DEXA Scan Results | 5'1" 56kg (123lb) at 21% BF

emiles97

New member
Hi everyone,

I found it really interesting to see the posts people have made in this sub with results from their DEXA scans, so I thought I'd post mine.

Image gallery, including pics of me & screenshots of the scan.

My Stats:
* Height: 5’1” / 155cm
  • Weight: 123-125lbs / 56-56.5kg.
  • Age: 26
  • Measurements: 24.5" Waist, 34.5" Hips & 34.5" Bust
  • Most recent 1RMs (on Nsuns 4 day): 87.5kg (~190lb) Squat, 57.5kg (126lb) Bench, 45kg (99lb) OHP, 100kg (220lb) Conventional Deadlift
  • My current macros: 125g Protein (500cal) + 80g Fat (720 cal) + 150-170g Carbs (600-680cal)
DEXA Results
* Body Fat Percent: 21.0%
* Lean mass: 42.75kg (94lb)
* Fat mass: 11.87kg (26lb)
* Visceral fat: 0.187kg (0.41lb)
* Android / Gynoid ratio: 0.83 (I hold fat on my butt and thighs)

Some good things I notice:
* My body fat % is actually lower than I thought it would be. I have been eating at maintenance for a while, and honestly I didn't think I was being strict enough with diet & cardio.
* My VAT score is really nice and healthy.
* I only have 11.8kg of fat - the technician actually told me for someone my height I should have around 15kg (33lb) but not to worry too much as my menstrual cycle and health is completely normal at my current result.

Some bad things I notice:
* I'm left-handed, but somehow my left arm & leg has a higher fat % and lower lean mass? WTF time for some single arm/leg exercises!
* I would like to cut down to about 15% BF at least once in my life. The technician told me that because I already have a low fat mass, it's going to be really difficult to cut any further and remain healthy... so I guess that's out the window lol
* I honestly thought my legs were more muscular than they are. I have relatively large quads and hams for my height, but it looks like there's a lot more yellow there than red!

What my Exercise/Diet looks like currently:
* Lifting - I do a modified version of the nsuns 4-day routine with an OHP day. I lift weights after work on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays. I used to do PPL 6 days a week, and honestly I do miss the frequency of lifting that often - something about it just clears my head and makes me feel like a boss. But so far I've had a great run on nsuns and my lifts are increasing. My Bench & OHP is starting to struggle but Deadlift and Squats feel great. I set my TM quite low so my body could adjust to the high volume, and it's climbing up really nicely each week.

* HIIT - I do 10 mins of sprints twice a week after lifting on Upper body days. I do them on the treadmill and I'm not ashamed to admit that the whole time I'm sprinting I watch the Food Network!
* Running - I run 5km 2-3 times a week on my days off from the gym, depending on how my legs are feeling after my leg sessions. I am trying to get faster, because currently I have a snail pace of 35min for a 5k run!
* Diet - I eat basically 90% whole foods, which I honestly really enjoy. I do IF at the moment, so I don't eat breakfast, but a typical day for me would be something like 2x chicken thighs with creamy mushroom sauce, broccoli & olives for lunch, a greek yogurt pot with a scoop of chocolate whey for my preworkout snack & a beef/fish curry/chilli/stir fry for dinner. I don't eat any bread or much rice, so the majority of my carbs come from vegetables & legumes. I will treat myself to some homemade baked goods like Anzac cookies or banana muffins sometimes too!

Anyway, all in all - if you're thinking of getting a DEXA scan, I definitely recommend doing it. I like learning about my body "under the hood" and having this data as a starting point motivates me to keep working hard in the gym. Hopefully the next time I get one my lean mass will have increased!

Thanks for reading, and feel free to msg me with any questions :)
 
@emiles97 First, this was super informative and great. I think your insights into yourself and performance are a good example of self-honesty in a healthy way.

Second, DAYUM

Third, your workout program is almost identical to mine. Nsuns 4-day and some cardio mixed in! My question is about your OHP day. Did you replace a day? Which one? Please say deadlifts.
 
@altisdenor Haha, I know right - the deadlift/front squat day is brutal! But unfortunately that’s not what I replaced... I got rid of the volume bench day and do the OHP/incline bench day instead
 
@emiles97 You look great! And I'm super impressed with your health results!

I'm 5'2" and I would eventually like to get to about where you are, with bodyfat in the low 20s and weighing in around 130.

Thanks for the inspiration!
 
@emiles97 Hi I'm new to weightlifting. How on earth did you get your bodyfat percentage low???? I lift 4-5 times per week, atleast 1-2 hrs HIIT or other cardio and I'm still at 27% with a 31 in waist. Any advice?
 
@vessel30 Aside from the impact genetics has on where you hold fat (you have a much smaller waist than me so I’m guessing you hold less fat on your stomach?) what’s your nutrition like? Lifting is important for building muscle and changing your proportions, but I have found that nutrition plays a bigger role in losing fat. When I was eating too little, I actually retained more fat on my midsection than I do now.
 
@emiles97 About the left/right arm/leg: the fat mass is pretty much the same between sides, but the lean mass is less on your dominant side. On myself, I've observed that the non-dominant side is stronger, too; and I have a pet theory for why that is: dominant side does the fiddly stuff in daily life (fish out keys, open door), while the other is left to do the bulk work (hold the grocery bag).

Also, you look awesome (and are my size, and have me seriously thinking about doing a proper lifting program, in a gym, with barbells)! So goals!
 
@emiles97 Maaaate! Those quads! Those glutes! Your arms look fantastic. Seriously you have done an absolutely stellar job - you look strong and lean.
 
@emiles97 Thanks for sharing all this! Very interesting. My basic stats are the same as yours. I have similar dietary preferences, but the main difference is that I run daily (avg. 60-80 km/ week), do tons of walking, and my lifting and pump class are more of icing on the cake for me. Working on increasing time spent on it. I'm also interested to see how are incorporating more weight training will effect bF percentage.
 
@emiles97 Saving this to throw it in the face of the next "I am skinny fat at about 20% bf" post. You look rock solid! Thanks so much for sharing, this was a very interesting read. I think what I get from your post most is something that I also tell people all the time: be active. Be consistently active. Results will come. You do not do something any person working a normal job couldn't do; there is no insane workout or diet regime, it's all doable. But you have fantastic results because you are consistent and you show up and put in the work. Nothing and no one can replace that.
 
@emiles97 This is so great, because our age and height are similar, and my current weight and body fat goal is around where you are now. I like how it gives me a general idea of what i can expect if i keep up with my fitness routine and clean up my diet more.

Are you from the USA? How much is a dexa scan? Are the results available relatively quickly or do you have to wait a long time for the report? I’ll be living there over the summer so i’m considering having one done if i can fit it in my budget since I can’t where i live now.

I’m glad that this experience has helped you figure some things out that you want to work on and re-spark your motivation. keep it up and crush those goals girl! You look great 👍🏼
 
@zenkai I'm actually from Australia! My DEXA scan cost $60AUD. The scan took about 5 minutes to complete, and as soon as it was done the technician took me through my results and gave me a print out of the information. I also got a soft copy sent to my email address on the same day.
I would definitely recommend you looking into getting one when you're in the US, you won't regret it! Good luck!
 
@emiles97 It looks like the link doesn't work, maybe just me? Really curious to see what the results look like, I've been wanting to get a scan for a while now too!
 
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