Body fat weight almost doubled - are conventional weighing scales that measure body fat inaccurate?

Due to weight gain that may initially occur when eating high volumes of fruit (due to water/replenishing glycogen stores etc), what's the best way to measure body fat?

These were my stats from a weightwatchers weighing scales before I started eating high volumes of fruit about a year and a half ago ;

Body fat in weight : 3.3 stones or 45 lbs

BF%: 33.2%

Body water %: 48.7%

BMI: 26.1

Since then I have been eating fruit for breakfast and lunch and a low fat vegan meal in the evenings. I have been 100% HCRV on 2 occasions for around 30 days each time, but never been able to sustain it for longer.

Recently completed 3 weeks HCRV, but fell off again due to intense cravings for cooked food, even though my teeth need me to be 100% to recover form underlining problems that the fruit has uncovered!

Measured my stats again yesterday and are as follows;

Body fat in weight: 5.10 stones or 80lbs

BF%: 40.2%

Body water %: 43.7%

BMI: 33.1

Could these scales be mistaking water/glycogen weight for body fat? is a 7% increase in bf% really bad?? I've also been drinking at least 3 litres of water a day for around a year now, but my body water % as gone down?

My body fat weight has almost doubled -could this be just water/glycogen stores or is my body storing any fat I consume?

I used to exercise daily and enjoyed it, but it has become increasingly harder since I started transitioning, due to more difficulty moving with the extra weight and my fitness has suffered. I can't fit into any of my jeans now, so am constantly in t-shirts and joggers - my confidence has dipped and I don't have much confidence going out of the house like this.

I've never had an eating disorder, but lost about 5 stone (70 lbs) over the space of 7 years - 1-2 lbs a week, by exercising and eating a 'balanced' vegetarian diet. I ate to appetite and didn't calorie restrict, but probably in 30b ideals, wasn't eating/drinking etc enough - am i just regaining all the weight i lost over these 7 years?

Sorry if this is negative, but just wondered how else progress can be measured?

I'm currently aiming for 100% each day - 3500+ cals - should i just take it day by day?

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Permalink Reply by Isa on June 19, 2011 at 11:09pm

thanks bmoojeni -that's what i thought - i am familiar with that other way you suggested - i will get tested.

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Permalink Reply by cynthia on June 22, 2011 at 2:53am

Based on my research and on my own experience, it seems that while the BIA (bio-impedance analysis) scales may not tell you accurately how much body fat you actually have, as long as you are using the same scale, at the same time of day, under the same conditions (ideally, after getting up around the same time, no clothes, after using the bathroom), it will give you an accurate comparison. For me, even a few hours makes a difference, probably due to changes in hydration levels. So if I wake up at 6.30 a.m. and weigh myself, I'll have a different result than if I get up at 11 a.m. and weigh myself, sometimes by as much as 1kg of body fat indicated. (My body weight also fluctuates during the day so that it would be different if I weighed myself at these times.)

So, if you are at least using the same scale (because a scale could be off or have different settings or algorithms), then I'd say that it's probably at least indicative of a trend. But it sounds like you have also noticed that your body fat has increased, so you can rely on that as well. I used to rely so much on the numbers on the scale, and now I just know where I am based on how my clothes fit.

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Permalink Reply by Isa on June 22, 2011 at 3:02am

thanks Cynthia - if I ever weigh myself - which I rarely do these days - it's always in the morning, without clothes, after I've been to the toilet and before I eat or drink anything. I bought these scales a few years ago, as I wanted to measure other things other than weight - 'cos I stopped losing, but still had visible fat on my top legs, stomach and top arms. I think I'll just ditch these scales for now and go by how I feel/if my clothes get loser etc. I'm shifting my focus off readings!!!