Muscle or Fat: How to Tell

[Elastigirl]

Short version : How does one tell if one is gaining muscle or fat? Long version; help. I'm confused. I am using other measurements besides the scale but still feel lost.

 

I weigh a couple of times a week, and pretty much average things, About 5 months ago, when I started using the kettlebell, I put on 3 lbs. Then I maintained for a while, but now for this challenge I ave averaged 3 lbs higher than that. So over the last 6 months, I have gained 6 lbs. Granted, not a lot, but if it is fat I need to change something. Which is where I am struggling. Here is what I have measured

 

1)waist size : Stayed about the same, maybe a little less 1/2" then maybe 1/4' increase. But I don't know, it seems to change weekly. How can that be? I am not sure I am always measuring in the same place

 

2)clothes; after 6 weeks of kettlebell my clothes were tighter, but I am pretty sure it was from increased butt size (and that is good) I still wore my old clothes, but I bought a size higher in shorts than  the pants I had been wearing. They new ones were loose in the waist but fit in the butt.

 

3)pictures ;Looks about the same. More shoulder muscles, more leg muscles, more ab  definition, but still have a bit of love handles

 

4) strength; I have gained a good amount of strength over the last 6 months. I can lift more on the KB, and can do a wall handstand,and overall just do harder exercises and more reps

 

 

Sorry for the length of this post. My weight is in the good BMI range, I am not trying to get skinny enough for 6 pack abs, but I do not want to gain fat either.

[Waldo]

Its a hard question to answer. Measurements and pictures will be the best ways to tell. But like you said, there is always uncertainty.

To minimize it as much as possible, I prefer to take "cheated" measurements in my waist area. They are useless for any BF% formula, but I can reproduce them reliably week after week and I can be absolutely certain that there has been change. In men at least, change to the waist circumference means there has been change to your body fat levels.

I do 2 this way:

- Taken at the smallest point, with my abs fully flexed. I exhale, and pull the tape very hard.

- Taken at my belly button, exhaled, sucked in, unflexed, pulled hard, as tiny as I can get my waist.

Being completely cheated for the most part, all of the "was I cheating" uncertainty is removed. Also being completely cheated, I can measure exactly the same way every single time reliably.

[Spinflip]

^ Someone give this man a Nobel Prize!

 

This makes a very weird kind of brilliant sense.

[alienjenn]

I do what Waldo does for the belly/chest measurements... also those are easy at this point to always do in the same point...

 

 

for arms/thighs... I have MANY freckles... and in my measuring spot is on a specific distinct freckle... when I first started I would mark it with a sharpie to measure in the same spot....

[eseng666]

Are you doing body weights? Being more efficient in pullups will tell that you are gaining more muscle (strength) than fat. For example, if you weigh 150 lbs and can do 5 pullups and then you reached 170 lbs and you can still do 5 pullups or more then you've gotten more VAZZCULAR

[Burizado]

Are you doing body weights? Being more efficient in pullups will tell that you are gaining more muscle (strength) than fat. For example, if you weigh 150 lbs and can do 5 pullups and then you reached 170 lbs and you can still do 5 pullups or more then you've gotten more VAZZCULAR

 

 Your last sentence reminded me of this.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M5LCPdzsC8

[eseng666]

 Your last sentence reminded me of this.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M5LCPdzsC8

Yep! actually got it from Stewie )

[Elastigirl]

Its a hard question to answer. Measurements and pictures will be the best ways to tell. But like you said, there is always uncertainty.

To minimize it as much as possible, I prefer to take "cheated" measurements in my waist area. They are useless for any BF% formula, but I can reproduce them reliably week after week and I can be absolutely certain that there has been change. In men at least, change to the waist circumference means there has been change to your body fat levels.

I do 2 this way:

- Taken at the smallest point, with my abs fully flexed. I exhale, and pull the tape very hard.

- Taken at my belly button, exhaled, sucked in, unflexed, pulled hard, as tiny as I can get my waist.

Being completely cheated for the most part, all of the "was I cheating" uncertainty is removed. Also being completely cheated, I can measure exactly the same way every single time reliably.

Thanks. I will try to measure this way and see if I get more consistent results

 

I do what Waldo does for the belly/chest measurements... also those are easy at this point to always do in the same point...

 

 

for arms/thighs... I have MANY freckles... and in my measuring spot is on a specific distinct freckle... when I first started I would mark it with a sharpie to measure in the same spot....

I have freckles too but they pretty much all look alike

 

Are you doing body weights? Being more efficient in pullups will tell that you are gaining more muscle (strength) than fat. For example, if you weigh 150 lbs and can do 5 pullups and then you reached 170 lbs and you can still do 5 pullups or more then you've gotten more VAZZCULAR

 

 Your last sentence reminded me of this.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M5LCPdzsC8.

LOL, silly me, I thought I wanted to be stronger. What I need to be is more vazzcular  I am no doubt stronger though I can do more reps and harder variations by far than 6 months ago. The last months I have seen good strength gains

[Aishine]

Hiya,

 

That is hard to tell, short of going to the doctor I think. But since you're noticing visibly added muscle on many parts of your body, you at least know that part/most of the weight is muscle. For me I think I would check if I'm eating a lot more than before, and reign it in if I am - and making sure to eat minimal sugar. Your question reminded me of something Angelyn posted on my thread, it is a very good example of how a body can look fabulously VASCULAR  and tight, but weigh much more than before:  http://www.jagsfitnessblog.com/  Seeing that post confirmed for myself not to put too much emphasis on weight (cause honestly it can fluctuate up/down for so many reasons, and not all of them bad) and concentrate on how i feel - strong, healthy, pain-free, happy. It seems like you're doing a great job exercising and building muscle, so the only thing I guess could be what you're eating. Maybe tweak that a bit and see what happens? But overall, you are doing a fantastic job!

[andygates]

Low-tech: the jiggle test. Get nekkid in front of a big mirror, tense up and jump around.  

[Evicious]

Steve wrote an article on BMI about How To Measure Your Body Fat; he made sure to post pics of bodies (men and women) at different BMIs, so maybe you could take a look at those? I dunno, I've always had it pretty easy in determining if weight gain was based on fat or muscle - one look in the mirror was telltale enough. Maybe instead of trying to look for shrinkage or expansion, become familiar with the less obvious things for comparison. For instance, at 155Lbs I can get a good inch of belly pinched in my fingers - at 165Lbs, I can literally grab a handful. It doesn't look much different in the mirror, but the difference is obvious to touch. Another thing I look at is my butt and thigh cellulite (yes, that's right, I admit I have cellulite); again, at 155Lbs there are definite dimples when I squeeze my glutes - at 165Lbs those dimples now cover the majority of my cheeks and are evident on the backs of my thighs, even without the Blue Mountain State cookie carry maneuver (link probably not safe for work, btw).

 

And as others have mentioned, the jiggle test is a pretty good way to determine if things are firming up (which most often signifies fat shrinkage). But no matter what, don't feel discouraged! So long as you're making strength gains like you want, who cares what the number on the scale or on the clothes' tag is?

[BetaMale]

"Low-tech: the jiggle test. Get nekkid in front of a big mirror, tense up and jump around."

This. Your own eyes will tell you more than any machine.

[Waldo]

"Low-tech: the jiggle test. Get nekkid in front of a big mirror, tense up and jump around."

This. Your own eyes will tell you more than any machine.

 

A tape measure will tell you far more accurately than your eyes.

 

I've got a very detailed set of pictures from this last cut, taken 10 lbs and 4" around the waist apart (over 5% BF difference!, from 17% to 12%).  Side by side the pictures are virtually identical, it is almost impossible to tell which was taken at the higher BF%.  The eyeball test showed no change; it was incredibly frustrating that visually nothing changed despite the scale and the tape measure moving just fine.

[Donar]

If you are at higher levels of bodyfat ( >25% women, >18% men) .....a tape measure is all you need.

 

Once you get lower, start learning how to use calipers.

Calipers (ignore the booklet): http://www.amazon.com/Slim-Guide-Caliper-Black-Booklet/dp/B0000AN3UB/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1379089052&sr=8-5&keywords=bodyfat+calipers

Body fat calculator with options: http://www.linear-software.com/online.html

 

Yes....I know....its not exact......but almost nothing is.....as nerds we know to live with a little uncertainty....*rolling eyes

 

However, if you get consistent with the way you pinch and where you pinch....it is a really good way to track things.

I also take all measurements twice and average them.

 

My super-hilarious way to make sure I pinch the same places: I use my freckles as locators.....lol

[Elastigirl]

If you are at higher levels of bodyfat ( >25% women, >18% men) .....a tape measure is all you need.

 

Once you get lower, start learning how to use calipers.

Calipers (ignore the booklet): http://www.amazon.com/Slim-Guide-Caliper-Black-Booklet/dp/B0000AN3UB/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1379089052&sr=8-5&keywords=bodyfat+calipers

Body fat calculator with options: http://www.linear-software.com/online.html

 

Yes....I know....its not exact......but almost nothing is.....as nerds we know to live with a little uncertainty....*rolling eyes

 

However, if you get consistent with the way you pinch and where you pinch....it is a really good way to track things.

I also take all measurements twice and average them.

 

My super-hilarious way to make sure I pinch the same places: I use my freckles as locators.....lol

I think I am going to have to "make" some freckles via a sharpie.  And possibly get a caliper. The eyeballing doesn't work at the point where I am at.

[Donar]

I think I am going to have to "make" some freckles via a sharpie.

 

hahaa!     Awesome.

[Loric_Mars]

I use a scale that measures my bf% using bio-impedance. Bit more accurate than the caliper method.

[Donar]

I use a scale that measures my bf% using bio-impedance. Bit more accurate than the caliper method.

 

Totally not true. Bioimpedance is massivley flawed.....

 

I did 7-site caliper tests along side a bioimpedance thing for a month and it wasn't even close.

When I started, I was 22% BF on the calipers and 15.1% on BI thingy....

After 4 weeks, I was like 18% on the calipers and 14.9% on the BI thingy....

 

BI is just another gadget designed to extract money from your wallet.

[Jaymul]

Hey Donar, have you got any tips/links on the 7-site calliper testing? I've been using BI and am pretty sure it is underestimating my bodyfat %. I have callipers but the instructions they come with only have charts for the hip, which is where I store the vast majority of my fat - my limbs and shoulders are all pretty lean.

[Loric_Mars]

Totally not true. Bioimpedance is massivley flawed.....

 

I did 7-site caliper tests along side a bioimpedance thing for a month and it wasn't even close.

When I started, I was 22% BF on the calipers and 15.1% on BI thingy....

After 4 weeks, I was like 18% on the calipers and 14.9% on the BI thingy....

 

BI is just another gadget designed to extract money from your wallet.

 

I wouldn't say it's flawed. It does depend on having enough water in your body for the signal to work properly. But it is fine as a baseline if that is the only measurement system you use. If you bounce back and forth between that and calipers well obviously you are going to have an issue and see a discrepancy. 

[Waldo]

I've been using ______ and am pretty sure it is underestimating my bodyfat %.

FIFY

Virtually every easy method of estimation (BI, calipers, tape) underestimates body fat. Often by a lot. Even Dexa and the Bodpod are fairly scattershot in accurcy (though toward a more normal error distribution, missing low and high).

Its pretty normal to have a Dexa come in a good 5%+ higher than you think you are.

[Donar]

Hey Donar, have you got any tips/links on the 7-site calliper testing? I've been using BI and am pretty sure it is underestimating my bodyfat %. I have callipers but the instructions they come with only have charts for the hip, which is where I store the vast majority of my fat - my limbs and shoulders are all pretty lean.

 

It takes practice.....and to reduce the uncertainty a bit....you can do the following:

 

Take 3 measurements at each site. Not 3 in a row at the same place back-to-back-to-back......do 3 complete circuits.

 

Then you can take the average of the three.....or, throw out the outlier and average the two that remain.

Example: lets say you get the following on the thigh: 12mm, 13mm, 9mm (throw out the 9mm and use the average of 12.5mm)

 

Consistency is important....not only measuring the same places the same way....but having your body in a consistent state helps as well.

 

I take mine every Saturday morning.

- wake up

- hit the bathroom

- take measurements

 

I also try not to go off program on nutrition on Friday as well......a high sodium meal or cheat meal will have you bloated and throw off the data.

 

 

OK....now I am making it sound hard.....its not that bad once you get used to it.

 

My secret for pinching the same places is using my freckles for locates.

[SkyeRose]

For me I think it is about taking the your measurements the same way at the same time each time therefore even if the measurement isn't current you can still measure progress.