A word of caution regarding bodyfat % versus DXA Scan

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sthak2001
sthak2001 Posts: 10 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Thought I would write this as a "public service", though I also just want to vent…lol!

I have been using a WW scale to measure my bodyfat – I knew that they were inaccurate, but thought that I could get a rough estimate. To give a bit of background, I have lost 44 lbs since January, and (according to this scale) have decreased my body fat percentage by 7%, from approximately 40% to 32%. Not ideal, I know, but I had been feeling pretty good about things!

I had a rare opportunity to get a DEXA scan for free on Saturday, so jumped at the chance! Well, lo and behold, the DEXA scan revealed my true body fat percentage – 44.6%!!!! YIKES – are you kidding me??? The tech said that I needed to start strength training. When I told him that I had been doing strength training 3X per week along with 3 days of cardio, he seemed shocked – like he didn’t believe me!!! And the other fun part is that the scan clearly showed that the fat is all in my midsection – boooo! I mean, I can see it in a mirror, but nothing like getting full confirmation…ha ha ha!

Anyway, I guess I wanted to let others know that body fat percentages from a scale can be WAAAAY off, and in case anyone was wondering how much off (like I was), my example is above :smile: !

OK, off to the gym to lift something really heavy :tongue:

Replies

  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
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    Yep, same here...Was 28% on the scale, 26 on calipers and 42% on the DXA scan.... All in my bum and legs....
    That was a year ago - have not had the money or time for another one - but in the end it's just a number....
    I lift a lot heavier, run farther and do more than then - so the number is not an issue anymore.....
  • sthak2001
    sthak2001 Posts: 10 Member
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    i aspire to lift heavier as well :happy: !
  • carol5047
    carol5047 Posts: 44 Member
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    Is a DEXA scan expensive? Where do you get one done?
  • sthak2001
    sthak2001 Posts: 10 Member
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    I've heard that they can be very costly, ranging from ~$250 - $1000. I was lucky enough to get one free, and not sure if I would/could do it again (due to cost). They can be done at some doctor's offices (they are used to measure bone density to determine osteoporosis), but have also been used to determine body fat and WHR (which sucks for me as well!)
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    DXA is far from perfect, with error rates as high as hydrostatics. I would take the results as being +/- 5% (meaning a result of 40% could be anything from 35% to 45%). There are studies showing twice as much variance as that, even.
  • FrauHaas2013
    FrauHaas2013 Posts: 615 Member
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    My scale does the BF%; I don't pay attention to the exact number, but rather that it's declining. That's what's important to me. And if it's off by as much as yours is off, then I think I'm close to DEAD at this point!!!
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    It can go the other way too. I had mine done with calipers and they came up with 24% then I had it done hydrostatically (yay for daughters who work at a teaching university) and it came back at a bit under 19%.
  • schmenge55
    schmenge55 Posts: 745 Member
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    My scale and scan were pretty close. Lucky I guess
  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
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    Word. my last hydrostatic weighing - 22%, which looks about right. My scale this morning: 11.5%, which gave me a good laugh.
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
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    I certainly won't be affording a scan anytime soon, but I take comfort in the fact that 1) my bodyfat scale is showing a steady decrease, 2) my pants are as well, 3) my scale is pretty close to the pics floating around the web of various bodyfat % illustrations.

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