DEXA Scan! (Read if you are thinking about doing it!)

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alpepp
alpepp Posts: 55 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I finally coughed up the money and got my DEXA scan done last Friday ($75 USD at my university). I decided to do it as I have been half-a$$edly working out and eating this past year. Well, it's time to put my money where my mouth is! I also just finished a personal training package (big strength gains, little physical results from poor eating) and am about to start a new package tomorrow. I also had wide varying measurements between the body fat scale, handheld device, and calipers. I wanted to know my accurate body fat so I can make a good judgment call on a goal weight and stop using BMI as my standard.

The results?

45.1% Body Fat (ouch!)

That makes me a 109 lbs of lean, mean body mass and an initial goal of 25% body fat between 140-145 lbs. That weight may end up being lower because, with over 60 lbs to lose, I may most likely lose some lean mass as I drop weight.

What I find funny/weird/awesome/frustrating is that, for my very short 5'1" frame, 140 lbs is still technically overweight according to the BMI chart, even if I should be within average limit for a woman by body fat %(almost to fitness level).

My personal trainer and I will be focusing mostly on fat loss and maintaining the muscle I have; therefore, I see lots of HIIT in my immediate future!

I am also going to the EM2WL approach a shot. My main problem with working out, especially with all the strength training I have done in the last year, is maintaining my energy consistently. This was pretty difficult to do on 1200 calories, even with eating back my exercise calories.

My plan is to have another DEXA scan done when I reach halfway between my current weight and goal weight (around 170 lbs) and then reevaluate my goal.

Thought I would post this for anybody considering it - the DEXA scan has been a great motivator for me. It helped me really evaluate what I want from my weight loss, work out, and my body in general.

Thoughts? Anybody else doing the same approach as me?
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Replies

  • alpepp
    alpepp Posts: 55 Member
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    Bump! Looking for buddies. :)
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
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    How dd your results compare to the less accurate methods?
  • alpepp
    alpepp Posts: 55 Member
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    The calipers was 36.4% & handheld BIA was 41.2%. HUGE difference in the three!
  • jg627
    jg627 Posts: 1,221 Member
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    The calipers was 36.4% & handheld BIA was 41.2%. HUGE difference in the three!
    Calipers take practice and they don't measure visceral or intramuscular fat. The bioelectrical impedance is just plain unreliable.
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
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    I get a DEXA scan every 6 months to track progress. Gone from 46% bf to 29%. Online calculators have me at 38%, and calipers had me at 32%. DEXA is the way to go with this stuff.

    Sounds like you have a solid plan!

    For anyone starting out, I highly recommend getting it done. You don't have to do it every few months, as it is expensive, but it's important to know where you're starting. Do it again when you hit your goal.

    Also, you need to eat a little more to fuel workouts like that. 1200 is the MINIMUM. Try eating just above your BMR but below your TDEE.
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
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    1200 calories isn't enough. period. you'll have to eat more if you're doing any kind of work out regime. I've lost over 100lbs -- and I've just upped my calories from 1800 to 2000 calories because I've been stuck for a while. Oh and get an hrm or body bugg to monitor calories burned so you get a true picture of what your deficit is. body bugg is worn all day (and night if you like) vs hrms which are typically worn only during workouts. so it gives an accurate picture of your burn in a 24 hour period. (and it's on sale for $99 w/6 month subscription through 24 hour fitness thru 6/30) :)
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    I get a DEXA scan every 6 months to track progress. Gone from 46% bf to 29%. Online calculators have me at 38%, and calipers had me at 32%. DEXA is the way to go with this stuff.

    Sounds like you have a solid plan!

    For anyone starting out, I highly recommend getting it done. You don't have to do it every few months, as it is expensive, but it's important to know where you're starting. Do it again when you hit your goal.

    Also, you need to eat a little more to fuel workouts like that. 1200 is the MINIMUM. Try eating just above your BMR but below your TDEE.

    ^^totally agree with this. I had one done a month or so ago, but wish I had done it a little earlier so I could see total progress. Its also really good, especially for women. to see how their bone density is doing.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    Thanks everyone for sharing the DEXA info. I find it pretty interesting the mass differences in body fat calculations.
  • apriltrainer
    apriltrainer Posts: 732 Member
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    I am planning to get one next month. I found a place in Chicago tor $100 dollars. Cant wait!
  • DaysFlyBy
    DaysFlyBy Posts: 243 Member
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    I know of a place here locally that does Bod Pod analysis, is DEXA more accurate? Either way it's a lot of money for me so I might as well get the most bang for my buck.
  • jrutledge01
    jrutledge01 Posts: 213 Member
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    it's not a huge surprise to me that the calipers were way off... the guy that runs the gym i go to said that above 15-20% body fat, calipers are less accurate than bodpods, etc
  • missym357
    missym357 Posts: 210 Member
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    I had a dexa done last March and it was worth every penny. The inaccuracy of the other bodyfat calculations drove me nuts. Dexa gives you real numbers. I look very much forward to doing it again to compare numbers in the future.
  • bazfitness
    bazfitness Posts: 275 Member
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    I know of a place here locally that does Bod Pod analysis, is DEXA more accurate? Either way it's a lot of money for me so I might as well get the most bang for my buck.
    I'm getting an iDxa scan. Not sure what the difference betwene this and a Dexa scan, if any, anyway it's meant to be more acurate than the Bod Pod. I'm getting one done in September (earliest opportunity) According to the place I'm going to it's
    'A state-of-the-art iDXA scanner is used to measure body composition (body fat and muscle mass), to an accuracy of 0.5%. Body fat levels and muscle mass are also given for each body segment (e.g. trunk, right arm, left versus right leg, etc.).

    Looking forward to this. I can't get on with calipers. I've only ever used online calculators. Last time I measured 5 or 6 weeks ago I was down to about 21%. Don't expect to be much lower than this but hopefully won't be too much higher. Will be good to know for sure and help formulate new goals as have almost reached my original goal weight.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
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    DEXA is the way to go if you want to do periodical assessments and get the most accurate body composition stats. For first time dieters, getting one before starting a plan, and then reassessing 3 months later can provide valuable info on how your initial plan is working and better guide you to what adjustments need to be made.
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
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    I know of a place here locally that does Bod Pod analysis, is DEXA more accurate? Either way it's a lot of money for me so I might as well get the most bang for my buck.

    Dexa is definitely more accurate but Bod Pod is just as accurate as hydrostatic water test and is ranked as a top way to test and well worth it. Some areas Bod Pod is cheap and some it is just as expensive as a Dexa! I got it done for $25 so there was no way I was shelling out $150 for a Dexa. I am very pleased with the process and results.
  • athensguy
    athensguy Posts: 550
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    I got a DEXA scan. The results heavily depend on the algorithm used to analyze the data. The standard version gave me a result just under 10% while another version (the one they're using for a new study) gave me a bf of 14%. The different algorithms were run on the same scan, not at two different times.

    For comparison, I was about 5 lbs lighter than the time I had a bodpod, which put me around 13%.
  • blonde71
    blonde71 Posts: 955 Member
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    I'm actually going for one in September. I'm anxious to find out the results but I don't think I'd be brave enough to post them on a public forum though. Should be interesting to find out what my bf% is.
  • theblackbirdtree
    theblackbirdtree Posts: 168
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    The calipers was 36.4% & handheld BIA was 41.2%. HUGE difference in the three!

    I got my DEXA scan a few months ago and found out I have 23% body fat! Eek! All of the calculators online told me I was an athlete at 17-18%! Who am I kidding? :laugh:
  • MissMollieD
    MissMollieD Posts: 130
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    I have actually not done a DEXA scan, though I thought about it. I started with a PT about June 1 and he has a lot of experience with calipers. So decided to do a little research project - about this time I also had hydrostatic fat testing done:

    I'm 5'4", female, 30, my weight was ~137lbs at the time

    1. Tanita Resistance Scale at home (research and picked the best bang for my buck) - 28%
    2. Caliper reading by a trained professional that has logged 100's, if not 1000's, of readings - 17.9%
    3. Mobile Hydrostatic Test $50 (www.bodyfattest.com) - 21.5%
    4. Military Body Fat Test - ~27%

    It's been about 6 weeks since I started with my PT and I am following an eating plan he recommends based on Dr. Warren Wiley Better Than Steroids, and I just started Ketosis on Friday. So I asked him to caliper me again:

    Friday I weighed 136lbs and my caliper BF% was 13.9%. I lost 1lb on the scale but gained 4lbs of muscle in 6 weeks!! And I was no weakling before - I have been heavy lifting since January (hoping that would break the "plateau" - if you want to call it that).

    This morning (Sunday) I weighed in at 132.2lbs (Tanita scale said 28.7% BF, for the record). Which is the lowest weight I've been since November when I started MFP (yes, I have gained weight since I started trying to lose weight - AAARRRGH). I was actually 131.7lbs when I started in November and trying to lose 4lbs-5lbs I had gained.

    I honestly feel like of all methods, the hydrostatic test was closest accuracy. I should also say that my PT did not keep a record of my BF% reading from the first time so he had no idea what it was when he did his measurements, I did keep it because I am an engineer and I always want more data. I can't form a trend line without data points! LOL But just knowing what I looked like and what I've seen other ppl with ~17.9% or even 13.9%, I know I didn't/don't look that good. I took pics, but there is no way I am posting.

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