DXA scan for body fat %

hmm33502

I have discovered DXA scans! They are one of the best ways to look at body fat percentages separately in each part of the body. I lost 3.4% of my body fat over the past year. It costs about $75 per scan, but provides lots of great data and lets you see if you are making the right kind of progress and not losing muscle!
In this scan I am 170lbs. I started at 327 lbs, so I’m pretty excited (10 months ago I was 188 lbs.)

mph323

Congratulations! That is absolutely awesome!

30kgin2017

I've been toying with the idea of getting one. I talked myself out of getting one at the beginning, not sure I really wanted to see how bad it was. I planned to use one to help set my goal weight range as when I was younger I always weighed more than I looked when slim so I never really put too much focus on weight. Now I think that I am probably within normal ranges of muscle mass maybe under average muscle even and I anticipate having to go lower than I first thought to get into the healthy body fat % range.

mph323

30kgin2017 wrote: »

I've been toying with the idea of getting one. I talked myself out of getting one at the beginning, not sure I really wanted to see how bad it was. I planned to use one to help set my goal weight range as when I was younger I always weighed more than I looked when slim so I never really put too much focus on weight. Now I think that I am probably within normal ranges of muscle mass maybe under average muscle even and I anticipate having to go lower than I first thought to get into the healthy body fat % range.

I got a scan in Feb. when I reached maintenance. I'm working on recomp now, and plan to get one next Feb to see my progress. Now that I'm not working toward a weight goal (except to maintain at this weight), it's helpful to have a body fat goal. I really liked the details that were included in the report, and I'm really motivated to stay with the program in order to see progress next year.

annaskiski

So I was wondering where I could get this done near me, and found a place out near Boston.
I was blown away by a customer's before and after photos though.

We always say here that you can't gain much muscle in a few months of weight training, but 'shut my mouth'.
This guy lost 30 lbs of fat in 5 months, and GAINED 25 lbs of muscle. His weight loss difference was 5 lbs.

Scroll down the page about half way....

https://cenegenics-boston.com/body-composition-dexa-scans/

5 lbs of muscle gained per month? I know newbie gains, but really?

annaskiski

Managed to copy the pic if you don't want to click the link...

sijomial

annaskiski wrote: »

So I was wondering where I could get this done near me, and found a place out near Boston.
I was blown away by a customer's before and after photos though.

We always say here that you can't gain much muscle in a few months of weight training, but 'shut my mouth'.
This guy lost 30 lbs of fat in 5 months, and GAINED 25 lbs of muscle. His weight loss difference was 5 lbs.

Scroll down the page about half way....

https://cenegenics-boston.com/body-composition-dexa-scans/

5 lbs of muscle gained per month? I know newbie gains, but really?

@annaskiski
Beware marketing claims.....
The report itself shows he gained (a remarkable) amount of lean mass/ fat free mass - although muscle is lean mass not all lean mass is muscle. I can add 1lb of lean mass in a few seconds by downing a big glass of water.

The devil is in the detail but he still did well of course.

annaskiski

That's a lot of water weight though....

hmm33502

annaskiski wrote: »

That's a lot of water weight though....

Right? That would be tons of water to drink! The place that I go actually has a nutritionist that specializes in various WOE like Keto, Paleo, whole 30 and suggests macros based on your goals. He works with mainly fitness competitors so has tons of muscle building before and afters!

AnvilHead

sijomial wrote: »

annaskiski wrote: »

So I was wondering where I could get this done near me, and found a place out near Boston.
I was blown away by a customer's before and after photos though.

We always say here that you can't gain much muscle in a few months of weight training, but 'shut my mouth'.
This guy lost 30 lbs of fat in 5 months, and GAINED 25 lbs of muscle. His weight loss difference was 5 lbs.

Scroll down the page about half way....

https://cenegenics-boston.com/body-composition-dexa-scans/

5 lbs of muscle gained per month? I know newbie gains, but really?

@annaskiski
Beware marketing claims.....
The report itself shows he gained (a remarkable) amount of lean mass/ fat free mass - although muscle is lean mass not all lean mass is muscle. I can add 1lb of lean mass in a few seconds by downing a big glass of water.

The devil is in the detail but he still did well of course.

A 54-year old? The only way he gained 25 pounds of muscle while losing 30 pounds of fat in 5 months would be via PEDs/steroids. I mean, it's obvious from the pics that he underwent a dramatic transformation, but I'm calling BS on those numbers. Beware marketing claims indeed.

sijomial

annaskiski wrote: »

That's a lot of water weight though....

It's not just from drinking water of course.
He could have been low carbing to reduce glycogen and then switched to a higher carb diet (glycogen stores with a load of water).
Just switching from inactive to regular exercise would also increase glycogen and water stores.

The idea of a 54 YO adding that much muscle in a calorie deficit is beyond the bounds of being plausible.

BTW - my weight has fluctuated by 6lbs since Sunday morning, the vast majority of that fluctuation is lean mass and I've leave you to guess how much of that was changes in muscle mass but the Advertising Dept would write it up as "It's a miracle - 58 year old gains pounds of muscle in just three days!

annaskiski

So do you guys think these scans are worth it? (This place wants just under $300) I thought Dexa scans were reliable.
Is it just the marketing that's questionable?

AnvilHead

sijomial wrote: »

annaskiski wrote: »

That's a lot of water weight though....

It's not just from drinking water of course.
He could have been low carbing to reduce glycogen and then switched to a higher carb diet (glycogen stores with a load of water).
Just switching from inactive to regular exercise would also increase glycogen and water stores.

The idea of a 54 YO adding that much muscle in a calorie deficit is beyond the bounds of being plausible.

BTW - my weight has fluctuated by 6lbs since Sunday morning, the vast majority of that fluctuation is lean mass and I've leave you to guess how much of that was changes in muscle mass but the Advertising Dept would write it up as "It's a miracle - 58 year old gains pounds of muscle in just three days!

Not surprising that when you start poking around reading about Cenegenics, they use HGH and "bio-identical hormone replacement therapy" in their programs. A couple of the testimonials quoted on this site speak pretty clearly to it also:

“I have been using this for a month along with test deca and tren. Helps me recover faster. Bought two more months worth. Great product.”

“Yeah, the Cenegenics worked me also while I was also injecting Anadrol, Winstrol-V, and Deca-durabolin! Wow, this Cenegenics is amazing!”

Yeah, pretty much anything is going to give "amazing" results when you're stacking it with AAS. They could be selling ACV or baking soda and getting the same kind of results with subjects who are juicing.

deannalfisher

annaskiski wrote: »

So do you guys think these scans are worth it? (This place wants just under $300) I thought Dexa scans were reliable.
Is it just the marketing that's questionable?

Dexa scan as a technology yes (you can look at universities/hospitals for alternate sites to get a scan done)...the marketing claims that this place is giving for losing weight/gaining muscle not so much

annaskiski

@hmm33502 Where did you get your scan done. A clinic of some sort?

annaskiski

deannalfisher wrote: »

annaskiski wrote: »

So do you guys think these scans are worth it? (This place wants just under $300) I thought Dexa scans were reliable.
Is it just the marketing that's questionable?

Dexa scan as a technology yes (you can look at universities/hospitals for alternate sites to get a scan done)...the marketing claims that this place is giving for losing weight/gaining muscle not so much

Thanks, I'll ask my doc at my next physical....

fuzzylop72

deannalfisher wrote: »

annaskiski wrote: »

So do you guys think these scans are worth it? (This place wants just under $300) I thought Dexa scans were reliable.
Is it just the marketing that's questionable?

Dexa scan as a technology yes (you can look at universities/hospitals for alternate sites to get a scan done)...the marketing claims that this place is giving for losing weight/gaining muscle not so much

When I had mine tested, their protocols (both single test and especially comparison tests) were focused already trying to eliminate the variance due to hydration, and they made it absolutely clear that dxa is really good at body fat analysis, but less good at muscle mass because water, blood, tissue, and muscle are treated the same.

dexa is great for body composition, but there are limitations and treating all fat free mass tissue as muscle isn't really valid.

PaulChasinDreams

25 lbs of muscle in 5 months. Nope sorry not possible without the use of juice while dropping fat. Yes it is absolutely possible to gain some muscle mass while dropping weight but it's not easy and things have to be done correctly to achieve this. But not in big numbers like that. And just looking at that guys physic It's obvious to me IMO that he did not achieve that but did lose fat.

I've been around power lifters, body builders for the last 30 years. I know lot's of natural and not naturals and competitors. I do Dexa myself because of others I know who recommended them. And I talk with lot's of folks who use them regularly. There is a major factor that comes into play while using Dexa to track fat loss and lean gains and that is water. Hydration levels will play a major factor in anyone's Dexa readings day to day and can change readings in huge ways. Muscles and organs hold a large amount of water and muscles been worked out on a regular basis hold more water than muscles not being worked out. Muscles and organs can hold as much as 70 to 85% water.
Also if the person is overweight to begin with and has a n enlarged fatty liver, over time of fat loss organs can lose fat and mass. Dexa can't say 100% when fat is inside an organ such as an enlarged fatty liver that that loss in mass will show up as either fat or lean mass in the scan. It will show measurements of visceral (fat around organs) and intramuscular (fat in muscle) fat but it is unclear how it measures and calculates fat in an organ such as the liver.

The most important thing to do if using Dexa as a fat loss and lean mass tracking tool is make sure your hydration level is very similar every time you do it. Proper electrolyte levels and proper hydration level is essential and differences in these at times of a Dexa scan will very very much skew the readings.

I believe it's also very important to track fat losses and lean mass gains in different ways ie measurements, scale, Dexa, etc.. If you can get most of the fat off your body and gain muscle mass a measuring tape won't lie and the mirror is more rewarding to look at after fat loss and muscle gain than a Dexa also in my personal opinion. But all those things are still useful tools for fat loss and lean gains.

hmm33502

annaskiski wrote: »

@hmm33502 Where did you get your scan done. A clinic of some sort?

It is actually a wellness center. Mine was only $75 and they didn’t try to sell me anything!

T1DCarnivoreRunner

I've had a couple of Dexa scans and my home bio-electric impedance scale has always been 0.3%-0.4% higher body fat on the same days. Mind you, most bio-electric impedance devices are 5%-10% lower than mine at home (which is why I will keep this forever). But there comes a point where the Dexa is not worthwhile to get for body fat % because I can get just as accurate of a result every day for lower cost.

sgt1372

annaskiski wrote: »

So do you guys think these scans are worth it? (This place wants just under $300) I thought Dexa scans were reliable.
Is it just the marketing that's questionable?

I have been getting a DXA scan and hydro test done every 3 months for the past 2 yrs to monitor my progress.

It only costs me $45/DXA scan and $39/hydro retest (the 1stctest costs $49). Both are mobile discoint services available in the SF Bay Area and in many metro areas. Well worth the price 2 me.

MelanieCN77

I'm getting one tomorrow! It'll be my first so not much to compare to but I'm very interested in the numbers.

kar328

I did two scans last year as part of a study (I wanted the free scans), then found a place last month near me where it's only $75. I was happy to see the recent 15ish pound gain I had (new job stress and love of ice cream) didn't lead to it being all fat mass. I've been working on weight training for a while and it's paying off. I do plan to recheck it this summer, I feel it's worth the money for me. I'm working on getting off the scale/number fixation and the amount of info on these scans and what is all means helps me with that. I've also done a couple of Bod Pods in the past and like those as well.

kshama2001

annaskiski wrote: »

deannalfisher wrote: »

annaskiski wrote: »

So do you guys think these scans are worth it? (This place wants just under $300) I thought Dexa scans were reliable.
Is it just the marketing that's questionable?

Dexa scan as a technology yes (you can look at universities/hospitals for alternate sites to get a scan done)...the marketing claims that this place is giving for losing weight/gaining muscle not so much

Thanks, I'll ask my doc at my next physical....

@annaskiski I'm near Boston too - please message me if you find someplace cheaper. My healthcare is with the VA and I haven't convinced my doctor to do this, so I'd be paying out of pocket.

Bonus points if you find us someplace south of Boston so I don't have to fight my way in and out of the city

PAV8888

I would look for something less expensive than $300.00. You might be paying for the consultation which you may or may not want in addition to the scan.

The machine measures fat mass, bone, and the rest of it.

You can obviously manipulate the "rest of it" to your heart's content!

Glycogen level (carb up the night before), extra water or coffee in your tummy, high sodium meal the day before, appropriate time of the month for females... I am sure we can think of a few more.

Your weight might go up, relatively speaking, but your fat % would go down.

melissa6771

I'm in the boston area as well, south of Boston, and would love to get one. If either of you finds a reasonably priced place please let me know too.

MelanieCN77

I used Bodyspec which might be just local but it was only $45.

kshama2001

MelanieCN77 wrote: »

I used Bodyspec which might be just local but it was only $45.

NorCal Locations, SoCal Locations, Seattle Locations

melissa6771

I found a list of places that said were under $100 in the Boston area. I'm going to call some of them tomorrow.

kshama2001

melissa6771 wrote: »

I found a list of places that said were under $100 in the Boston area. I'm going to call some of them tomorrow.

Great, keep us posted!

sarahthecamper

One of the Lifetime Fitness locations in the Mpls area offers them (St Louis Park). Right now with their 60 day challenge (so for this month) you get two scans AND two meetings with the nutritionist to go over the results for only $49. So if there's a Lifetime near you, see if they have an LT Clinic and offer DEXAs. I was told they'd likely offer the deal whenever they have the 60-day challenges (4x/year). It's a huge deal. It gives you a lot more info than an InBody scan, but as with everything else, it's what you do with the information that matters.