Anyone had a dexa fit scan?

algrif37 · May 2020

Anyone had a dexa fit scan? I’m curious about how it works. I get very frustrated at my weight that doesn’t seem to budge no matter how I work out. And eat. Maybe focusing on fat loss would help? Do they give you a calorie goal there as well? Just wanted to get some real people reviews!

Theoldguy1 · May 2020

I've had a Dexa Fit Scan. Unless the person giving the scan is also a Registered Dietitian or has some very specific training it is outside the scope of their practice to be giving specific nutrition advice.

The person that did mine just opened his physical testing business as a sideline as a DexaFit franchisee. He's a full time faculty member at a local university, manages their Human Performance Lab and has a Ph D in Physical Activity, Nutrition and Wellness. Given I was at a good bodyweight/bodyfat level and my blood markers I showed him from my latest labs he said I was good with what I was doing.

Given his background I would trust him for nutrition advice. Very good guy to talk to.

Go_Deskercise · May 2020

corinasue1143 · May 2020

I had one. Yes they set a calorie goal. But they asked the same type of questions MFP does and gave me a similar calorie goal. No macro goals. No nutritional advice. Mine came with gym membership. I am not a weight lifter, not really concerned with body fat %, only with looking and feeling good. Knowing what I know now, I would not pay for one. I don’t think there is anything wrong with it at all, and wouldn’t discourage you if you think it will help YOU. I just don’t think it helped ME.

KrissFlavored · May 2020

Whenever someone says they cant lose weight no matter what they do or eat, I always first wonder if there is a health condition that needs to be addressed and then if not then perhaps all past attempts have been done blindly and under the assumption that their efforts should be enough for progress.

Like where people think they dont need to count fruits and veggies

Or that working out is enough for weight loss without paying attention to food

Or that they believe that since their portion sizes are small that it should result in weight loss

Or because they tried a bunch of methods like low carb or fad diets and still didnt pay attention to calories.

dhiammarath · May 2020

I have gotten Dexa scans through work in the past. The people were very helpful in explaining it, but what the Dexa scan did for me was show year over year of how well I'd been adhering to my calorie goals. It won't help you with the feeling that you can't lose weight. It will show you how much fat you have on your body so you can get a better marker of where you might land when you're done (assuming all variables are equal and life/muscle/etc doesn't change you) so for me, it gave me a better target to hit.

A Dexa scan isn't a tool to use in place of MFP or a dietician or a weight loss plan, but as a secondary tool to measure progress. But given the $$ associated with it, I would not pay for it unless I expected to see year over year progress and/or was expecting to see a noticeable change in a year or 6 months.

Strudders67 · May 2020

"I get very frustrated at my weight that doesn’t seem to budge no matter how I work out. And eat. "

Working out doesn't necessarily equal weight loss.
How and what you eat also doesn't necessarily equal weight loss.
How many calories you eat vs what you burn is what determines weight loss, or gain or maintenance.

Go through the MFP set-up. Don't select a weight loss rate that means you'd be losing more than 1% of your body weight per week. Slow and steady is best unless you've been told to do otherwise by a medical professional.
Eat the number of calories that MFP tells you.
Log everything you eat and drink. Weigh everything that can be weighed.
If you exercise, log that and eat 50-75-100% of the additional calories that MFP tells you (choose your percentage and stick to it).
After 6 weeks, compare your starting weight to your current weight and determine whether your rate of loss is the rate that you selected. If you're losing too fast or too slow, adjust your exercise percentage accordingly.

You can do all that without paying for a scan.

ruqayyahsmum · May 2020

I had a dexa scan but to check bone density?

But if your weighing all solids, measuring all liquids and despite sticking to a deficit your not losing anything 6 weeks later then it would be time to visit a doctor and have some tests run

algrif37 · May 2020

I’ve been st this for some time. Yes I have menopause, hormone replacements, and hypothyroidism. All being managed by drs. I weigh and measure everything religiously. Stick to calorie goals Do a mix of cardio and weights. Just stuck where I am. I thought it would be a good idea of my fat and muscle percentages and give me a different thing to strive for since the scale is pissing me off!! It’s not like I am close to my goal. I’m 5’4” and 180. I keep getting different calorie recommendations and just want some help. 1289 is what MFP gives me and even with eating back exercise calories or not nothing seems to budge. Just very frustrated

Mr_Healthy_Habits · May 2020

I've had a Dexa scan... Honestly they will almost always show you higher than calipers, water dunk or any other method...

People say they are the most accurate but I've heard they can even be off by as much as 4% sometimes... Depending on the technician and how well the machine is working that day...

On another note... I use to be obsessed with bf%, but eventually found all you need is a tape measure and calipers...

They won't give you a very accurate bf%, but that's not important, what is important is they will tell you if you are gaining or losing fat...

AnnPT77 · May 2020

algrif37 wrote: »

I’ve been st this for some time. Yes I have menopause, hormone replacements, and hypothyroidism. All being managed by drs. I weigh and measure everything religiously. Stick to calorie goals Do a mix of cardio and weights. Just stuck where I am. I thought it would be a good idea of my fat and muscle percentages and give me a different thing to strive for since the scale is pissing me off!! It’s not like I am close to my goal. I’m 5’4” and 180. I keep getting different calorie recommendations and just want some help. 1289 is what MFP gives me and even with eating back exercise calories or not nothing seems to budge. Just very frustrated

I started off about where you are (I was 5'5", 183lbs, hypothyroid, age 59 (so menopausal), but no hormone replacement).

Your diary is open, which should be helpful; but there are a number of quick adds, some skipped days, and a few days that look partial, so it's a little hard to evaluate. I'm also not sure whether the "homemade" items are your recipes, or someone else's from the database, either. (I see that they're in the public database, but I don't know whether you created them. If not, I'd say some serving sizes - like "1 plate" - are not very precise, and some of the calories look low for what they are, like about the lowest estimate listed for a similar thing.)

Personally, I wouldn't go as low as 1289 calories (even now, at 131lbs/age 64), but individual calorie needs are individual, so usually we suggest people go with the MFP estimate, track very tightly for a month or so on a consistent regimen, then adjust.

I can see why you might want to pursue some other style of goal, like body fat, if feeling frustrated. If you aren't trying to focus on it day to day, that's a case where something like a BIA scale might be OK for establishing a long term trend (because you could ignore outlier individual readings, and mainly pay attention to the direction it's heading over weeks to months).

Measurements, photos (front/side/back, ideally something like bathing suit), calipers and that sort of thing are also options.

So are fitness goals, if that interests you (how your heart rate response improves for a given exercise stimulus, how long you can do a particular form of cardio at a specfied intensity, what weight you're able to handle with good form in different lifts, resting heart rate improvements, and that sort of thing).

Another option is looking at process goals (how many consecutive days fully logged in a row, compliance with exercise plan ( X days a week for Y minutes kind of thing), consecutive days within calorie goal, etc.).

Best wishes for finding a good route forward!

Anabirgite · May 2020

algrif37 wrote: »

I’ve been st this for some time. Yes I have menopause, hormone replacements, and hypothyroidism. All being managed by drs. I weigh and measure everything religiously. Stick to calorie goals Do a mix of cardio and weights. Just stuck where I am. I thought it would be a good idea of my fat and muscle percentages and give me a different thing to strive for since the scale is pissing me off!! It’s not like I am close to my goal. I’m 5’4” and 180. I keep getting different calorie recommendations and just want some help. 1289 is what MFP gives me and even with eating back exercise calories or not nothing seems to budge. Just very frustrated

I am in the between state of peri-menopausal/menopausal, and hormonally screwed up. I read your post and the thread because I was interested in a dexascan. But my 2 cents - last year I had gained 15 pounds and started MFP. I put in my data, received a 1200 calorie goal and started dieting. I also started reading these boards and the excellent advice and the stickies! I did notice after buying a scale and diligently logging, my protein was much lower then I thought it would be. I doubled my protein, and upped my calories to 1400, I am very active and ate back most my exercise calories. I lost 12 of the pounds. Now the last 3 are on me - I love to cook and eat. I wish you luck.

lemurcat2 · May 2020

Yes, I have, but the point was just to tell me fat percentage, fat percentage in various areas, and bone density. They estimated an RMR, but did not try to sell me a diet, that wasn't their function. I bought a package for 2, 3 months apart, when I was just under overweight to see how much muscle and fat I was losing. I don't think it helps with weight/fat loss, and think it's more useful when you are closer to goal.

sgt1372 · May 2020

I've had many DEXA scans and hydro tests to keep track of my BF when I was lifting heavy and on a high protein diet trying to gain muscle and lose fat.

It's a useful measurement device but it's not the key to wt loss, which can happen whether you get a DEXA scan or not.

springlering62 · May 2020

I treated myself to one last October, when I hit 150, which was my goal (before then next goal and before the next, as it turned out).

It was a curiosity thing and what I was sure was gonna be a total ego stroke. Instead it nearly completely derailed me.

I honestly thought for sure I had low body fat and cried when they said I was at 29%. I gnashed teeth and wailed and said “how can it be? I’m well within normal BMI now?”

It didn’t help that I was still in the “fat chick still in the mirror” dysmorphia stage, and had kicked it up several gears adding weight training and running to my workouts.

It really had me down until my beloved trainer noticed, sussed out the problem, and gave me one of her famous lectures.

She told me to look at where I had come from, told me I was one of the fittest older women she knew, made me flex in front of a mirror, reinforced my ego, yelled at me a bit, and then hugged me a lot.

There’s a reason she gets Mothers Day cards from half the gym.

Every time I’ve had a passing thought about getting another Dexa scan fifteen pounds further in, I’ve shrugged and followed her advice. Am I getting the results I wanted? Am I happy with my health? Am I happy with my appearance.

Don’t need no stinkin Dexa scan.

algrif37 · May 2020

Well I thought it would be a way to at least see my starting point. Maybe another closer to goal just to see progress This place doesn’t sell diets. And they had a special for healthcare providers so I thought I would try

I have been using weight watchers but it feels so random with points so I’m moving over to MFP. The homemade entries I have are for the meals my husband doesn’t give me calorie counts for. He is very supportive and tries but doesn’t always get it. I don’t feel right complaining about exact calorie components of each part of the meal that he made for me. Especially since he does all the dinners and cleans up! He’s gotten much better about it but it’s a work in progress. He’s one of those naturally skinny types who didn’t understand that “it’s just butter” is a no go! Going to try to get better calorie amounts on my diary as well

I definitely don’t get enough protein. That’s one thing I need to work on! It’s hard to get it all in! Especially since I do t care for meat too much. Although I’m eating grilled shrimp as I write this!!

algrif37 · May 2020

Anabirgite wrote: »

algrif37 wrote: »

I’ve been st this for some time. Yes I have menopause, hormone replacements, and hypothyroidism. All being managed by drs. I weigh and measure everything religiously. Stick to calorie goals Do a mix of cardio and weights. Just stuck where I am. I thought it would be a good idea of my fat and muscle percentages and give me a different thing to strive for since the scale is pissing me off!! It’s not like I am close to my goal. I’m 5’4” and 180. I keep getting different calorie recommendations and just want some help. 1289 is what MFP gives me and even with eating back exercise calories or not nothing seems to budge. Just very frustrated

I am in the between state of peri-menopausal/menopausal, and hormonally screwed up. I read your post and the thread because I was interested in a dexascan. But my 2 cents - last year I had gained 15 pounds and started MFP. I put in my data, received a 1200 calorie goal and started dieting. I also started reading these boards and the excellent advice and the stickies! I did notice after buying a scale and diligently logging, my protein was much lower then I thought it would be. I doubled my protein, and upped my calories to 1400, I am very active and ate back most my exercise calories. I lost 12 of the pounds. Now the last 3 are on me - I love to cook and eat. I wish you luck.

How much protein are you getting daily?

AnnPT77 · May 2020

algrif37 wrote: »

Well I thought it would be a way to at least see my starting point. Maybe another closer to goal just to see progress This place doesn’t sell diets. And they had a special for healthcare providers so I thought I would try

I have been using weight watchers but it feels so random with points so I’m moving over to MFP. The homemade entries I have are for the meals my husband doesn’t give me calorie counts for. He is very supportive and tries but doesn’t always get it. I don’t feel right complaining about exact calorie components of each part of the meal that he made for me. Especially since he does all the dinners and cleans up! He’s gotten much better about it but it’s a work in progress. He’s one of those naturally skinny types who didn’t understand that “it’s just butter” is a no go! Going to try to get better calorie amounts on my diary as well

I definitely don’t get enough protein. That’s one thing I need to work on! It’s hard to get it all in! Especially since I do t care for meat too much. Although I’m eating grilled shrimp as I write this!!

I hear what you're saying about the "homemade" entries, and someone else cooking! What I'd suggest is to try to find database entries that are mid-to-high numbers of calories to estimate with, and that have as specific as possible a serving size (like chip count for the nachos, or cups, or that sort of thing - or, if you use a food scale some of the time, you may be able to estimate weights and use those entries). I also sometimes "deconstruct" restaurant meals to log them, like thinking "I think these nachos were about 20 chips, looks like a quarter-cup of grated cheese . . . " etc., then I log the components, even knowing it's approximate.

I don't eat meat at all (I've been vegetarian for 45+ years, and not really liking it that much is one of the reasons).

Many people around here like to use protein bars or protein powder to get in the right amount of protein. They can be used in shakes/smoothies, or included in certain kinds of recipes. (This is a great thread with a couple of recipes that lots of people like: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10500016/low-calorie-protein-cheesecake).

Protein powder/bars can be a good strategy, but personally I don't mostly find them tasty or satisfying, so I prefer to get protein from food. Good non-meat protein sources include eggs, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, soy foods (including edamame, tofu, tempeh, but also newer things like soy noodles), legumes (beans, peas, etc.) and legume pastas (chickpea, pea and lentil pastas are similar taste/calories to wheat pasta, but 2-3X as much protein), seitan, and more.

Best wishes!

ythannah · May 2020

I've had two and I would have been getting a third done in June if it wasn't for the pandemic.

I was primarily concerned with bone density and, on the second one, whether I'd managed to increase muscle mass. I got quite an extensive report each time, with various measurements of things like weight, bone density, body fat, lean tissue. Nothing about calories.

If I'd wanted to know RMR that was a separate test in the same facility. I wasn't interested.

algrif37 · May 2020

algrif37 wrote: »

Anabirgite wrote: »

algrif37 wrote: »

I’ve been st this for some time. Yes I have menopause, hormone replacements, and hypothyroidism. All being managed by drs. I weigh and measure everything religiously. Stick to calorie goals Do a mix of cardio and weights. Just stuck where I am. I thought it would be a good idea of my fat and muscle percentages and give me a different thing to strive for since the scale is pissing me off!! It’s not like I am close to my goal. I’m 5’4” and 180. I keep getting different calorie recommendations and just want some help. 1289 is what MFP gives me and even with eating back exercise calories or not nothing seems to budge. Just very frustrated

I am in the between state of peri-menopausal/menopausal, and hormonally screwed up. I read your post and the thread because I was interested in a dexascan. But my 2 cents - last year I had gained 15 pounds and started MFP. I put in my data, received a 1200 calorie goal and started dieting. I also started reading these boards and the excellent advice and the stickies! I did notice after buying a scale and diligently logging, my protein was much lower then I thought it would be. I doubled my protein, and upped my calories to 1400, I am very active and ate back most my exercise calories. I lost 12 of the pounds. Now the last 3 are on me - I love to cook and eat. I wish you luck.

How much protein are you getting daily?

Sometimes it’s only 60 grams Obviously there’s a big variation as I had steak twice this week but today is a day I put in a lot of effort and will get 126. But I would say normally 70-100

AnnPT77 · May 2020

algrif37 wrote: »

algrif37 wrote: »

Anabirgite wrote: »

algrif37 wrote: »

I’ve been st this for some time. Yes I have menopause, hormone replacements, and hypothyroidism. All being managed by drs. I weigh and measure everything religiously. Stick to calorie goals Do a mix of cardio and weights. Just stuck where I am. I thought it would be a good idea of my fat and muscle percentages and give me a different thing to strive for since the scale is pissing me off!! It’s not like I am close to my goal. I’m 5’4” and 180. I keep getting different calorie recommendations and just want some help. 1289 is what MFP gives me and even with eating back exercise calories or not nothing seems to budge. Just very frustrated

I am in the between state of peri-menopausal/menopausal, and hormonally screwed up. I read your post and the thread because I was interested in a dexascan. But my 2 cents - last year I had gained 15 pounds and started MFP. I put in my data, received a 1200 calorie goal and started dieting. I also started reading these boards and the excellent advice and the stickies! I did notice after buying a scale and diligently logging, my protein was much lower then I thought it would be. I doubled my protein, and upped my calories to 1400, I am very active and ate back most my exercise calories. I lost 12 of the pounds. Now the last 3 are on me - I love to cook and eat. I wish you luck.

How much protein are you getting daily?

algrif37 wrote: »

Anabirgite wrote: »

algrif37 wrote: »

I’ve been st this for some time. Yes I have menopause, hormone replacements, and hypothyroidism. All being managed by drs. I weigh and measure everything religiously. Stick to calorie goals Do a mix of cardio and weights. Just stuck where I am. I thought it would be a good idea of my fat and muscle percentages and give me a different thing to strive for since the scale is pissing me off!! It’s not like I am close to my goal. I’m 5’4” and 180. I keep getting different calorie recommendations and just want some help. 1289 is what MFP gives me and even with eating back exercise calories or not nothing seems to budge. Just very frustrated

I am in the between state of peri-menopausal/menopausal, and hormonally screwed up. I read your post and the thread because I was interested in a dexascan. But my 2 cents - last year I had gained 15 pounds and started MFP. I put in my data, received a 1200 calorie goal and started dieting. I also started reading these boards and the excellent advice and the stickies! I did notice after buying a scale and diligently logging, my protein was much lower then I thought it would be. I doubled my protein, and upped my calories to 1400, I am very active and ate back most my exercise calories. I lost 12 of the pounds. Now the last 3 are on me - I love to cook and eat. I wish you luck.

How much protein are you getting daily?

algrif37 wrote: »

Anabirgite wrote: »

algrif37 wrote: »

I’ve been st this for some time. Yes I have menopause, hormone replacements, and hypothyroidism. All being managed by drs. I weigh and measure everything religiously. Stick to calorie goals Do a mix of cardio and weights. Just stuck where I am. I thought it would be a good idea of my fat and muscle percentages and give me a different thing to strive for since the scale is pissing me off!! It’s not like I am close to my goal. I’m 5’4” and 180. I keep getting different calorie recommendations and just want some help. 1289 is what MFP gives me and even with eating back exercise calories or not nothing seems to budge. Just very frustrated

I am in the between state of peri-menopausal/menopausal, and hormonally screwed up. I read your post and the thread because I was interested in a dexascan. But my 2 cents - last year I had gained 15 pounds and started MFP. I put in my data, received a 1200 calorie goal and started dieting. I also started reading these boards and the excellent advice and the stickies! I did notice after buying a scale and diligently logging, my protein was much lower then I thought it would be. I doubled my protein, and upped my calories to 1400, I am very active and ate back most my exercise calories. I lost 12 of the pounds. Now the last 3 are on me - I love to cook and eat. I wish you luck.

How much protein are you getting daily?

Sometimes it’s only 60 grams Obviously there’s a big variation as I had steak twice this week but today is a day I put in a lot of effort and will get 126. But I would say normally 70-100

For a woman of 5'4", like you, that's not terrible IMO. There are lots of opinions about protein, but quite a few people here seem to think something in the range of 0.6-0.8g minimum daily per pound of healthy goal weight (which is roughly equivalent to 0.8-1g per pound of lean body mass, for most people) is reasonable. I don't know your goal weight, but even the 70g would be 0.6x116, and 116 is within (though at the low end) of the normal BMI range at your height. 100g is 0.8x125 pounds, which would be a weight low-central to the normal BMI range for your height (BMI 21.5). (BTW: I'm not implying you should aspire to those weights: There's a lot of individual variation involved in weight choices. I'm just using those numbers to suggest that 70-100g is not dramatically far off the range of reasonable for women around our size (I'm 5'5")).

Some other opinions on protein (which disagree violently with one another

):

https://examine.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-you-need/
https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/dri-calculator/

Personally, I'd prefer the Examine article (and it links to a calculator), as I think it's a tracking very recent research better, and is more nuanced about different cases and goals, while the USDA is more about generalities to avoid under-nutrition rather than about optimizing for conditions.

Anyone had a dexa fit scan?

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