You Feel Leaner, But Your BIA Scan Says Otherwise (And What To Do About It)

You've been training consistently, eating better, and maybe even dropping a few kilos. You feel leaner, your clothes fit better, and your energy is through the roof. Then… your body composition scan (like from our TANITA scales) shows you've gone backwards. Muscle down? Body fat up? What gives?

Let's break down what's happening and, more importantly, what you can do to ensure your progress shows up everywhere, not just in how you feel.

What is a BIA Scan (Like Tanita)?

A Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) scan sends a low, safe electrical current through your body. It estimates your body fat, muscle mass, water levels, and more based on how quickly that signal travels.

It sounds scientific, but like any measurement tool, it has limitations.

Why Your Scan Might Not Match How You Feel

Here are the most common reasons your scan could look "worse" even though you're making progress:

1. Hydration Status

BIA scans are highly sensitive to water levels. Dehydration or water retention (from poor sleep, high salt, or stress) can skew the results. Less water equals lower muscle readings and higher fat readings.

Coach Tip: Aim to scan under similar conditions: at the same time of day, well-hydrated, and ideally before eating or training.

2. Food, Caffeine, or Exercise Before the Scan

Food and caffeine can alter your water balance. Exercise causes blood to rush to muscles and can dehydrate you, distorting results.

Coach Tip: Try to fast (or keep it consistent) before scans, and avoid training, caffeine, or large meals 2-3 hours prior.

3. Hormonal Fluctuations

Menstrual cycles and hormone changes can affect fluid retention, inflammation, and scan accuracy, particularly in women.

Coach Tip: For consistency, track where you are in your cycle when you scan and compare like with like.

4. Early Fat Loss Isn't Always Muscle-Sparing

If someone eats in a calorie deficit but is not training properly for strength, the body may burn muscle and fat. This can cause weight loss to show as muscle down and fat percentage up on a scan, even though the scale drops.

Coach Tip: Strength training 2-4 times per week and eating enough protein (1.6–2.2g per kg bodyweight) are crucial to preserving and building lean mass.

What You Can Do for Consistent, Accurate Body Composition Improvements

Here's how to turn those good feelings into scan-friendly results

✅ Train with Progressive Overload

Lifting weights and getting stronger keeps muscle on your frame, and helps burn more fat even at rest.

✅ Eat Enough Protein

Daily protein targets matter. Spread it across meals to optimise muscle maintenance and growth.

✅ Stay Consistent with Sleep and Hydration

Sleep and hydration affect recovery, cravings, and your scan results! Poor sleep? You'll retain more fat. Dehydrated? Your muscle numbers will take a hit.

✅ Use the Scan as a Tool, not the Bible

Scans give valuable data points, but they don't define your success. To leave no stone unturned, we recommend using BIA scans alongside:

• Photos

• How your clothes fit

• Energy and mood

• Training performance

To Finish

Feeling great but getting "worse" scan results can be deflating, yet it's rarely a sign of failure. More often, it's a combination of hydration, diet, timing, or insufficient resistance training and protein intake.

Use your scans to guide you, but trust your body, habits, and the long-term perspective. If you're losing centimetres, getting stronger, and feeling better, you're making progress! With the proper training, nutrition, and consistency, the scan will catch up.

Come chat with one of the coaches if you need help interpreting your results. We can quickly identify what you can fine-tune to help you plan and continue progressing forward.