Measure Your Success

The scale does not always tell the whole story. A body composition test is a much better way to measure your weight loss/weight gain success. A body composition test will tell you what percentage of your total body weight is fat mass. If you know your body fat % you can then calculate your actual pounds of fat mass and lean mass.

Example: A 150 lb person that has 15% body fat-
150 x .15= 22.5 lbs of fat mass
150-22.5= 127.5 lbs of lean mass

Lean mass is anything that is NOT fat, including muscle, bone, organs, skin, etc. Of all the factors that make up your "lean mass" the only one that can change significantly is your muscle mass. Therefore, if your lean mass goes up or down you can tell if you are gaining or losing muscle. Muscle mass is much more condense than fat mass. If you look at a pound of muscle vs a pound of fat, the muscle will take up much less space. Think of a pound of rocks (muscle) vs a pound of cotton balls (fat). It takes many more cotton balls to make a pound than rocks. If you lose body fat but gain muscle your total weight may stay the same but you will look "leaner" and your clothes will probably fit better. That is why the scale does not tell the whole story.

Example: Take the same 150 lb person who is now 12% body fat-
150 x .12= 18 lbs fat mass
150-18= 132 lbs lean mass

The person may be the same weight, but they lost 4.5 lbs of fat and gained 4.5 lbs of muscle!

At Game Time Performance we use  7-point skinfold method to estimate body fat %. Other methods include hydrostatic weighing, bod pod and bioelectrical impedance. Methods vary in accuracy, but if you are consistent with the method you use, you can determine if the trend of your body fat is up or down. 

The moral of the story is not to get discouraged if you are eating well and exercising, but not seeing much of a drop on the scale. Instead, base your success of the way you feel and the way your clothes fit- or get your body composition tested by a qualified technician.