ok, so i went to dexafit in gurnee. the guy running the place (chad) is a phd and researcher and has a lot of experience in evaluating body compositions and optimizing for sports performance. i was curious how i would look after years of doing nothing, then slowly doing some stuff in chicago (hiit) in 2019, then starting muay thai and trying to hit the gym a little more seriously (mid 2020) to paying more attention to what i eat (feb 2021) to now.
in thailand, i had a very consistent schedule, of muay thai 3x a week, gym 3x a week, walk most everywhere. beach walk, walk to 7-11 for coffee, walk to the store for food to cook, walk to a restaurant. my island was not only the ideal place to spend covid, but the ideal place to get in better shape. my average day i used at least 3100 calories and consumed 2800.
i ate my way through my last week, way home, and have been staying at my parents house since then. varying degrees on what i eat since mom is making food, i am eating randomly, etc. i've had absolutely 0 days where i've hit 10k fitbit steps, my max calories has been 2900 but average probably 2200? waiting until my finger heals and i have been vaccinated to try muay thai or boxing here (maybe later this week) and occasionally gym at planet fitness. for sure have already added some good old american fat though.
inbody scan 4/8/19: 189.7 lbs, 19.3% body fat
inbody scan 9/15/19: 186.9 lbs, 18.4% body fat
scale in my parents bathroom 7/28: 177 lbs
dexa scan 7/27: 179.5 lbs, 9.2% body fat
my guess was anywhere between 12-17%, realistically thought it was 15 and was hoping for 12. 9.2 is more like "is that machine broken?" but it is the most accurate afaik one can get. am i diced to the socks? fuck no, if you saw me you might wonder if the machine is broken too. i still wonder that a little. i think if anyone saw me that 12-15 would be the fair expectation. if i did cut just 1% more of fat i do think muscles would be a lot more visible, although i think the real reason i am not more dicey is because i have no muscles. i have not worked out long, am not that efficient, and am not that strong. in any case, now i have a cool baseline, and will look to visit and get some more numbers again in a year.
i also did a 3d body scan; i thought it would be gimmicky, although it's a little cool. it was thrown in with the other tests. it takes an infrared scan/builds a 3d model of your body - it's interesting to see the shape is pretty much just like you see in the mirror, but rendered as the shaded computer guy. in any case, what it is really nice for is taking metrics around all points of your body, eg. left and right biceps, hips, waist, thighs, etc. this machine apparently estimated my weight and bmr? although i don't think it had a scale. seemed to do good guesses though (177 and 1741)
i did do a resting metabolic rate (RMR) test, where you have a mask strapped on, try to relax with this thing hugging your face, then breathe for 15 minutes. dexa you are supposed to have not eaten for 2 hours, but this test not for 5. i had not for 7 and was hungry af and dunno how one meal a day or fasting people do it. in any case, one of the expectations here is that your exhaled breath es emitting more fat molecules than carbs or sugar ones because you are in this fasted state. the predicted rate for a whole day (of rest) was 1752 calories. from there there's 5 exercise expenditures that would predict your day rate based on various activity levels.
how did the last one compare to online calculators? i do have info saved from one of the top google ones you'll see; at 179 lbs my estimates from it appear to be generally 350 calories higher. so if i strictly went off them to try and lose weight, i'd be overeating. not sure if that also means my metabolism is slower than the average person at this height/weight, or if that is even a good vs. bad thing, at present i guess just an observation.
i didn't do it, but they also had a vo2 max test, which was basically the mask but exerting yourself to exhaustion over 15 minutes on a treadmill or a bike (your bike you bring in) - i saw some example results, and it was interesting to see based on the exhaled breath composition, where someone's heart rate and body went from them in a fat burning mode into a carb burning mode, in which case your body will not be able to sustain itself unless refueled with carbs - seemed like really interesting info for people big into cardio or endurance sports.