For about five years now I’ve been using those consumer grade bathroom scales which supposedly do body fat analysis to measure my body fat percentage.

For those of you who have been following my body transformation challenge against Nima will know, my scale has been telling me that my body fat is between 26-28% body fat.

According to my bathroom scale, I started off this challenge at 28.5% body fat two and a half weeks ago.  However, after seeing how inaccurate the readings can be throughout the day, I decided to find a more accurate way to measure my body fat.

After doing some research, I found out that one of the most accurate ways to get a true body composition test is to get something called a DXA (dual energy x-ray absorptiometry) body scan done.  A DXA scan is far superior to any other method of measuring body composition because it is more accurate (about 98.5% accuracy) and much more detailed.

After a bit more digging, I found and contacted Peter Schwagly of Bodycomp Imaging, who offers DXA scans here in the Greater Vancouver area.  I told Peter about my competition with Nima and about the problem we’ve both been having with our scales being totally inaccurate in reporting our body fat percentages.  He invited us out to get ourselves scanned on the DXA machine so we could really find out what our body composition is.

This morning we met up with Peter and had our scans done, and the results were absolutely shocking to us both.

Getting the Scan Done

Getting the scan done is a really easy process.  Essentially all you have to do is lie down on the scanning table and lie still for seven minutes while the machine does seven passes over your body to complete the scan.

After you lie down comfortably, Peter puts a piece of masking tape on your feet just to make it more comfortable to keep them still while lying down and you just lie there while the machine does its job.

There is absolutely no discomfort or pain of any kind during the scan.  The whole process is totally non-intrusive.

The only thing you need to keep in mind for the scan is to wear clothing that does not contain any metal, such as zippers or buttons or anything like that.  If you arrive wearing clothing that does contain metal zippers and such, they do provide clean hospital style scrubs to change into.

I just ended up wearing my regular blue shorts I use for all my weigh-ins.

DXA Body Fat Test Results

Nima went first and got his test done.  We were both shocked with the results.

You see, about three weeks ago when Nima and I went out for lunch to plan this competition we were discussing his weight and body composition.  Neither of us had any clue what his actual body fat percentage was, but based on his weight and height and how active he is and how much better he used to eat compared to me I took a guess and said that his body fat % was probably around 17-18%.

When Nima measured his body fat on the bathroom scale for his official weigh-in just over two weeks ago, the scale showed 21.9% body fat.  This was a bit shocking to him as he didn’t realize he had that much body fat on him.  In fact he’s had comments from others who were shocked to learn that his body fat was that high.

You can just imagine his reaction when he got the results from the DXA scan on his actual body fat percentage and it was even higher than that.  I won’t reveal how much higher it was.  I don’t want to spoil the surprise for when he reveals the truth on his Blog, probably tomorrow, but I can tell you that he was not happy.

The whole way home he was in a state of disbelief, depression and anger.  My scan was even worse than his, but since he’s supposed to be the “health guru” his results definitely bothered him a lot!

Of course at the same time he was totally glad that he went and had the scan done as he understands as well as I do that awareness is the first step towards positive change.

For my scan I was expecting somewhere around the 28% body fat mark.  I originally started this challenge at 28.5% body fat and I’ve already lost about 10 lbs of fat, so I figured that maybe I would be around 26% bf and as high as 28% due to scale accuracy issues with my bathroom scale.  Before I left to get the DXA scan done, I measured and my bathroom scale was in fact showing 26.6% body fat %.

Obviously these bathroom scales are totally useless in terms of measuring body fat percentages, because the DXA scan revealed my true body fat percentage to be 38.2%!!!

HOLY CRAP!

I was expecting a bit of a difference in comparison to the bathroom scale results, but 38.2%!?  That is like 11.6% higher than what my bathroom scale shows.  In my mind that effectively renders those types of scales useless.

Not only that, but a long time ago I had my body fat % measured at a local fitness club which uses the same type of technology as these bathroom scales and I now realize that wasn’t accurate either.

Now when I say “not accurate” I’m not just talking about 1-2% variation.  I’m talking about being so inaccurate that the reported number is completely useless.

So many people go into a fitness place and get themselves measured, thinking that what they are seeing is accurate but it’s not.

I can tell you one thing for sure.  If I knew that I was 38.2% body fat five years ago I would have done something about it by now.  Instead those scales had me thinking that I was in the mid twenties for body fat which isn’t really that much of a danger zone for health concerns.

All I can say is thank God I went in and got this test done today so that I am aware of the truth about my body composition.

I highly recommend everyone to go in and get one of these scans done.

Without it, you really have no idea how much of your body is muscle and how much of it is flab.

There are many people who look skinny and even get compliments from people who tell them that they are thin and fit, but who are actually obese when they do a body composition.

As Peter explained to us today, trying to visually estimate body fat percentage is totally inaccurate.  Bathroom scales aren’t any better.

DXA Scan Details

What’s really cool about the DXA scan is that it doesn’t just tell you your total body fat % and that’s it.

It also gives you an accurate and detailed analysis of the different sections in your body.

For example, the test shows me exactly what my lean mass and fat % is for my Left Arm, Right Arm, Trunk, Left Leg, Right Leg and Head.  This is important for improving the symmetry of your muscles in your legs and arms.  Most of us favor one arm and one leg, and becoming aware of the difference in size between the left and right side of our body gives us the opportunity to correct that.

Peter pointed out today that a lot of times the sports and athletics you’re involved in affects the symmetry of your muscles.  He mentioned that swimmers for example tend to have more symmetrical bodies with both arms and legs being just as strong as the other.  This makes sense, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to swim straight.

The report also shows me an accurate breakdown of my total body composition in terms of fat, lean mass, bone mass and total weight.

Here is what my report showed:

• Fat = 78.0lbs
• Lean = 120.2 lbs
• Bone = 6.1 lbs
• Fat % = 38.2 %
• Weight = 204.3 lbs

There is a whole bunch of other stuff that the report shows, such as your resting metabolic rate (mine is 1607 calories) as well as giving you suggestions for daily caloric needs for the type of lifestyle you live.

To see a sample report for both a male and a female check out Peter’s website here: http://www.bodycomp.ca/sample.html

Not All Bad News

Going in for a scan like this may seem like bad news at first.  As I mentioned before, both Nima and I were shocked to learn just how fat we really are.

However, I’m a firm believer in awareness and knowing the truth at least allows me to do something about it.  Burying your head in the sand isn’t going to change things.  Revealing the truth might.

I know I’m very grateful for the opportunity to have this scan done and to have this awakening while I still have time to do something about it.

I would rather know now that I need to make my health a higher priority than to wake up in the hospital one day after suffering a heart attack or a stroke because I was too lazy or afraid to find out the real truth about the state of my body while I still have time to make changes.

The other good news was that while Nima and I were there, we both noticed and complimented Peter on how good he looks.  We asked him what his body fat percentage is and he told us he was 19% body fat.  Prior to today I honestly thought that in order to look good I would need to drop down to like 10-12% body fat, but after seeing what Peter looks like underneath his shirt I’m really inspired!

I had no idea that just by hitting 19% body fat you can look this good!

I mean right now he’s not “shredded” or “ripped” with a clearly defined six pack, but I still think he looks great!

I’d be happy to look like that right about now.

At least I’m on the right track.

BodyComp Imaging

To get more information about BodyComp Imaging, or to book an appointment to see Peter and get your DXA scan done you can click on the links below to check out his website for more information:

http://www.bodycomp.ca

Tell him Paulymath sent you and maybe he’ll show you his abs.

Seriously though, when I look as good as that I think I’ll just walk around with no shirt on for like a month.

Do you know what your body fat % is?