Can this be real?

[don-don]

Hi guys,

another stupid question from me.

Can my body fat drop around 4% in 4/5 weeks?

I have just measured myself tonight and used a body fat % calculator and its saying in that short space of time I have gone from 28% down to around 24%. I have re-checked and re- entered the measurements like 5 times on 3 different sites lol

It's also saying my waist to height ratio is normal but my BMI is slightly higher than it should be.

[Loren Wade]

Sure you can. I dropped 6% in 6 weeks once. Completely possible. Most of the time it's very difficult though. Good job.

[don-don]

Thanks for the reply Loren,

Wow I wasn't expecting it to go down that fast. I have been losing pounds but thought it was probably mostly water.

I will enjoy it while it lasts then and will continue trying to get it lower.

[Loren Wade]

It still very much could be water. BMI is a terrible measure and body fat is not something easily calculated.

[don-don]

I've been dieting and working out for a little while now, in the first few weeks I lost around 7lbs then last week when I weighed myself I dropped around another 6/7lb whatever it is I'm happy with it, its going in the right direction and also the problems I was having with my tummy muscles feeling bigger (another thread) are slowly feeling a little better/flatter now too so I have double reason to celebrate.....with a nice cup of rose tea

[don-don]

Ah about the body fat % calculators.....I wondered how they do it, I mean everyone is different shapes etc... I'm in proportion, mostly! I use one where you put weight, height, waist, hips, neck. Also a one that uses your thigh and upper arm measurement too. But even if they are not 100% correct it gives me something to compare each time I do it. It will do for now.

Is there a way to get it done properly, like GP or at the gym?

[andygates]

They base those off lots and lots of measurements of people, averaged out. There's probably something gross involving cadavers.

If the gym has a dunk tank, you could use that. The 100% way is to get a DEXA scan, but that's beyond the scope of fitness curiosity. Domestic measurements are generally "good enough" and if you stick with the same method, they all produce pretty similar trends.

And if you're aiming to lose fat, the trend is the thing you're interested in.

[Loren Wade]

And if you're aiming to lose fat, the trend is the thing you're interested in.

This!

[Nocturnis]

I use a scale that measures your body fat, and it varies often. Measurements like that are rough estimates and not set in stone. The dunk tank method is one of the most accurate and expensive methods. Instead of relying on those things just check how well your clothes are fitting.

[Lefeux]

I have lost 6% in 5.5 weeks (195 and 25% bf on 8 August - 181.2 12 Sept 19% bf) so its not out of the question with proper diet and exercise. I use http://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306C-Loss-Monitor-Black/dp/B000FYZMYK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347424416&sr=8-1&keywords=omron+fat+loss+monitor to monitor BF and BMI. Might not be the most accurate like a body scan or dunk tank, but seems to be reasonably accurate.