BF% test: Carb up or go depleted?

[Diab0lic]

We're doing a contest at work to see who can lose the most bf% over 12 weeks and it ends next Friday. Pretty sure I've got it in the bag but just to make sure I take the prize (and a couple hundred bucks) should I go depleted or carbed up. I am on low carb right now.

If I go carbed up then I will have a higher LBM due to water/glycogen, and bigger muscle girths, but I feel I will also have more subcutaneous water so the calipers will be reading a higher number

If I go depleted the calipers will read smaller numbers due to lack of subcutaneous water but I will weigh less but will also have smaller muscle girths.

We're talking about 12-14%ish bf here. Will it matter? Does the increase in LBM and the increase in muscle girth outweigh the increase in subcutaneous water and give a lower reading?

What would you do?

[jimmybro1]

We're doing a contest at work to see who can lose the most bf% over 12 weeks and it ends next Friday. Pretty sure I've got it in the bag but just to make sure I take the prize (and a couple hundred bucks) should I go depleted or carbed up. I am on low carb right now.

If I go carbed up then I will have a higher LBM due to water/glycogen, and bigger muscle girths, but I feel I will also have more subcutaneous water so the calipers will be reading a higher number

If I go depleted the calipers will read smaller numbers due to lack of subcutaneous water but I will weigh less but will also have smaller muscle girths.

We're talking about 12-14%ish bf here. Will it matter? Does the increase in LBM and the increase in muscle girth outweigh the increase in subcutaneous water and give a lower reading?

What would you do?

If you get your carb up right you won't spill over, need to know your body well though.

Maybe back carb load, so carb load over 3-4 days. For example:

Day 1: 350g

Day 2: 300g

Day 3: 250g

Adjust if holding to much water.

[FellowshipOfTheRon]

wow sounds like a pretty cool workplace for hosting that kind of contest

[AgentOrange]

Pretty sure we're having 'Who can get the fattest' here at my office. Judging by the fucken pigs around here, that is.

[Pseudonym]

So is your LBM counted in some way?

If you're just being tested with calipers, I can't see how a greater muscle volume through the increased glycogen will noticeably decrease your skinfold reading. (Technically, the increased mass would mean your BF% drops, but I don't think calipers care about how much muscle is under the skin - just how thin the skin can be pinched.)

If anything, I would say the subcutaneous water retention would artificially increase the reading more than the muscle glycogen would decrease it.

Of course, if you are including LBM in your winning calculations, then that changes everything.

[Diab0lic]

LBM not being measured as part of the competition per se but is obviously taken into account when calculating total bf%. I guess it's best to go carbed up and weigh a couple kilos more if you don't think being a bit bloated will affect the caliper readings much (or any)

For the purposes of this exercise, it doesn't matter what i look like, just how much bf% I have moved so if being depleted or being carbed up might affect that then I need to know which one would be best to help with a lower reading

[Pseudonym]

LBM not being measured as part of the competition per se but is obviously taken into account when calculating total bf%.

Really? I don't think I've ever entered my weight into a BF% calculation. Age, yes - but not weight.

Or are you then trying to translate BF% into kgs of fat and lean mass?

[Diab0lic]

I thought total bodyweight was used in conjunction with the other measurements to determine bf%. Most calculators I've seen use it IIRC

[Cam0505]

Doesn't it depend on the method used?

For example bio-impedance can be thrown way off by altering hydration level.

[Diab0lic]

This is a 7 point skin fold test

[Dinahlady]

Id say yeah carb up etc. I've used the same one - but 9 point measurement i think - a lot with clients. your skin mm's wont change all that much from the carb up whereas your body weight from water carbs could alter by several kgs and will definitely alter the %. Maybe you would hold some subcutaneous water but it would be minimal compared to if the weight gain you'd get if you'd been carbing up for a day or so and especially had had a big meal just before the measure. I think the subcutaneous water is only a prob maybe for people who are doing a show more for the aesthetics and the fact that they are so lean it alters the "look" - but i'm sure it would only be a small difference measurement wise aha.

you could try this if you just go to a calliper calculator (search that in google) and then like put in the rough mms (or make it up) with one body weight (say what you think you might be without carb up or without food pre the weigh in) then add a couple of kgs (as if you'd carbed up and eaten before the weigh in) and then calculate it again and you'll see theres a percent or so difference.

[Diab0lic]

Nice. Cheers for the replies.

Carbed up it is. I'm hanging out for a box of coco pops anyway