Lean body mass


(Reid Curry) #1

What is the best, easiest, and cheapest way to determine lean body mass? Are there reputable scales that I can purchase that will tell me?


(Lonnie Hedley) #2

I vote DEXA scan. Scales are inaccurate.


(Troy) #3

+1
DEXA

www.bodyspec.com

( I have no affiliation )
Just sharing


(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #4

Best: fMRI
More practical best: DEXA, BodPod (used at the NFL combine) or hydrologic immersion.
Cheapest: tape measure and a formula. If you’re a man, waist-wrist formula or waist-wrist-forearm-hips, or Navy or Army formulas.

Truth: pick one method and use it consistently. Even if it’s an electrical impedance scale, as long as you are consistent in time and hydration, it will be consistent. That consistency, even if inaccurate to a degree of variance, is most important to show progress. So, a DEXA May show a number, but you can not compare that DEXA number to a later waist-wrist number.

As a result of the need to go somewhere and pay someone for DEXA, BodPod or immersion, I’m going to say the best is gonna be using a blended average of various ways of using a scale, a tape measure and a spreadsheet or a calculator.


#5

@LeCheffre gave good advice. I’ve used these:

DEXA is the most accurate and most informative. It provides body comp stats by region (each arm and leg and trunk) plus bone density. Since it requires lying on a table for ~90 seconds, it’s the fastest and easiest to perform. In most geographic areas (California is an exception), it’s also the most expensive method, further compounded by the scarcity of facilities offering the service. I usually get a DEXA every 3-4 months to make sure my efforts aren’t resulting in loss of muscle mass.

BodPod is the next best choice, coming in second to DEXA except in price and availability. If all I cared about was % bodyfat, this would be my choice.

Underwater hydrostatic weighing can be accurate, but requires breathing skills that typically only swimming enthusiasts possess. I find this method to much of a hassle given the alternatives.

Bioimpedance scales use an algorithm to calculate % body fat. I use a smartscale that transmits my stats to my phone everyday. I know the % bodyfat is not accurate (it differs from DEXA by 6 points) but it is precise, so it’s useful for tracking the trend. Plus it’s fast, convenient and free. Something I can look at everyday helps keep me motivated.


(Reid Curry) #6

Would an impedance scale tell me my lean body mass that I can gauge how much protein to eat?


#7

Yes, a BIA scale will estimate lean body mass.


(Rob) #8

If you are just doing it for protein calculation you could just use this

http://www.calculator.net/lean-body-mass-calculator.html

It’s good enough to give you a baseline which you can then experiment from. The biggest flex on protein is not the LBM but what g/kg you choose so I wouldn’t stress on the LBM calculation. Everyone’s different so you may need to experiment n=1 to get your preference. Get your LBM here and then pick a ratio - e.g. 0.6g/kg LBM or 1g and try it for a week or 2 and see what happens. If you feel weaker and colder or sluggish or hair falls out then it isn’t enough for you. Increase protein. If you are a lifter or major exerciser, start higher.


(Louise ) #9

I have real issues with impedance scales (I have a FitBit Aria at home) as they are hugely inaccurate for two reasons: it uses an algorithm based formula and electrical connectivity to determine composition.

I am a ‘relatively dense’ female, so the algorithm on my home scales has my current body fat at 38%. My recent DEXA scan determined I am 24%.

The second reason for the error is electricity or rather electrolytes. Being LCHF/Keto our electrolyte balance differs due to lower amounts glycogen stores. The impedance scales measure the electrical activity across our skin which means we have a variable reading. This was the explanation given to me by an exercise physiologist.

What ever the reason, I do not or would not trust an impedance scale!


#10

Can’t have best easiest AND cheapest. I have a health-o-meter scale that’s decently accurate though. Bought it over the good reviews it had. I had a bod pod done, which would be my recommendation for you to get a starting point BTW as they’re very accurate AND on the cheaper side. ($50-$75). DEXA is the most accurate but it’s also the most expensive. The scales can bounce around a little by body weight fluctuation, hydration levels etc BUT most of them are pretty consistent with their measurement methods. So whether you have a professional number taken or not, as long as your consistent with your measurements like time of day, your hydration levels etc even if it’s a couple % points off the trends should be consistent. My bod pod reading and my scale are around 3-4% off from each other, but others have had more variation than that will different professional methods. That aside, if you have somebody that can take the measurements a skin fold caliper is very accurate as it’s measuring actual body fat folds instead of guessing based on height/weight electrical impulse etc. But near impossible to do to yourself.


(Jennifer Kleiman) #11

It’s even worse - as females our monthly hormonal cycles cause our moisture levels to fluctuate in ways that throw off the bioimpedence scales. Your measurements on day X of your cycle can be meaningfully compared to last month’s… assuming your cycle length is regular… but comparing even one day to the next can be meaningless. I have a bioimpedence scale and I like it more than a regular scale but the data’s really next to meaningless.

Tape measure is the best/cheapest way. Bioimpedence is the easiest tho!