By dotFIT experts
on October 15, 2008
Athletes often want to lose weight during the competitive season to improve strength, power and enhance performance, or to meet requirements of the sport (e.g. wrestling). To accomplish this without compromising health and recovery, adequate energy and nutrients must be supplied. More...



Answer: Absolutely, and it is also possible to add weight while losing fat. It is not uncommon for a change in body composition to occur when one begins getting serious about exercise and nutrition. It is important to determine what your primary goal is, since maximizing fat loss or maximizing muscle gain essentially require opposite approaches. If you find that your body fat is getting lower but weight has remained stable, then what is likely happening is that you are adding LBM at the same rate you are losing fat. It is highly unlikely that this rate of change will continue for very long and you will either begin to lose more fat than muscle is gained or vice-versa, as determined by calorie and nutrient availability. There are other factors that may affect weight as well: body water fluctuations, monthly cycle for women, creatine use, water and food intake, and time of day. Be sure to stay consistent with the time of day and conditions surrounding your weight and body fat measurements and understand that weight can fluctuate daily and even over the course of a single day.

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