Interpreting Fit3D scans

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TicTacToo
TicTacToo Posts: 76 Member
edited August 2022 in Fitness and Exercise
Recently my gym got a Fit3D scanner as part of the free health assessments for members. This scanner involves standing on a rotating platform while the machine takes measurements which I think are cross-referenced against a databank of Dexa scan results to come up with body fat percentages etc.

I've just had another scan today, eight weeks since my first, which says I've lost 12lbs of fat and gained nearly 6lb of lean mass (water plus muscle plus, not sure, bones and sinews or something). I'm pretty sure my bones and sinews didn't get bigger :D and I hadn't just chugged a keg, so is there any way of knowing how much muscle I've gained? And is the estimate of fat loss reasonably accurate?

ETA The rest of the fitness assessment was the 1RM, time for holding a wall squat, time for holding a plank, time for rowing 500m, etc, etc, which all improved too.

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  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Muscle growth - a reasonable ballpark figure for a female who is also a beginner to training would be 0.5% of bodyweight per month.
    (I know you are female but no idea how long you have been training, your age or other significant factors.)

    Simplistically that is often stated as 1lb per month for females and 2lbs per month for males but that doesn't work so well if you aren't of average size. But that wouldn't be for the same for someone who is in a significant calorie deficit (like you are), more likely average results for someone eating at least at maintenance if not a surplus and deliberately training for hypertrophy.
    BTW - after the first year of serious training rates slow dramatically.

    Easier to think of lean mass as everything except fat rather than break it down. As we are roughly two thirds water that is the biggest variable.
    Do remember that what we think of muscles isn't just muscle fibres - someone new to training will also add muscle glycogen stores along with roughly x4 of water for each gram of glycogen.

    Big difference between measuring the outside of you (Fit3D scanner) and DEXA is the the former is just looking at the outside but DEXA looks right through you (X-ray). Not everyone has the same fat distibution so comparisons seem a bit flawed to me.

    I would just look at your results as interesting and an indication you are doing the right things rather than try to pin it down to actual numbers.



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