These scales are broken

[LockdownLoser]

As much as I would love these scales to be accurate, they really aren't are they?

5 months ago at the start of March I had the following weigh slip

60.01kg weight, 20.5 fat mass 29.51lean mass

Now in August I have the this slip

54.2kg weight 12kg fat mass 42.2lean mass.

So the weight over all is right, but the fat percentage is clearly wrong because that would require me to have lost 8.5kg of fat and then gained 2.6kg of muscle. Or in pounds 18.7lb of fat and almost 6lb of muscle

Now I know that when you start building muscle a woman can gain approx 1.25lb of muscle a month so it would be possible.... but I have only been lifting weights for a week! I have been doing cardio and light resistance training throughout but only just started weights.

Also to have built that much muscle it would be visible. And it's not.

So the scales are inaccurate aren't they

You look really good in both photos, I wouldn't obsess about the numbers.

You do look a lot more toned. I dont know how accurate these scales are in general, but l from the photo it doesnt look impossible.

Thanks, I think I am getting quite obsessed with the body fat thing at the moment, It was weight first which I am happy with now so turned my attention to body fat.

Those scales are notoriously inaccurate, I wouldn't go by these at all! I'd go by how you feel, compare the photos and go by how you're performing, ie what are you able to lift for how many reps, rather than weight or bodyfat %.

I don't understand your numbers.

20.5 + 29.5 = 50 not 60.1 kg, so where's the rest?
Should 29.5 be 39.6, and that's now 42.2...

Are you assuming all lean mass = muscle? Most lean mass is stuff like skin, urine, bones, brain, hair - not muscle, anyway.

Oh yea it must have been 39.6

I was working on the assumption that any change in lean mass would be muscles, as bone, skin, hair wouldn't really change much? I could be totally misguided in that assumption though?

Going to try it again tomorrow and see what it says.

Whilst I know they aren't very accurate I was hoping they were consistently inaccurate so I can track the movement if not know the actual percentage.

That puts your fat % at 22%. That's not a level where you need to lose more fat, as fat is essential for producing female hormones. It may not be super accurate but it doesn't seem to me that you're at a point where you need to make significant further changes for your health?

I use this more than the scales fitness.bizcalcs.com/Calculator.asp?Calc=Body-Fat-Navy because the body water will change constantly, even if you empty your bladder, your water levels are constantly changing, even your muscle water is different before and after a workout.

You are mistaken in making the assumption that any change in lean mass is a change in muscle mass, when it fact it just means a change in the fat free mass, which can be many things.

I hope it clarifies things.

Well done on your training/diet regime!

Yea it did say 22% which is pretty healthy.

Thanks for the link, I didn't realise so many things could affect the lean mass so that has been enlightening!

The link puts me at 27% which I think is much more realistic. I will go with that way of measuring going forward.