Confused about my weight

[Doleman56]

Hey all. This is the first health and fitness forum I've posted on, and I look forward to reading posts and getting opinions. I'm classic skinny fat. 5 weeks ago I had a Dexa scan. At 6'1", 182.6lbs, I was scanned at 28.2% bf. Disgusting, I know. Most of the fat is around my waist. The business that did my scan made a suggestion. A 40-40-20 macro plan, with a 300-500/day caloric deficit, and a 17/7 intermittent fasting schedule. To be clear, it's 40% protein, 40% fats, 20% carbs, at 2000kcals/day. I'm 49, and have no other underlying health conditions. My current workout is a 4 day upper/lower split. I focus on compound lifts, doing 10 minutes of cardio at the start and stretching at the end of my workouts. Monday/Thursday lower, Tuesday/Friday upper, Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday off. So my macros break down about 180g protein, 100g carbs, 100g fats/day. I don't have cheat days. I follow progressive overload, and my weights are going up. Here's the big question. Should I care about my overall body weight? The reason I ask is 5 weeks in to this diet I'm now 175.3lbs, but my body fat scale says I've lost 4.5lbs of muscle, and 2.5lbs of fat. How's that possible eating 180g of protein a day? Mind you my scale also says I'm 12.7% bf, which is half what the Dexa scan says. I assume the Dexa scan is accurate, and my Amazon scale is not. I'm supposed to do another Dexa scan in 3-6 months, but I'm worried I'm losing more muscle than I should be. Anytime you cut you'll lose muscle, but this seems odd especially when my legs and chest are growing. Maybe my scale is crap, but I'm afraid I'll be in the 160's before I reach my goal of 12-15% body fat. Does that sound healthy for my height? You see boxers and MMA fighters with those heights and weights, and they look ok. Maybe I shouldn't care about my overall body weight. I've been told it's better to cut to a healthy body fat before trying to bulk in a caloric surplus. I'd appreciate some feedback. Thanks all.

[SuffolkPunch]

Don't trust body fat scales.

Seriously, this is probably the 4th thread I've replied to this week from people getting confused by BIA machines. Even DEXA is to be taken with a pinch of salt.

Some "bottom lines" for you:
- you will lose fat from a calorie deficit - one way or another, that's what gets the job done.
- No need for specific macro ratios - that's just complicating matters. As long as you have at least about 140g of protein and 65g of dietary fat, you'll be fine.
- Do resistance training and if you are getting stronger, you aren't losing muscle.
- No need to do intermittent fasting unless you find it particularly helps with appetite regulation (some do, some don't)

[Doleman56]

Thanks for the response. Regarding the intermittent fasting, it was a suggestion by an RD who felt my previous diet of eating 5 times a day was spiking my insulin too often, and she suggested the IF. I've been at it 5 weeks and don't really have a hard time with it. Fitting 2000 calories in to 7 hours isn't easy though, lol.

[SuffolkPunch]

Insulin only responds to what you eat (in a non diabetic person). Blaming insulin is like shooting the messenger - either you ate too much or you didn't, it's not insulin's fault.

I prefer to eat 3 times per day, possibly with 1 other time at which I have a protein shake. There is tradeoff between muscle gain / muscle preservation and the appetite control effects of less frequent eating.

IF with 16 hours per day of not eating is on the edge of too little protein intake. If you like eating this way, try putting a protein shake in the middle of the "fast", it's a sensible compromise.