bodyweight going down but no loss of fat...

Hi guys iv been dieting for 5 weeks now and dropped about 9kg. although i have not lost any bodyfat anywhere! iv gone form 98kg to 89.3kg and nothing!

i can tell my body shape is still the same my trousers fit the same also i measure myself. not only that but as i am losing weight my bodyfat% is going up on the scales, i take it this is because the ratio of fat in my body is estimated higher as i have not lost any fat. why am i not losing any fat? and before you say... well you must be losing some around your back or somewhere... trust me i am not i look in the mirror everyday i would notice a change no matter how small and the bodyfat reading seems to agree with me by going up as my weight is dropping.

any ideas? do i just need to cut some more and eventually see the bodyfat drop?

iv been eating around 1800 calories a day and my body is defenatly not in starvation mode, iv had no loss of muscle and no loss of fat the only thing i can think of is water weight. i just feel as if i am getting no where ill be at my target weight soon 85kg and if i have not lost anything by then i am going to start to worry. :/

One word:

Exercise ;)

And, not my business but, I think losing 9 kg in five weeks is quite fast... you should beware not to put them on again, since it is very easy to regain fast-loss weight.

i do exercise, i box 3 times a week

Original Post by nnizz:

And, not my business but, I think losing 9 kg in five weeks is quite fast... you should beware not to put them on again, since it is very easy to regain fast-loss weight.

this has nothing to do with why i have not seen a reduction in bodyfat

Actually, it does, kind of. 

Most of the weight lost at the beginning of a "diet" is water weight -- and will not be evidenced in a corresponding body fat loss.  9kg is a high, which suggests that the calorie cut was/is pretty high.  That is almost 4lb per week, well outside the recommended .5-2.5lb per week loss.

If you are exercising regularly, you may wish to add some weight lifting to your regimen.  Increases in muscle will increase the number of calories your muscles burn, and will also help you lose body fat (not weight, necessarily) more efficiently.

Also -- as a male, eating less than 1500 calories per day, while sedentary, is detrimental (and possibly unsafe) to long term weight loss/maintenance.

i do weights ontop of my boxing twice a week, iv not gone under 1500 as mentioned im on 1800

seems a bit stupid to lose 9kg of water weight though dont you think?

5 weeks is little time. So it's normal that your body shape hasn't changed much. Keep up the good work and probably results will appear. If not, maybe you should consider some other kind of exercise. My cousin lost more than 10 kg in a couple months and body fat only disappeared when she entered dance classes, even though she had been doing weight lifting and so till then. Everyone is different, you just have to find what kind of exercise suits you.

also, if your calorie intake is really low, and this is particulary significant if your meals are far apart, your brain will tell your body to store up these calories under the form of fat - that's a primitive condition we human beings have, since our ancestors went through long periods without food...

so is 9kg of water a normal thing? because it seems absurd, im starting to think i have something wrong with me, i mean if it has been 9kg and no fat has come off then why should it ever come off?

why would it matter what excersise i do? its all the same a mix between anerobic or areobic

Well. it's probably not all water -- wasn't trying to suggest that it was -- however, unless you are very large (BMI +35-45), then while losing 4lb per week, you are losing lean muscle mass at the same time -- which, while it will show up as a ultimate loss in weight, again does not contribute to a loss in body fat.

Most active guys in their 20s should be eating well into the 2000 calories, particularly if focusing on cardio activities.  Furthermore, it is difficult to gain muscle while in a calorie deficit -- so this may also be contributing to your lack of body fat loss..

Additionally, unless you took a medical body fat test (immersion method being the most accurate), it is very difficult to judge if you have actually lost/gained body fat -- unless it is a large amount -- this is why measuring once per month is generally more accurate than once per week.  Providing all the other factors are present....

well i havnt lost any muscle mass atall for a start, and i know i havnt lost any fat. you will have to take my word for it and i measure the same along with body fat readings seems to back me up.

Ok, Tom -- so what we can see is that you are not really interested in others opinion... I have to ask myself what answer ARE you looking for?  Your previous post talked about eating only 1000-1200 calories and more than one person gave you suggestions... I can't tell if you followed anyone's advice (Melkor truly know what he is talking about), but you seem to be coming back with the same problem a month later... Time for you do decide what it is you actually want to hear.

i just want to know why im not losing any bodyfat...

i increased my calories, the scales seem to indicate that im doing everything right

yet i cant seem to lose any fat, i box regularly and lift weights, yet i get the same answers your losing muscle mass etc. which simply isnt true my muscles are the same if not better and i am getting stronger in the gym which would suggest recruiting more muscle fibers if anything.

i havnt lost any muscle mass and i can honestly say i havnt dropped any fat and bodyfat readings seem to agree with me, do you think that i am a happy person because of this well i am not i seem to be powerless to control something that makes me unhappy. 9kgs of what i can only see must be water now im asking you is that a normal thing?

Original Post by akuma:

i just want to know why im not losing any bodyfat...

i increased my calories, the scales seem to indicate that im doing everything right

yet i cant seem to lose any fat, i box regularly and lift weights, yet i get the same answers your losing muscle mass etc. which simply isnt true my muscles are the same if not better and i am getting stronger in the gym which would suggest recruiting more muscle fibers if anything.

i havnt lost any muscle mass and i can honestly say i havnt dropped any fat and bodyfat readings seem to agree with me, do you think that i am a happy person because of this well i am not i seem to be powerless to control something that makes me unhappy. 9kgs of what i can only see must be water now im asking you is that a normal thing?

How are you measuring your body fat percentage?  (Home scales can be useful, but they are not very accurate)

Trouser fit is not a great indicator of where the majority of your loss is coming from... i.e. fat, muscle or water

What kind of workout are you doing? Do you lift weights/strength train? HIIT? What "kind" of foods are you eating. Calories are one thing to watch but eating the right kind of foods is important for fat loss.

my trousers fit the same also i measure my waste and its readng the same, i eat healthy foods like lean meats and grains. i do mostly high intensity cardio since im boxing. apart from that i lift weights for strength training

the only explanation is that either you are losing muscle and water, or the scales are inaccurate (battery needs changing, poorly manufactured etc.)