DEXA Scan - One year results! Have to tell someone!
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aylajane
Posts: 979 Member
So I started working with a trainer a little over a year ago, and according to my Aria scale I was nearly 40% body fat. Over the first 4 months it dropped steadily to about 27%. But for the last 6-8 months it has hovered between 25 and 27% consistently.
I started reading how it wasnt really accurate once you have more muscle, so I changed it to "athletic" mode and it put me at 19-21%! I didnt believe it, so I changed it back. My trainer wanted me to start my first bulk, but I wanted to have a good baseline of where I was first, so I scheduled a DEXA scan... Just got back from it and am so high I can barely sit down There is not really anyone I can share my excitement with (who would understand) except my trainer and I havent seen him yet, so decided to share here!
The scan said 17.0% !!!!!!!! I came home and officially started my bulk with a donut and a bagel bite
The bottom two pictures are 10 months apart and only 15 pounds different! The scan guy couldnt believe I weighed as much as I did (105 pounds of muscle! 22 pounds fat, 5.5 pounds "other" stuff) - I am literally flying right now.
Off to lift some heavy, heavy weights and start eating!! I started out with him eating about 1000-1200 calories a day, which he made me increase pretty quickly. Over the past few months I have averaged 1800-1900 per day. Now I am eating 2100-2300 per day for awhile... Maybe more if I dont start gaining
I started reading how it wasnt really accurate once you have more muscle, so I changed it to "athletic" mode and it put me at 19-21%! I didnt believe it, so I changed it back. My trainer wanted me to start my first bulk, but I wanted to have a good baseline of where I was first, so I scheduled a DEXA scan... Just got back from it and am so high I can barely sit down There is not really anyone I can share my excitement with (who would understand) except my trainer and I havent seen him yet, so decided to share here!
The scan said 17.0% !!!!!!!! I came home and officially started my bulk with a donut and a bagel bite
The bottom two pictures are 10 months apart and only 15 pounds different! The scan guy couldnt believe I weighed as much as I did (105 pounds of muscle! 22 pounds fat, 5.5 pounds "other" stuff) - I am literally flying right now.
Off to lift some heavy, heavy weights and start eating!! I started out with him eating about 1000-1200 calories a day, which he made me increase pretty quickly. Over the past few months I have averaged 1800-1900 per day. Now I am eating 2100-2300 per day for awhile... Maybe more if I dont start gaining
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Replies
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congrats, you look amazing!
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omg you look amazingggg! congrats on the results!
oh, quick question, how tall are ya?0 -
Holy guacamole that is awesome! Congrats on your success!0
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congrats, i had a bod pod done and found similar results0
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Great job! I wish the dexa scan place closest to me wasn't so far away, I really am due to get another one.0
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looking REALLY good!!! congrats!0
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Great job! I know I could not do it without my trainer!0
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I am 5'5". Thanks everyone, I was just so excited
And I can now deadlift 225 lbs! Bench press is up to 115 lbs, and squats at 175 lbs... Hoping to get all those up in the next 3 months while eating a lot, gaining maybe 5 pounds... then doing the scan again! It is really cool - it shows you the body fat % for each body part separately, so I will know exactly where I gain fat or muscle for next time!0 -
Amazing. You look so good!!0
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I've always wanted to do a DEXA scan. Was there anything about the experience you didn't like? Was the person administering the scan knowledgeable about fitness or did he just push buttons?
Congrats by the way! You're results are inspiring.0 -
Super awesome!! Wow! Especially impressed by your tenacity.0
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DEXA is actually a bone density scan that happens to calculate your body fat, lean muscle, "tissue" and organs in grams during the scan. It is not supposed to be a fitness test, it is a diagnostic tool for osteoporosis or osteopenia. For example, I found out that while my overall bone density was considered "normal", my hips (especially right one) and spine (by vertebrae) are in the top of the osteopenia range. He suggested I start taking vitamin D (he said EVERYONE needs that) and calcium right away and consistently as they are already more prone to fracture than my other bones in my arms and legs.
But he was basically a technician who just administered the scan. If your doctor ordered it to screen for osteoporosis, I assume they would discuss that with you. He walked through the 12 pages of results with me explaining what each meant, but he was by no means a fitness type of person.0 -
The scan took literally 15 minutes, and was just laying on a table fully clothed (no jeans or metal) while it took the images. Much like a cat scan or xray.0
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Well Done! Well Done! Well Done! Well Done!0
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girlviernes wrote: »Super awesome!! Wow! Especially impressed by your tenacity.
Thank you! I learned in the last year that (like many things in life), losing weight and getting strong is a series of disciplines:
Discipline #1) SHOW UP (every day you are scheduled to work out)
Discipline #2) DO WHAT YOU ARE TOLD (even if it is just you telling yourself, or having a trainer tell you what to do... and do what you are supposed to even when you are not with the trainer)
Discipline #3) TRY YOUR BEST (every time. sometimes your best is better than other times, but "trying really hard" is all you have to do.. no perfection or expectations otherwise are necessary).
Discipline #4) GIVE IT TIME (repeat #1-3 for a long time. Dont keep looking at the clock or calendar. Just do it, and fun things will happen very slowly over time).
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You look awesome. Thanks for sharing and giving the great advice. Especially the "it takes time". You started in 2009 and now you're looking great. You are an inspiration.0
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mona52bask wrote: »You look awesome. Thanks for sharing and giving the great advice. Especially the "it takes time". You started in 2009 and now you're looking great. You are an inspiration.
Thank you! But it did not really take that long... More like consistent effort over two (non-consecutive) years.
The first pic from 2009 was a "before" pic that never had an after because I did not stick to the program/diet I chose for even a week. In 2011-12 I lost 50 pounds pretty fast, and ended up at 145 (top right) but was very "Skinny fat". I thought I looked good, took those pics and was completely CRUSHED at how bad I looked still.
Over the year after that I fell into depression and gained 20 pounds, putting me back at 165. That is when I started seeing a trainer (Oct 2013). The bottom left pic is after 4 months with him - I lost the 20 pounds, putting me back at 145... So the 2nd and 3rd pic are the same weight - but look at the sizes and stats! I was a whole size smaller in clothes, and all my measurements were smaller. Why? Lifting weights! I was starting to get some muscle .
I fell in love with lifting heavy as possible, and watching every "dent" (i.e. muscle definition shows up as dents between muscles, I always notice them first) show up on my body as the muscles starting becoming more defined and the fat started melting away. From Jan to May this year I lost the 15 pounds.. I have been at 130 since May - just slowing recomping from fat to muscle. That is why I was so frustrated that the body fat on my scale wouldnt change - I thought I was not making progress even though I could see it on my body! The pics prove it! But I like numbers... hence the scan
And every month he makes me eat more... and my lifts get higher... Its a self-feeding cycle. I was having a rough time in real life outside the gym early on, and he told me to think of the gym as the highlight of my day... And I did - it gave me something to look forward to every day, crank up the music, and feel like a badass I like that !0 -
girlviernes wrote: »Super awesome!! Wow! Especially impressed by your tenacity.
Thank you! I learned in the last year that (like many things in life), losing weight and getting strong is a series of disciplines:
Discipline #1) SHOW UP (every day you are scheduled to work out)
Discipline #2) DO WHAT YOU ARE TOLD (even if it is just you telling yourself, or having a trainer tell you what to do... and do what you are supposed to even when you are not with the trainer)
Discipline #3) TRY YOUR BEST (every time. sometimes your best is better than other times, but "trying really hard" is all you have to do.. no perfection or expectations otherwise are necessary).
Discipline #4) GIVE IT TIME (repeat #1-3 for a long time. Dont keep looking at the clock or calendar. Just do it, and fun things will happen very slowly over time).
Great!! I will save this!
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Congrats - that's awesome!0
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