Second pass at: Two scans six weeks apart on different machines: a cautionary tale

Second pass at: Two scans six weeks apart on different machines: a cautionary tale Writing it up because I had to work it out twice and would rather nobody else did.

Maintenance rather than loss, which is the part of this that almost nobody writes about.

I have been at roughly the same weight for 6 months. The interesting questions are all different from the ones I had at the start, and the documentation here is much thinner on this phase.

I would like to compare notes with people who are further along, and I would like to know what the published evidence says about this phase specifically rather than by extrapolation.

Bioelectric impedance analysis: less precise than DXA and strongly affected by hydration state. Not reliable for detecting month-to-month changes. Useful for trend over years if done consistently.

Lean mass loss during rapid weight reduction: depends on protein intake, resistance training volume, and total energy deficit. Adequate protein and maintaining training intensity both help preserve lean mass.

Picking up post #3: that is the part I would want checked first.

Precision versus accuracy: the precision you need depends on what question you are answering. "Am I losing fat?" requires less precision than "Is my lean mass preservation within the expected range?"

Maintenance phase: tracking body composition during maintenance (weight stable) is different from tracking during active loss. Changes are smaller and precision becomes more important.

Thank you for the correction. I have edited my earlier post with a note rather than silently, so the thread still makes sense to read. The error was mine and it was the kind that comes from remembering a figure instead of looking it up.