DEXA Scan

I am going to write a post about my Sydney trip over the next few days....but todays post is going to be about my DEXA scan and where i am going to head with my journey now.

So for those who dont know...a DEXA scan is similar to a xray...you lay on a bed and they scan your body. Its a simple process...altho costly ($150) but if you are on a journey like me i think the information is brilliant....so firstly ill give you the info the report tells me:

*My bone mass density is 1.147 which is above the average (means my bones are good).

*My BMC which is the weight of my skeleton is 2.53 kilos - a woman wants it between 1.5 and 2.5 kilos (if less then 1.5 kilos your bones wont be as strong) so thats a great result.

*Total body fat: For a woman should be between 20 kilos and 25 kilos - mine is 24.698 kilos so I am in the healthy weight range for this but they would like me to get that down to about 20 kilos. You are doing really well if your body fat weighs between 15 and 20 kilos...so im on target....not there yet but getting there.

*The body fat percentage for someone my age is 23-34% - mine is 27% - that said they said dont focus too much on this its more about the weight of the fat they want me to focus on.
Abdominal Cross section : This is the fat deposited centrally and determines your risk for heart disease etc...If its over 1 kilo you are at a high risk of heart disease and under 600 grams you are a low risk and i am 503 grams :) So very low risk in respect t that.

*Lean Mass : This is the muscle tissue in your limbs, as well as the muscle and organ tissue in your trunk. The total lean mass of most females should weigh 40 kilos and 35 kilos if you are short...my lean mass is 64.921 kilos so it is very high. He in fact said that i have one of the highest levels of muscle he has ever seen in a female :) He did tell me that part of the reason its so high is because when i weighed 170 kilos my legs had to carry around that weight every day so thats why they are high in muscle. he in fact said...if i lost another 15 kilos and 10 kilos of it was muscle that would be fine and that he doesnt recommend i focus on weight training.

*My resting metabolic rate: this is the amount of calories i would burn if i lay down in bed for 24 hours doing nothing...and due to the high muscle mass it is very high and is 1871 calories....which explains why a 1200 calorie diet didnt work for me....and why eating 2275 calories works for me. He suggested i stay at the calories i am eating and if i plateau out then maybe cut back to 1900-2000 calories throwing in the odd low calorie day.

*My ideal goal weight by their scales is 78.9-80.9 kilos (there scales are about 2 kilos heavier then mine)...so im setting my goal weight by my scales as 78.9 kilos....its more then that number its about needing to lose 5.1 kilos to 7.2 kilos of FAT

* Based on my resting metabolic rate they recommend 1900-2000 calories and to eat the macronutrients as:
Protein : 143-150 grams
Carbs : 166-175 grams
Fat : 74-78 grams

*Recommended I burn a minimum of 1800 calories per week.

*They also advised that my excess skin weighs at least 5 kilos and possibly as high as 10 kilos.


So now I have this info what next? For a lot of things not much will change....Except I have a few more things to aim for...to make sure I am reaching the fat and protein levels. To ensure I am burning 1800 calories per week (I generally burn 3000 calories or more per week) The big change is no focus on weight training. My PT session with nora and my outdoor session i do with fiona will still be resistance work....to ensure i maintain the muscle but the big focus will be cardio, cardio, cardio. So theres no stress if i dont make body pump each week. And whilst i had considered doing cross fit that option is completely out the window now lol. Running is definitely going to be the big focus, along with cycle, boxing, combat classes. And maybe in time Ill start to do body attack and step. The other thing is i wanna do more core work so doing cxworx whenever i can (unfortunately my gym only currently has it during the day) and of course body balance as I think balance helps me not to lose weight but with so many other things.

I think most know ive been struggling with the new stuff i have been doing with the new trainer and things like pushups and chin ups etc...im still of course going to be doing those things...but im just going to try and not focus on those things so if im not doing great at them thats okay because its the cardio etc that i want to focus on. I think by tackling it this way is what I need to do....I think maybe i was putting too much expectations on myself so by putting the focus on what i know i AM capable of whilst still doing the other things i think will help to get me over this bump. Maybe it wont work....and in all honesty i may never do a full pushup or a chin up...so for me thats not going to be the "goal" but the running which i do feel is doable will be the goal!

So do i think the DEXA scan was worth it? ABSOLUTELY! And i am planning to go back to Sydney in September to do a follow up scan to see how i am going with getting body fat closer to 20 kilos instead of nearly 25 kilos :)

The other news is I did gain while away...I ate some AMAZING foods....i was 83.9 kilos the morning i flew out and was 87 kilos this morning...and thats fine...i feel completely refocused....absolutely no stopping me! I will lose this 5.1 kilos of FAT :)