next to me.

Yes...I DO spend a lot of time in the bathroom, but I have had excessive thirst all my life. Relocating from the desert to Washington state last fall didn't change that. hehe (Blood sugar is fine as usual).

[browneyedgirl77]

I've read somewhere that it's best to do fat percentage measurements on home scales in the morning before you have eaten but after you have had an 8oz glass of water. You are right though the amount of water in your system can drastically change your fat percentage on home scales.

[murphmitch]

My bathroom scale has a body fat measurement that I think is totally wrong so I don't use it. I have had it done by bioimpedence annually for the last few years and it is nowhere near what my scale shows, so I don't trust the reading on the scale.