I was shocked yesterday when.....

Erikabomb · #1 10-15-2003, 04:14 PM

I had my body fat taken by the DEXA machine and found out it was 26%! I did not think it was that high at all. I did find the test to be very acurate and I really liked the way it broke my body parts down (left arm, right arm, trunk, left leg, right leg.) That really showed me where I need to lose the most fat. Surprisingly my arms were the fatest part of my body. I must get some pictures on here so everyone can critique me and give me some feed back on what I should do. Just wanted to share my test results and say that the DEXA is definately worth taking.

soccerchick · #2 10-15-2003, 04:17 PM

what is the DEXA machine? [img]/forum/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

Erikabomb · #3 10-15-2003, 04:23 PM

This is from the Hyperplasia Challenge:

DUAL ENERGY X-RAY ABSORPTIOMETRY (DEXA)

DEXA is a new technology that has been proven to be very accurate. The DEXA technique uses a full body scanner that shoots X-Rays at different parts of your body (soft tissue, bone etc.) simultaneously. The scanner is mounted underneath a reclining table with a detector overhead. The scanner goes up and down the body collecting data at .5cm intervals. This technique takes about 10 to 20 minutes to scan. The scanner divides the body into total body mineral, fat-free soft (lean) mass, and fat tissue mass. The measurements are based on the assumption that the amount of photon energy in the bone is directly proportional to the mineral content of that bone. Many researchers hail this device as the new “gold standard” when it comes to accurately measuring body fat. However, further research needs to be done.

soccerchick · #4 10-15-2003, 04:25 PM

thanks!

how did you find one of those in your area? expensive?

Erikabomb · #5 10-15-2003, 05:02 PM

I am still in college at Wichita State University and they have one in their physical activity area. The cost was $50 and it not only showed your body fat but also your bone density and it compared your bone density with other people your age and with someone that is 30 yrs. old b/c at 30 your bones stop producing more bone and start to decrease in size. My bone density was very good for my age, 21. My hip was 16% stronger, lower leg 8% stronger, spine was 6% stronger and my forearm was 6% stronger. So she told me that if I continue to do weight bearing activity and drink lots of milk I should have a really good cushion for myself by the age of 30. The other neat thing is that it takes an x-ray of your body, very low radiation, and you can see your skeleton, muscle and the fat on the outside of your muscle. I thought it was neat because I was able to see how much fat I was carrying in different areas, since the #s did not mean a lot to me, the picture was very clear to me. The other good thing is that I found out that I have a slight curvature of the spine. Which I would not have known if I did not do the test.

ZachE84 · #6 10-15-2003, 05:59 PM

Thars amazingly cool! Wihs we had one somewhere around here.

Erikabomb · #7 10-16-2003, 12:05 PM

You might have one around your area, just check the universities, hospitals or health care centers. They might have one.