RMR, Caliper, BIA, DEXA, Bod Pod Results: 26 F / 5'6" / 127.8 lbs / 8.9-12.3% BF

[katzby23]

As promised, my new results for the following tests:

• RMR - 1498 Kcal/day
• Caliper - 8.9%
• BIA - 9.27%
• DEXA - 12.2%
• Bod Pod - 12.3%
• Average - 10.6675%

NSFW album that includes test results and body pics in underwear from the morning of the test

I'm still shocked at the results...and they are even lower than last time.

NSFW previous DEXA with body shots in underwear from the morning of the test for comparison

So with these results I just want people to see there definitely a difference in how various BF% tests can give you different results. The lady that did all my tests said the BIA (Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis) test is more to determine hydration than to test for BF%. She confirmed that the skin fold test really depends on the individual and where he or she holds his or her fat.

Link to previous XXFitness DEXA post for the curious/lazy

 

[erickem]

@katzby23 This is very interesting! I would definitely not have estimated you at ~10% and as with your previous post, I would have approximated an extra 5% or so. I think perhaps the most apparent giveaway of the low bf% in the recent photos is the visible abdominal veins which I really only ever see in lean bodybuilders (whereas, higher bf% climbers frequently have the forearm/biceps veins so that is more common). Your post goes a long way to dispel the myth that women at 10% are "scary lean"- you do look lean, but you look very healthy to me.

I'm curious what your physique/athletic goals are moving forward. What you have accomplished is, I think, what a lot of women are shooting for as their ideal. You don't look heavily muscled or strong per se, you look lean, athletic, and "fit."

As an aside, I was absolutely shocked by my own results, but in the other direction. I've been lifting/resistance training for a little over 3 years although I have hopped around from discipline to discipline a few times to keep it interesting, still generally maintaining intermediate to advanced wilks. When I had a DEXA at ~2.5 years of lifting I came in at around 28% which was a huge surprise! My figure appears comparable to the ~22% category for women: visible upper abs, triceps, shoulder caps, back, ham and quad definition. However, I hold a lot of fat in my legs/butt and chest. The fat was hidden and in some areas, kind of masquerades as muscle (woo!) I wasn't disappointed, I'm happy with my physique, but I was blown away. I don't think anyone would ever pin me as 28%.

I was planning to re-do the DEXA scan in early Fall after I finish a cut and post my own results to xxfitness for reference as well. So I really appreciate what you've done here. It's so helpful to have a wide array of individual bf% reports and photos to realize that bodies carry fat SO differently. There is nothing inherently right, wrong, attractive or unattractive about a given weight or bf% and that is the most important lesson to take home.

 

[katzby23]

@erickem Yeah, my ab veins are pretty much always poppin as well as my arm veins. HOWEVER, shit is getting real when my little should veins come out to say hello too.

Goals: I guess maintain this until bikini season is over and HOPEFULLY get into the proper mental space that I will need so I can maybe do a legit bulk. Last year I pussed out when I almost hit 130 cause I felt fat.

I just want boys to like me fake cries

 

[dawn16]

@katzby23 Oh my gosh, this is a shock to me! We're roughly the same height and body weight so this is fascinating! You're more muscular than I am but there are certain parts of our body that look really similar.
I always just assumed I was around 25% body fat (dunno why, just because) and now I am so curious as to what a more accurate reading would be!

You look absolutely beautiful by the way!

 

[dmourne]

@katzby23 Do you feel healthy at this low bodyfat percentage? You mentioned starting a cut a week ago, is that because you compete?

 

[katzby23]

@dmourne I feel great at this bf%...with few exceptions, but I don't think it's a weight thing.

• I train hard with lifting 5 days a week. I do 30 min of cardio each of those days and 1 extra day of cardio that's an hour long. I do all this because I like it, not because I think I have to.
• That hard training leads me to believe that's the cause of having no periods. Before I dipped low in my BF% I lost my period. I started training HARD last May, had irregular period in June, haven't had a period since, have been training 6-7 days a week (with 2 weeks being out of the gym total) since then.
• By Fridays I'm usually tired, but I think some of this is mental exhaustion because work has been stressful these past few weeks, and I'm feeling more run down than usual.
• Sleep can be iffy (some nights I sleep straight through and get 8 hours, other nights I'm in and out of sleep and am lucky if I even get 6). I again attribute some of this to stress at work.
• I started taking a multi-vitamin, joint supplement, and a post-workout thing two weeks ago, and some of the above problems are appearing to lessen. Dunno if I was just deficient in something, or if it's placebo.
• I do get mood swings, but they are lessening in frequency since I've upped my fat intake at the beginning of this year. (My fats were ALL OVER THE PLACE prior to December.)