Looks like I've got some more work to do....

[DeletedMember 715]

Well, I was feeling pretty good about myself! I started out on Feb 9 of this year at 333lbs. As of this morning, I am down to 182 lbs.

My surgeon doesn't set goal weights, but told me he thought I could get down around 200 lbs. That didn't feel aggressive enough, so I set 185 as my personal goal (I'm 5'8"), which seemed crazy at the time. Well, now that I hit "goal", I was in a quandary as to what I should do. Should I try and lose more weight? Should I begin moving into maintenance?

I decided I would go get a DEXA scan to find out what my true body fat percentage was (My scale says I am generally between 17%-22%) as this would be a better guide than BMI (I am still overweight per BMI)

Well.........DEXA says I have 26.5% body fat!!!! Holy crap, that's a lot higher than I thought (hoped?).

Anyway, it's good to know. And I now know I need to keep on the weight loss bandwagon.

Now my plan is to lose 15-20 more pounds, keep working out, and have it re-checked. Plus with a baseline, it will give me an indication of how much of the weight I'm losing is actual fat.

I do have to admit, that after losing over 150lbs, it is a tad disappointing to find out you are still carrying around about 50lbs of fat!

[Dub 9,922]

It is very surprising that actual body fat % are not employed more often with us.

It seems to be a much better scoreboard than BMI.

You're really lost a tremendous amount of weight and have done great. Good to see that you are still focused on taking it further.

[DeletedMember 715]

It is very surprising that actual body fat % are not employed more often with us.

It seems to be a much better scoreboard than BMI.

You're really lost a tremendous amount of weight and have done great. Good to see that you are still focused on taking it further.

It is strange - maybe because accurate testing is not all that common. The margin of error with calipers or bioelectrical impedance can be pretty large (as evidenced by my scale!!!).

I will say, the results from the DEXA scan were pretty cool. And I now know that my right leg weighs 2lbs more than my left leg (and 1.5lbs of that 2 lbs is muscle), for whatever that's worth!!

I also learned that I am pear shaped as opposed to apple shaped, which I had always assumed given my large gut. But the scan shows my weight distribution is actually very healthy. I also have very dense bones (the one health benefit of obesity???).

I'm sure others are in the same boat, but I am thankful for the data as I have such a had time judging myself. Between still thinking of myself as "the fat guy", plus everyone around me saying "you aren't going to lose any more weight are you?", and the fact that i wear mostly M or L size clothes now. All these things just drive confusion.

So for that, I am happy. I would be happier if it came back and said I was 17% BF instead of 26.5%, but hey, it's better than 65% I suppose!

[Dub 9,922]

Well done and well said.

I know I've got a bunch of fat left to lose. Once I hit my goal weight I think I'll have a scan as well....and see where I need to go for a more accurate goal.

[KristenLe 5,979]

@ This is very cool - I hope to have one of these scans at some point. What's an idea fat % for a male? Does it tell you if you need to lose pounds or rather turn the fat into muscle to change the ratio?

[DeletedMember 715]

@ This is very cool - I hope to have one of these scans at some point. What's an idea fat % for a male? Does it tell you if you need to lose pounds or rather turn the fat into muscle to change the ratio?

Here is the chart that came with my scan:

Age: 16-19

Female: 17-32%

Male: 10-20%

Age: 20-39

Female: 21-33%

Male: 8-20%

Age: 40-59

Female: 23-34%

Male: 11-22%

Age: 60-79

Female: 24-36%

Male: 13-25%

So, for me, it would be 11-22%. Of course, if I just sit tight for about 17 more years, I'll be much closer

It doesn't specifically tell you how to go about getting the % in line - either gaining muscle mass, or losing fat would lower the percentage. I will just attack it from both angles. Although, I have never been very good at actually building muscle, and I certainly could use some in my upper arms to help tighten up some of this skin!!! Now that I'm think enough to actually see the muscles, I realize my muscles are very thin/sinewy, not at all bulky.

[Christinamo7 4,041]

I have a DEXA scan at the end of the month because I have arthritis in the spine/hips area. this is going to be a baseline I guess.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

@

DEXA scans are so valuable. I wish they were used more in the US. They should be a part of every bariatric program. Those home scales are crap. which is why I quit buying the $200 scales and got a simple one. They are wholly inaccurate, most people will never really have their body fast tested, so they won't know the difference.

Learning how my left and right side were not symmetrical at all was really interesting. It makes sense because when I do my arm and leg measurements, they are never the same. I used to think I was just measuring in different places.

I need to make my appointment for my next scan very soon.

Thanks for sharing

Edited September 14, 2016 by OutsideMatchInside

[catwoman7 10,875]

as another poster said, building muscle will improve that percentage as well. We lose muscle mass as well as fat when we're losing weight...

[KristenLe 5,979]

@ BTW - you should still feel damn good about yourself - you've done amazing!!!

[gpmed 623]

I'm curious how loose skin is interpreted by these scans? Is it perhaps mistaken for fat? I've really like a better idea of how much extra fat I'm carrying. I find it difficult to distinguish between it and loose skin sometimes.

[RJC5197 282]

Great progress in a short time

GO BLUE

[DeletedMember 715]

I'm curious how loose skin is interpreted by these scans? Is it perhaps mistaken for fat? I've really like a better idea of how much extra fat I'm carrying. I find it difficult to distinguish between it and loose skin sometimes.

Well, they claim 98%-100% accuracy for what it's worth.

That being said, they also are able to separate fat and bones from other tissue and organs.

Also, we talk a lot about how much excess skin weighs, but my opinion is that the actual excess skin weighs very little. I think the idea that we are carrying 10-20 lbs of excess skin is based on the fact that when a plastic surgeon removes and weighs the "skin" they are actually removing not just the skin, but some of the fat beneath the skin as well.

Your actual skin is very thin and light. From the quick googling I did estimates for the weight of ALL your skin ranges from 6-20 lbs (the upper range noted it included hair and nails as well, not sure of the lower estimates). So if all your skin in aggregate weighs only 6-20 lbs, then I would hard pressed to believe "excess skin" could weigh more than a few pounds by itself.