DEXA Results 32, 5”3, 131 lbs, 34.9% BF

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yishae

New member
Link to results and current physic pics (NSFW):

DEXA Results

Front- Relaxed

Front - Flexed

Back

Side

I just had a DEXA scan this morning as an early birthday present to myself and feeling very depressed. I have always been skinny fat but have been lifting 4-5 days a week for the past 2 years and although I work a desk job, I try to get 10,000 steps in a day. I still have a layer of fat covering the muscles I have worked for. I’m 32 (33 next week), 5”3 and 131.5 lbs. My results came back at 34.9% body fat, 45.9 lbs fat, 81.1 lbs lean tissue. I’m not sure where to go at this point. I know I need to scale my eating back since I do eat more than I should for my size. And I also need to cut back on my beer drinking (I love craft beer and am fortunate to live in an area with amazing breweries). I get at least 7.5 hours of sleep every night and feel healthy overall. I feel like giving up at this point. My partner and I are also going to start trying for a baby this summer and now I’m scared that being pregnant will make me feel worse about myself. Sorry for the rant. Any advice on where to go from here would be appreciated. I’m not sure if I should go on a cut.

Edit: Fixed links to photos.

And thank you all for your support and advice. This community is amazing!
 
@fearnot87 I believe this may also be one of my issues. I was working out with a personal trainer last year for 8 months and he had me doing a German Volume Training program which I really enjoyed but I wanted to start lifting heavier so I began TLS on my own for 6 months until I had surgery in Jan. My lifts didn’t improve as much as I thought they would. (Lower body lifts still scare me since I’ve had back problems in the past)

Squat - 45 to 95
Deadlift - 65 to 115
Bench - 45 to 55
OHP - 20 to 40

I had to take most of Jan off because of my surgery and I wasn’t able to eat for 2 weeks and lost 6 lbs which I have since gained back. My lifts went down. I started a new hypertrophy program since Feb and my lifts are very gradually going up but I’m at the same numbers I was since TLS.
 
@yishae I cant quite find it on your dexa, but to have that bf percentage at such a low weight, I'd say the most straight forward and easy fix would be to bulk, and maybe adjust your routine and diet to be more focused on increasing muscle mass. If you're not comfortable putting on some extra size yet, you could cut weight in the spring, recomp through summer, then do a fall/winter bulk to add muscle weight.
 
@yishae Cut out the beer, and drink more warm water = helps you to keep feeling full throughout the day, if normally dissatisfied by food.

With these two points you should make faster progress
 
@yishae Hey, quick tip, go to your album and make it private ASAP. Imgur is full of idiots. We will be able to see it through your link, but no one will be able to vote or comment.
 
@yishae I know the feeling. I'm 30, 5'1'' and after almost a year of lifting my results were 34.5% at 116lbs. The shock took awhile to wear off, but it did for me.

The idea of what I want readjusted as time went on and I read more on here and somehow morphed from what I originally wanted (better cholesterol and blood pressure numbers) into a vanity 20% BF goal.

So the 34.5% was a shock. Except it wasn't really my original goal. I started working out to get my health numbers under control and I accomplished that. Along the way I've also become stronger, healthier, happier. The vanity goal isn't as important as those.

I totally get wanting to get down to a 'fitness' level or at least middle of a 'healthy' BF range. I still want it too and have made tiny adjustments to start a slow cut personally. But what is really your #1 goal right now? If you're feeling healthy and have energy for 4-5 days of lifting... Just keeping up your current strength levels and energy might be higher priority, especially if you're planning for a new addition to your family. =)

But I get it. It still sucks. But you can own it. You already look that good at 34.9% BF!
 
@seethelightart Thank you! It is refreshing to hear stories like yours. I do feel good and healthy, both mentally and physically, so it is just a vanity thing for me. I wish it didn’t matter so much. I’m sure I’ll feel better once the shock wears off!
 
@yishae Just wanted to say thanks for posting this. I’m 30yr, 5’2.5 and at 135lbs right now and my body looks eerily similar to yours! I’m sure the dexa would come back very close in percentage. Definitely cut out drinking (at least reduce). I only partake on special occasions and it’s made such a difference in my weight loss journey. I also lift right now 4-5x a week and cardio one day. Just don’t give up and eat clean! Another fat blaster is just to add 20 min of HIIT.
 
@yishae I had a similar experience when I got my Dexa scan in January. I leaned out pretty quickly after switching my workouts to HIIT 3 times a week and doing intermittent fasting.
 
@yishae For what it’s worth, I would never look at those pictures and think “oh, she looks like she’s almost 35% body fat.” At. All.

That said, you now have the knowledge and you can move forward from here! I think tracking is a great idea, particularly the craft beers. Start by just logging how many calories they each are and then see what you need to do to cut back and eat at deficit. Here’s a helpful way to roughly estimate the number of calories in craft beers. It might be all you need to do is make a few small changes!
 
@yishae DON'T.GIVE.UP.

I'm 5'2", 27, and was 36.6% BF to start with, hovering around 135-138 lbs. I've been on a cut and have worked my ass off for the last 2.5 months and at 127lbs, was still 33% BF!!! Here's my DEXA post (with pics) for reference.

I know you didn't post any pics, but girl I'm sure that at 5'3" and 131lbs you look great and that you still fall very safely into a healthy weight range.

Body fat is not a metric for everyone. Especially since you're starting a family - mamas need to retain body fat!!

Life is a journey. I can't wait to have a child but I know it'll change my body drastically. I consider that a new chapter in my life, and I'll wrestle whatever challenges come with it - I encourage you to adopt a similar mentality.

Love yourself, love your body. As Ru Paul says, ""If You Can't Love Yourself How In The Hell Are You Gonna Love Somebody Else (i.e. your future children)"?
 
@crr Thank you so much. You look amazing! I know having a child will be an amazing experience. And I know I shouldn’t be so hard on my body image as I would not want my future child to ever feel bad about the way they look! Keep up the good work 😊
 
@yishae Don't give up!! You've done such a good job. Imagine where you'd be if you kept your eating and drinking habits but didn't work out?? Omg. You're ahead of the game just make a few tweaks :>
 
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