# Fat Loss and Muscle Gain

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-loss-and-muscle-gain/82374>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 18, 2001, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-loss-and-muscle-gain/82374 "2001-09-18T13:03:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Photog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c77e96/32.png) [@Photog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Photog)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-loss-and-muscle-gain/82374/1 "2001-09-18T13:03:12Z")

</div>

There’s a new television ad for Bally’s fitness centers in which several clients give testimonials about their improved physical state. One such client states that he’s “lost 8 pounds of fat and gained 4 pounds of muscle”. How could one possibly know the ratio fat lost to muscle gained?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Wildest\_Bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Wildest\_Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wildest_Bill)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-loss-and-muscle-gain/82374/2 "2001-09-18T13:17:25Z")

</div>

There is a caliper(sp) you can have done at a gym that measures fat and muscle. There is an electronic one too but it is not as accurate. The caliper is a pinching type apparatus that squeezed the skin on certain parts of the body arm, thigh, stomach and chest.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-loss-and-muscle-gain/82374/3 "2001-09-18T14:07:25Z")

</div>

AFAIK, there are 3 ways to determine the percentage of fat. In order of ascending accuracy they are: (a) skin calipers, (2) bioimpedance, and (3) water immersion.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-loss-and-muscle-gain/82374/4 "2001-09-18T16:22:41Z")

</div>

While that is true, I agree with ther OP that since all of these measurements are somewhat inaccurate, it would be hard to measure such a small gain/loss with lots of certainty.