Dexa scan results for me, a 5'6", 183 lb 35-year-old weightlifter. Spoilers: 39.1% body fat

J

jamestucker

New member
I've been frustrated lately because I just couldn't decide what my goals should be, so I got a dexa scan. I thought the results were interesting, so I'm sharing them with you all!

(I made a new account for this because my old one has accumulated enough identifying information that I didn't really want to post pictures of me in a sports bra on it.)

Personal history:
  • Until I was 30, I was almost completely sedentary. I've been overweight since I hit puberty, and once I got married and we got a car I gained a few lbs a year. Nothing huge or alarming; I just got used to it.
  • In my early 20s I lost 15 lbs by fairly extreme calorie restriction (1200/day at 175 lbs), but I gained it back pretty quickly and since then I've stayed between 175 and 185.
  • I started getting more serious about exercise when I hit 30, and started being ashamed of my weight (around 180 and basically no muscle), so I tried various things; yoga, weight machines, etc. But I didn't find anything I enjoyed doing or that felt like it was doing anything for me.
  • 2.5 years ago I started lifting heavy; thanks to /r/fitness! I loved it and have been doing it ever since. Did SS for a year or so, then 5/3/1. Tried calorie restricting now and then, but without a whole lot of success. And fat loss was never as motivating as strength gains.
  • Stats as of July 1st: 5'6", 187 lbs body weight, 130lb bench, 225 squat, 285 deadlift, 85 ohp.
The problem:

Depending on how I measured my body fat, I got wildly different numbers: calipers said 28%, the squeezy electrical thing at the gym said 30%, and the army tape-measure method said 38%.

I had no idea how fat I actually was. I don't see myself as fat, though I know objectively I'm overweight. I don't experience problems with my weight, I can find clothes that fit, nobody's mean to me, my husband thinks I'm hot, my family says, "Oh, everyone has fat rolls when they bend over!", society alternates between telling me I should be a size 4 and that I shouldn't pay attention to the scale, basically it's all a bunch of noise. Plus, maybe I'm just super muscular? Or maybe my body just wants to be this way? Who the hell knows?

I started calorie cutting (again) July 5th, since by any of those measures I needed to lose some fat, but this time I'm eating the same. exact. thing. every day. Which makes it easier, though it's boring as hell. But I didn't know how long I should keep it up...
  • Breakfast: soylent-esque shake: 450 calories, equally split between fat/protein/carbs
  • Lunch: either a chicken salad sandwich and a cup of tea (non-lifting days), or thai chicken stir-fry and brown rice (lifting days).
  • Dinner: a large can of tuna with light mayo and 200 calories of fruit.
  • Lifting days: bedtime snack of cottage cheese and honey.
I've lost about 4 lbs and it seems indefinitely sustainable. And I'm getting more protein than carbs for the first time ever. Exercise is heavy lifting 4 times a week, and running 0-2 times per week.

The dexa scan:

Screw this, I said to myself. I'm going to find out for real. So I made an appointment for a dexa scan at a sports medicine place near my house. Here are the results:
https://imgur.com/a/KEZDv
I've never seen this information for someone my size, so I wanted to share it in case it was informative for anyone else.

What I learned:
  • Yes, I should actually be 155 lbs and not 185. I've already lost a tenth of the fat I need to lose, so I just need to power through it. (And then sustain, which I haven't been great at in the past.)
  • My lean body mass isn't as huge under that fat as I wanted to think it was.
  • I'm above average for amount of body fat (compared to the other people in their database) but way into the 'unhealthy' range.
  • My head weighs 11 lbs.
So now I actually have a goal that's specific, attainable, and that has a motivation other than vanity, and generally I feel tons better having this information.

I'm happy to answer any questions anyone has, or give more details. Most of the people I see posting on Reddit are either way more overweight or way more fit than I am, so I want to post this for any other ladies in my range. Thanks for all the great advice and discussion I've gotten from this sub! Good luck to everyone on their goals!
 
@jamestucker I want to get this done when I'm a bit more at my "fit" level. My problem lately is that my medication raises my heart rate, and to such a degree when I'm running, frankly I'm scared to run right now. It just..... it sucks. I'm in such a fitness funk lately.

I gotta find where to go for this near me!
 
@jamestucker I got one done as well and at 181 pounds was at 32%. I was disheartened a bit by the results, but per their scale (which is higher than the standard numbers given), I am in the healthy range. I plan to get another scan when I get down to around 165 pounds (which isn't going that great because will power/social life).

Mine also listed visceral fat. I didn't see that on yours.
 
@jamestucker Very interesting! I'm intrigued by how your results were very close to the reading you got from the Army tape test. I checked my measurements with that tape test and it said my bodyfat is 26%. I have a hard time believing that. Maybe in my lower body I'm 26% fat, but certainly not upper (I have veins popping out of my arms and a 6-pack). Every time someone here posts about a dexa scan, I decide that I want to get one, but then when I start looking into it, I'm always just like, "who cares, I'm focused on looks and performance, anyway, not a #." Anyone else in the same boat? Curious, but cheap...haha

Oh, and that's an impressive bench press! Good work!
 
@3john3 Yeah, if you're in the healthy range it's just a number. The dexa scan does find all the fat, so it gives higher numbers than most other tests (and conventional wisdom). The clinic's database said that 99% of the people they'd scanned were at 15% or above, and I'd guess that includes plenty of athletes. This article said that female sprinters had about 15% body fat based on a dexa scan. Oh, and the guy at the clinic said the lowest he's ever seen on a dexa scan was 11%, on a bodybuilder getting ready for a competition who was extremely vascular.

So it's possible that on the internet-folk-wisdom body fat scale, you're 20% and I'm 30%, but the dexa scan would say you're 26%. No idea, but if you're getting the results you want, it doesn't matter. I wasn't, so it matters to me. :)
 
@jamestucker I booked a bod pod for next week! It's closer to me and cheaper than a dexa scan, actually, and I've heard it's more accurate, anyway. Looking forward to getting an idea of where I'm at. $50 is not the end of the world. I want to get an idea of how much fat I'd need to lose to get a shredded lower half. If it is only like 5 lbs, I think I might be more motivated to improve my diet further!
 
@charlie3rivers I didn't ask how they calculate them, but they seem right. When I eat 2000-2300 calories a day I maintain my weight, and these numbers match the ones I've gotten from online calculators.
 
@yllbc I know OP responded already, but usually if you get a scan done at a university/college that has a DXA scanner and is offering scans, they tend to be cheaper. I got mine done for $50.
 
@yllbc I was lucky that there is a sports medicine clinic across the street from my Grocery store! I didn't know it was there, though. I just did a Google search for "dexa scan [my area]", and they had a website form to sign up for an appointment.

It was $125 for one scan, and I got a package of two scans (second one half off) and bone density for an extra $50. I just paid it myself, so I don't know if it could be covered by insurance.
 
@jamestucker I'll go with the bod pod instead, half the price in my area plus zero radiation. Good topic to bring up. Very often I get told "Oh! You don't look that heavy" but according to BMI I still have x amount to lose so I want a more realistic idea of where I should be.
 
@jamestucker IMO, the dexa scan should be used just as any other method of measurement: for benchmarks in progress..

It is kind of cool to see that your head weighs 6% of your weight (currently).

Good luck on your cut! I would say that you should probably limit the length of your cut so that there is an even more specific goal. 12 weeks is probably a good place to start without losing too much muscle mass if you're still lifting. Maybe 16 if you're feeling really motivated. If you keep at your current rate, that length should get you at a good place to decide if 155 is a real goal you'd like to achieve.
 
@jay2242 Thanks for the good wishes and advice! That's a good point that I should time-limit this cut. Maybe I'll do my second scan in October, see how things are going, and reevaluate then.
 
@jay2242
IMO, the dexa scan should be used just as any other method of measurement: for benchmarks in progress..
Click to expand...

I agree.

I was just thinking as I was scrolling down, it is really difficult to compare bf% measured by a bod pod vs. a dexa vs. those handheld things. Basically they all give different results and the only way to see progress is to measure and compare with the same one each time.
 
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