When to do next DEXA scan?

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mreichard
mreichard Posts: 235 Member
edited December 2017 in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
My plan is to slowly cut down to about 12% BF, maintain for a while and then bulk. Last DEXA scan was about two months ago, and I was 16.4% body fat. Since then my weight hasn't changed a ton (like 4 lbs) but I've lost some fat and my waist is smaller (I'm down a belt notch).

I'm wondering when I should do next DEXA scan (i.e. how much more body fat to lose before I go in again). I don't want to pay for more scans than I need to, but I'd like to have a sense of where I am.

I'm guessing I'm at maybe 15% now? I'm currently at 187 @ 6'3". I'd love to think it's lower, but I've never been this lean, so I'm sure I overestimate my leanness.

Here's a pic from today.

2mork7y70m2w.jpg

Any thoughts? Maybe wait a couple of more months and drop 8 more pounds or so?

Replies

  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,982 Member
    edited December 2017
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    I was getting a DXA scan and a hydro test every 3 months for 15 months during my 18 month weight loss snd maintenance period.

    Not really necessary but I did both because I wanted to compare the results and did them quarterly because I could afford it and wanted more data points to track my progress.

    3 months is long enough for changes to occur but every 4 or 6 month would probably be fine too. There are no rules. Just do it as often as your bankbook allows and your curiosity or goals require.

    Just did my last tests last month and now that I've been in maintenance for a year and am not planning on or seeking any further changes, I'm only going test again annually unless some noticeable change (either + or -) piques my interest in the interim.
  • Cleosweetie
    Cleosweetie Posts: 71 Member
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    @sgt1372: Did you find the Dexa scans to be worth the money?

  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,982 Member
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    Cleosweetie wrote: »
    @sgt1372: Did you find the Dexa scans to be worth the money?

    Yes but I used a discount mobile DXA scan service that only charges $45/scan. My hydro tests cost me $49 for the 1st test and $39 for each retest, also done by a mobile company.

    I once got a DXA scan at a store front "medical" location that charged me $80, which I didn''t think was worth the $ but at $45 a pop ($42.50 if I was willing to buy a pkg of 2 or 4; I wasn' t because it wasn't enough of a discount), the $ wasn't an issue.

    Apart from the $, I liked the wider variety of stats offered by DXA vs hydro. Hydro justs gives you a BF and LBM measurement by wt and %.

    DXA gives you that plus a bone wt and density measurement; bone wt is included as a part of LBM in a hydro test. DXA also gives you a VAT (visceral adipose tissue) fat measurement by wt and volume. On top of that, DXA will give you charts measuring changes in BF & LBM by major body parts over time; I found this the least useful info provided by DXA.

    That said, I preferred the results that hydro gave over DXA because those results were ALWAYS 3-5% lower than those given by hydro. This is something that the DXA operator was aware of and acknowledged but could not explain.

    So, if you don't need or want the detailed info offered by DXA and if the cost of DXA for you is more than hydro, I think that hydro would be sufficient.

    However, if the cost of each for you is about the same, then DXA would be the better choice based on the data provided, even though the result you get will probably be higher than you would otherwise get w/hydro.

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