My first DEXA scan results with photos! [28F/5'2''/108 lbs/27.3% body fat]

amydoodles

New member
Hi everyone! I've always been curious about DEXA scans and finally got the chance to do one when the BodySpec truck came around. My results, with many photos (possibly NSFW?) are here for anyone who is curious. I haven't really seen DEXA results for women with my body type (I am short and relatively slim with pretty much no muscle definition) so I thought I'd share this.

I have more visceral fat than I'd like so I'll have to work a bit on my eating and exercise habits. This pattern is commonly found in East Asians. I generally eat a good amount of fruits and vegetables but I do not have a well-controlled diet and I drink a ton of boba (I am Taiwanese American). I exercise regularly but pretty lightly compared to most of the women on here: 4-5x/week, mostly elliptical; 2x/week I'll add some bodyweight exercise (e.g., pull-ups, leg raises) or light resistance exercises (e.g., dumbell squats, kettlebell swings, rows, etc); 3x/month I'll go rock-climbing!

For reference, 4 months ago, a personal trainer did a caliper test which gave me 24.5% (pretty close!), and 13 years ago (yes I know that's a loooong time) hydrostatic weighing gave me 22.5%. I should note that I looked a lot fatter then, and was a lot weaker, but maybe wasn't full developed. I find the online fat calculators very inaccurate. This one gives me 18%. A couple years ago I used an omron handheld scanner at the gym and found the results so ridiculous that I never did it again--13.5%.

EDIT: People seem surprised by my body fat %. First, the photos that are commonly sourced by Redditors on Body Fat Friday were really just based on a blogger's whim. Body fat looks very different based on factors such gender, ethnicity, height, body structure, and type (visceral versus subcutaneous). For instance, my boyfriend (European American, 5'11'', 155 lbs, slim build) also got 27% and people have called him skinny. Next, I'm not sure if I'm as physically weak or at risk for muscle decline as people think. For instance, I can do 7 pull-ups right now, which I mention because it's related to strength-to-body-weight ratio. Page 2 of my print-out also says I have 6.17 kg/m[sup]2[/sup] Relative Skeletal Muscle Index, which means that I have a good amount of muscle in my arms and legs (recommended is 5.45 for women). I've also included several articles below that indicate that Asians, particularly women, are fatter than Europeans (whom most of the research had been based on) despite having a lower BMI. One study (Deurenberg et al., 2002, number 3 in my list) found that for the same BMI, the body fat % of Asians was typically 3-5% higher.
  1. Larger Amounts of Visceral Adipose Tissue in Asian Americans
  2. Asians have lower body mass index (BMI) but higher percent body fat than do whites: comparisons of anthropometric measurements
  3. Asians are different from Caucasians and from each other in their body mass index/body fat per cent relationship
 
@amydoodles Sorry to bring this post back from the dead!! I'm 108 lbs and 5ft2 and also got 27% on a BF scale yesterday. I was shocked as I look pretty thin, same body as you actually. If the 'rules' are different for short people (BF is usually higher when we actually look slim) does it take less time to see defined abs on s cut? Say a 5''8 woman cuts to 21% to get abs, do we need to drop 6% BF to do the same? I'm on the cusp of being underweight and can't lose snymore, but my BF is high! Stuck at what to do!
 
@yakdip Hi, I think it depends more on the individuals' body fat and muscle distribution than their height. I have a short male friend with defined abs at 18% BF using DEXA. If your issue is that you don't want to lose weight but want abs, you can try re-comping (putting on muscle and losing fat).
 
@amydoodles I was just wondering if you think that getting the scan is worth it - financially wise. I am in the UK and the cheapest option I can find is 150 pounds which is a bit step. I know obviously the question of whether it is worth it depends on your goals, and I am coming at it from a concern that I might not have enough body fat... Any advice I would really appreciate !!
 
@dawn16 Hmm it IS very steep there. I think I probably wouldn't do it for that price, but I already knew my body fat wasn't likely to be too low or too high, and I've always been pretty healthy by most indices (e.g., blood pressure, LDL and HDL cholesterol, heart rate, thyroid function, glucose levels). If you are suffering from possible symptoms of too-low body fat, then it may be worth it.
 
@amydoodles I did a DEXA through an exercise study at my university. They made it very clear that the BF% didn't compare to what we traditionally think of. My 95lb roommate was 25%. The scan is measuring visceral fat as well as fat involved in basic body structure. The average woman measures at 35%. I am 8lbs overweight and got 41%. That sounds obese to you but it's on the low end of overweight. The scan is measuring essential fats in your organs and stuff. So not comparable and always freaks people out. I measure 28% with calipers.
 
@amydoodles 5'2" at 120lbs here, I always get between 23% - 27% on BIA or calipers, they're lying, those motherfuckers... I should just get a DEXA, but I'm afraid of what I will see.

I need to workout more :(
 
@novemberrainstorm Because a typical DEXA scan delivers about .4 mrem of effective dose, which is almost nothing considering standard background in the US (depending on location) is somewhere around 620 mrem. 1 mrem of dose is about the same risk of death as 1 more peanut m&m (10 calories) for an overweight person. Maybe not everyone would want to do it, but the risk of anything from the radiation is minimal.
 
@amydoodles You mention eating tons of boba... I love it too but always assumed it was not very healthy. Is there something I don't know about its magic health powers?
 
@amydoodles I'm also Taiwanese American, 5'4.5" and 115lbs when i got my body fat done, I was 26%. Your results seem spot on to me, and I'm cutting fat right now because I also learned about the dangers of visceral fat. just wanted too let you know you're not alone!
 
@amydoodles yeah, its really not a big deal, pretty much that one pic floating around the internet is hella wrong unless we got that kim kardashian 27% BF lololol. I'll probably make a post soon with my body fat and results etc in a week or two when I get a chance!
 
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