Am I TOFI?

(TrishR) #1

Am I a TOFI?

In the last 12 months I’ve had two “Body Composition” scans done. From what I can research they are probably DEXA scans as there’s a fair bit of detail - not BMR or visceral fat - but I believe there are different models so I think my radiologist might have the base level machine. The report lists out numerous measurements of the various regions, arms, legs, trunk etc. This is what I’m basing my presumption on them being DEXA scans.

I’m a 59 yo female, 163 cm tall, and pretty much maintain a scale weight of around 62-63 kg. My scan last year revealed I had 39.5% body fat! Needless to say, I was shocked! To look at me it’s hard to believe I could be hiding that much fat! In fact, I’ve been in denial for the past 12 months believing it was inaccurate. But a follow up scan recently indicated that I now have 41.6%!!! :flushed: :disappointed_relieved:

About 5 years ago I was 74kg and lost about 12 kg (through an elimination / reintroduction protocol) and have happily maintained that weight by living, for the most part, a low carb/ketogenic lifestyle with an emphasis on real food. In the past 6 months or so, I’ve introduced IF and EF (longest 72 hours). My health is excellent and I’m never ill. I’m on no medications. My most recent blood results are unremarkable. Cholesterol and glucose results below are in mmol/L.

Total Cholesterol 8.5 (I don’t buy into the cholesterol con)
Triglycerides 0.9
HDL 2.1
LDL 6.0
Remnant 0.4 (I’ve been listening to Dave Feldman lately :slight_smile:)
Fasting Glucose 5.1
(There’s no Hba1c listed. Is this the same??)

Here I am, cruising along in life thinking I’m doing really well health-wise and now I’m having to question what’s going on inside my body.

So am I a TOFI?

Any thoughts/advice/discussion on my dilemma would be most appreciated.

(Rob) #2

You have a perfectly healthy BMI for whatever that’s worth so I get the TOFI concern. As I understand it, being TOFI is less about actual BF% and more about the idea of being metabolically unhealthy while not having a particularly high BF% or visible obesity. You would have more visceral fat than a non TOFI lean person but the key thing would be your health markers.

Yours are all good so it’s a bit of a head scratcher. Of course, you do carry more body fat as you age and you lose muscle mass unless you work hard to keep it, so some will come from that, but it is a high BF% nonetheless. You don’t feel weaker, or have major bone loss issues, so it seems counter intuitive to have that % of BF. I believe there are confounding issues around hydration, recent meals, bowel contents, etc. for some scan technologies which could account for maybe 5+ kgs of perceived BF but I’m not sure about the rest?

I know you’ve had 2 scans but if with the same machine, it could be a consistent issue. I see you live out in the sticks a little but is it worth getting a scan in a different machine/technology somewhere like Brisbane if you get there?

Anyway, BF% is not as important as you markers, so while concerning, I wouldn’t stress and bump up my cortisol levels without more data.

(TrishR) #3

Thanks for that considered response @Capnbob.
Yes, next time I’ll seek out a different place down in the big smoke. I’d love to find out my BMR and actually get a visual on where the fat is, as you do with the more sophisticated machines.
I hate the idea that, despite all my best efforts, my vital organs might be surrounded by fat!
I’m yet to find a conventional doctor here in the sticks, so I might take my results along to a naturopath that’s been recommended to me to discuss the implications.
Thanks again for taking the time to respond.

(Rob) #4

Go for it and let us know how that goes and what they recommend but remember, while modern medicine does not have all the answers, there is a fine and fluid line between many naturopaths and snake oil. I hope yours is a good one and you get good advice.

I would just say that it seems somewhat improbable that you really have 25kg + of body fat in your fairly small, not overweight frame. If you were to cram that much into your body cavities, etc., it is very likely you’d be sick, your liver would be being ‘strangled’ by incursions etc. SO, I would suggest you don’t do anything hasty or desperate until you get good verification on this (not that I’m suggesting you would :grinning:).

(TrishR) #5

Yeah…nah…I’m not the rushing kind lol. It took me this long to post in the forum!

Thanks for the warning on the naturopath. I’ve not seen one before because I’ve always been wary of the unnecessary stuff they might try to sell me. I’m a bit of a pushover but I do try to keep my life as simple as possible and they’d be unlikely to convince me to complicate it by walking out with a bunch of stuff. I really just want to sit down with someone face to face that has a little knowledge on such things.

I also tend to agree with you on the improbability of my having 25kg of body fat. Just thinking more about it today, and after considering your input, I’ve decided to try and find a place with a more sophisticated machine and maybe even somewhere that offers a consult afterward to discuss the results.

Cheers for the discussion :blush:

(Rob) #6

My pleasure and best of luck.