Body Fat %.....someone ELSE'S!

(Todd Batitis) #1

So this is kind of a weird one for me. My basic story is that, for the most part, I have always been heavy and eventually extremely obese. Peaked at 387 (6’0") but in March I was at 356 and started losing. So to me, all I ever knew was that my body fat % was WAY over normal… WHATEVER it was. I mean, when I first saw a nutritionist 3 years ago my BMI was 50 so it wasn’t a stretch.

In June 2018 I got my first DEXAscan.and I was at 34.6% body fat which definitely was WAY too much. Two scans and 7 months later I was down to 23.1% as of January 2019. I have a good amount of loose skin, sagging more than anything, but there is still good fat under it so I know I am not done yet.

So to the other person this relates too. Our HR Manager is about 5’4"-5’6" and if I had to guess, I would have put her at probably around 150 pounds or so, maybe less, you know most of us guys are terrible at that kinda thing. She is a life coach, started yoga about a year ago and is now also a certified yoga instructor. I always think of her as pretty fit but not crazily so like another co-worker who runs across the Sahara and swims the English Channel. When I look at her I see a “normal” body that is active.

She was excited about the DEXA Scans from me and loved the information it showed. This past week she was going to get her first one and we guessed what her body fat would be. I thought of myself, my journey so far, what I think of when comparing my mental image of me and the 23.1% I am at and where I think it should be and I guessed she would come in around 17%. She didn’t really have a guess.

So she got her scan done and loved the info but was shocked that she came in at 30.1% body fat. So was I. Now for her age and sex that puts her at the top of the 20th-40th percentile for women so she isn’t way out of the ballpark soft but that number was a shock to both of us. For my age and sex I am in the middle of that same percentile range.

What makes this an NSV for me? We all have that image in our heads of what we are. Those of us who come from being very obese (I was Class 3 at 387) for so long NEVER really think we are anything but fatter than everyone else, no matter what we do. For me to find out that I am 7% less body fat than someone I considered to be WAY thinner and in MUCH better shape than I am (by comparison) reminds me I am getting somewhere and re-enforces how far I have come in less than a year. And that maybe I need to work on changing that image I have in my head of who “this guy” is these days.

Realistically, with the difference in women and men my 23 is about equivalent to her 30 and she is pretty comfortable with it and can’t see losing much more than maybe 5% or so and I think that is completely reasonable. It just really came as a shock to me when she told me the number though. :slight_smile:

(Cindy) #2

Obese people who aren’t at the bed-ridden stage also tend to have quite a bit of muscle. It takes muscle to move the weight around. So once the excess fat is lost, they tend to be more muscular in general.

In other words, compare 2 women, same height, same 150 lbs. But one is 150 lbs because she’s lose 100 lbs. The other has always been around 150 lbs. The woman who has lost 100lbs will probably have a higher % of muscle.

(Tamela Robinette) #3

It was shocking to me to find after I bought my body fat calipers that as a 5’7, 142 pound female that has been a runner for 11 years that my body fat percentage was 34!!! I have it down to 28 now with 6 weeks of keto and incorporating strength training but would like to get below 25. I always saw myself as fairly healthy and thin and most people comment I’m “too thin.” Goes to show perception can be deceiving😏

(Todd Batitis) #4

Yeah, that is also a big reason why the BMI scale isn’t really worth much other than a reference guide. :slight_smile: The lean tissue was actually what I wanted to see too when I started my scans. I needed to be able to prove that 20:4 IF and eventually extended fasts, aren’t simply “eating muscle mass”.

(Todd Batitis) #5

Perceptions are strange aren’t they? :slight_smile:

One of the other things that came to mind when I was just looking at my recent DEXA Scan was something on hers. Your Viceral Adipose Tissue (essentially the fat around your internal organs and such) should be as close to zero as possible. My current one is 1.7 pounds and the previous was nearly double. Her’s, by comparison, was 0.05 pounds. :slight_smile: So while from a percentage mine might seem lower and better, WHERE hers is is much less of a health risk.

(Tamela Robinette) #6

That is fascinating! You keep plugging away and yours will be there soon enough. I’ve been considering a Dexa scan myself. The closest place I could get one is about an hour away and costs $75. Just need to find time.

(Carl Keller) #7

By hormonal default, women have a higher % of body fat than men.

The healthy range for men between 20 and 40 ranges between 8 and 19 percent body fat, while the normal range for men over age 40 is between 11 and 25 percent.

Younger women between age 20 and 40 require between 21 and 33 percent body fat, while women age 40 and over require 23 to 36 percent body fat.

So assuming you are both over the age of 40, her 30% body fat puts her in the healthy range with a pad of 6 pounds while your 23% only gives you a pad of 2 pounds. So technically you are closer to overweight than she is.

That’s not to discredit your NSV. It’s really amazing how much a WOE, by itself, can influence our weight loss. Jason Fung says exercise is only 5% of the ideal weight loss plan. He says if Batman is diet and exercise is Robin, Batman is 95% of the reason why this duo is successful. Batman can do just fine all by himself but Robin can’t say the same.

I will respectfully note that @PaulL likes to point out that exercise can help improve insulin resistance and I can’t argue with.

(Todd Batitis) #8

They can be done at most hospitals but the cost is significantly higher and I am not sure what the results display as they are used most often in that setting to be able to assess bone density. In fact, while talking with my doctor about getting one his response was “I am familiar with DXA Scans. I have sent many people to get them to check bone density but I am not sure how that would help what you are trying to accomplish.” Most doctors don’t think of them in relation to what ELSE they can show. :slight_smile: Entrepreneurs figured it out though LOL.

The company I use is called BodySpec out of California (they have vans up here in Seattle, WA as well as in Austin, TX ). Whereas the hospital charges $125… single scans are $45 through the BodySpec van which is much cheaper than even going to one of the other local places here in Seattle that has much higher prices at their “performance institute” type of setting. :slight_smile:

Hopefully more and more mobile scan companies will open up or current ones will expand.

(Todd Batitis) #9

How does one NOT love Dr. Fung LOL. I can only imagine what working closely with him and Megan at IDM must be like. :slight_smile:

We are in a couple different classes. I am 51 and she is 46. We are both in good shape as far as not having a crazy body fat percentage but it really puts it into perspective what the body fat of elite athletes really represents when they are pushing for single digit to low teens.

Just as a note, this is the listing that comes with each BodySpec scan in relation to it… broken down by age/sex:

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#10

You’re probably referring to the Dexafit in Lower Queen Anne which is a bit more expensive - about $70 or so if you if you buy a few scans, but there are a couple things I like about it - mainly that you can also get an RMR or VO2max test at the same price and at the same time, which is pretty neat (I’ve never done the VO2max since it’s not very important to me, but it’s been nice doing RMR tests as I fat adapt/recomp), and they also have a Fit3D machine, which actual does a pretty good job with body imaging, and you can get a scan once a month over the course of the year. While I have my reservations on the privacy/security of Fit3D’s cloud service, I have to admit being able to download a 3D OBJ file and little animated rotation of your body scan is pretty neat darn cool.

That being said, the $25/scan difference definitely adds up over time if you’re just doing DXAs and I’m not quite sure the Fit3D is that cool. I had a quick question about the BodySpec DXA results - I assume they are similar in details provided? Body composition by region (arms, legs, trunk, android, gynoid - fat, lean and bone), estimated visceral fat, and bone density? Do they also track differences from baseline and give you digital copies of the data as well?

(Todd Batitis) #11

The more expensive place I was talking about was indeed Dexafit. The package setup they have is kind of strange and I was a little dismayed at the response given when I asked them via Facebook what the difference was that would justify such a big difference in price from the Bodyspec van. It was essentially about that they have 35 years of experience as radiologists between he and his wife and have been doing different versions of the ketogenic diet for 3-4 years, are very familiar with IF protocols and would love to help me in my journey as they go over results with me one on one. He mentioned that if I want to schedule a test, I just go down and do it rather than having to track down a van. :slight_smile: I get the latter but his version involves me driving into Seattle (which I hate) and my version involves scheduling a test a mile away from my house or my work depending on which one I do LOL.

The reality is that the biggest reason there is a price difference is the cost of the overhead. I am sure it was cheaper when they were located on the Kitsap peninsula and not paying downtown Seattle lease rates. :slight_smile: If all I want are DEXA scans, while it is nice that they have other things too, part of what I am paying is going to subsidize the costs of the other things like the RMR and VO2 testing by default. With Bodyspec I am paying for the van, gas and the scanner so to speak. :slight_smile:

As for the questions on what it shows on the Bodyspec Scan… yep, you get a hard copy after the scan and they talk to you about what you see from a changes standpoint if that is what you want. You also have a digital copy of each scan that is exactly what they print out for you each time. You can access that anytime by going to your account online. And yes, it does show exactly the things you are mentioning. It is a 6 page PDF that shows it all.

I will probably look at doing an RMR at Dexafit at some point in the future just to compare it to what I see from the Bodyspec scan. I am not against them or anything but for my needs, it is a pretty good savings… and I don’t have to go into Seattle unless I am going to see my stepson in Capitol Hill. :slight_smile: