Losing weight- but not fat or muscle?!

[kartikr]

This is extremely strange and has me worried.

So I'm on a cutting cycle and I am trying to lose 1 lb a week or so. And I do seem to be losing a lb a week. Unfortunately my Tanita weighing scale indicates that my BF is dropping very slowly. 1 lb at my weight is approx 0.66% BF. Take away muscle loss and I should still be losing about 0.4-0.5% BF per week. But according to my scale I am only losing 0.1-0.2% per week.

This should mean that I am losing major muscle mass. But all my lifts in the gym are relatively constant. So where is this weight coming from?

P.S- My scale indicates that I am at 12.4% BF but I still have a gut (although i dont have much upper body fat) ,so I think my scale might be messed up! Any other explanations?

[in10city]

BIA scales are notorious for not giving an accurate assessment to begin with.
You're better off using a better BF analysis method - like caliper measurements performed by an experienced tester.

Factors that can sway the BIA scale results include:
- Time of day
- Hydration level
- Food and water intake
- Changes in blood circulation from environmental temperature changes
- Recent changes in posture (like from lying to standing)
- Recent exercise
- Alcohol consumption
- Swelling / water retention

[zakkala]

To be honest, I'd ignore the scale! I also have the Tanita scales and according to them in the last 4 weeks I've lost 1.8lbs in weight but GAINED 0.5% bodyfat! Since I've lost 1" off chest, 0.75" off waist, 1.75" off hips and part inches off legs and arms too - I'm thinking they're not quite on the ball because that doesn't add up!

As far as I know from research, these scales can be +- 4% so I'd use them as a VERY rough guide only - maybe invest in some calipers since you sound like you're at a bodyweight where they would be usable (I'm too big for them!)?

[SocratesTX]

Sales are horrible for measuring anythin except weight and even then you should be using a medical grade scale as the rest are crap.