How can you lose pounds of fat without changing percent body fat?
Asked by anonymous on Jan 09, 2009
in Weight Loss
I have a friend whom was tested by a body fat analyzer. She has been workout with weights and toning. She is doing very well. We re-measured her after 11 weeks and found her she had lost 20 pounds in weight; she lost 10 pounds of body fat, but her body fat percentage only decrease by 1/5%. I am confused by this. How can you lose body fat pounds and not have the body fat % go down. She is a large woman started out at 303.
Answer
Lost pounds consist of water, stored fat, and muscle. When an individual loses equal amounts of fat and muscle, pounds of fat are lost, but the fat to muscle ratio remains unchanged. To change the ratio, gain muscle at a rate faster than which fat is lost, but calorie intake must be high enough for that to happen. It is impossible to prevent muscle breakdown when calories are needed for fuel. Be satisfied with a loss of no more than 1 pound per week, and continue to build muscle through weight training.
