BOD POD Results

Whet in for my body composition analysis with the BOD POD this morning. The analysis itself was quick and painless. The only preparation was to not eat or drink an hour before the testing and since my appointment was at 8:00 am, I just went in fasting. I also needed to wear a swimsuit or spandex exercise shorts and jog bra.

I stripped down to my swimsuit, put on a swim cap to matt down my hair, stepped on a scale and then into the BOD POD. The BOD POD is an egg shaped machine that measures body mass based on air displacement. I did 3 consecutive tests (for accuracy) each only lasted about a minute. When I was all done, they printed out a copy of my report, I paid my $40 for the test and I was on my merry way.

The results:

My percent body fat is at 10.9% (13.6 lbs.)

My lean mass is 89.1% (111.9 lbs.)

I am in the risky (too low) category for body fat. These are the categories for men and women

Rating                     Men               Women         Explanation

Risky (too high)        >30%            >40%          more at risk for health problems

Excess Fat               20.1-30%      30.1-40%      excess fat accumulation over time

Mod. Lean               12.1 - 20%     22.1-30%      acceptable level for good health

Lean                       8.1-12%         18.1-22%      lower than average body fat, excellent for health and longevity

Ultra Lean               5-8%              15-18%         level sometime found in elite athletes

Risky (too low)         

Good information to have!

Paula-

     So,  will this information influence your target range, eating and/or exercise goals ?  Did they have any recommendations ?  How about any metabolism data ?  Wow ! How do you begin to wrap your mind around potentially increasing body fat... in a healthy way ?  A lot to absorb !!

     Thanks for sharing. I am curious about what my results will be next Tuesday.

I didn't realize you had yours scheduled already! Can't wait to hear about your results.

I think my goals will remain the same as long as I continue to feel well. They didn't have recommendations for me....the professor doing the testing asked if I am a runner (lol!). He was very surprised to learn that I had lost over 100 lbs. the last year. Since he knew that I am a clinical exercise physiologist, I don't think he felt the need to interpret the results for me.

I think I will concentrate on maintaining my current weight and building more muscle - not that I need to be leaner but I want to be stronger! I'm okay if an increase in muscle increases the scale some!

Wow! I had so much more information here that didn't get posted! Dang OH!

I'll retry -

Risky (too low) range was < 5% for men and < 15% for women

BOD POD accuracy is usually within 1% of under water weighing which is considered the "gold standard"

When compared to DEXA BOD POD tends to overestimate % body fat for thinner people and underestimate % body fat for heavier people which means I could be even less fat.

My resting metabolic calories are computed at 1,335 daily

TEE calories are:

1656 (sedentary)

2030 (low Active)

2323 (Active)

2764 (Very Active)

According to this, I should be able to eat about 2,323 calories per day - yeah right! Minus about 1,000 if I want to stay lean!

My take on all of this:

I think the BOD POD truly underestimated my % body fat. I think I am probably VERY lean, maybe even a little too lean but not 10.9%

I look and feel good. Would I look emaciated if I had my extra skin removed? Maybe. I know I am very boney where I don't have much extra skin (shoulders, shoulder blades, ribs etc). I also have pretty good muscle definition. I never have looked as heavy as the scale reads. I think I might naturally be "leaner" at any given body weight.

These results want me to have a DEXA scan even more!

Off to eat some ice cream to fatten up some! Lol, just kidding!

Hi all

Interesting results on the Bod Pod. Congrats on being so lean.I wouldn't change my plans. I bet you are the picture of health. 

WE have bod pod here and maybe one of these days i will get there. 

Watched the football game last night and ate a considerable portion of beans with ham.  Really not a lot of fat there as there was only a bit of ham and there were some veggies, but beans are carbs and calories.  Managed to gain a pound while I napped through the third quarter strung out on bean carbs. 

The good news is that the blood doctor thinks i am fine and platelet issue seems to be close enough to normal not to worry.  

Our guest last night brought over special incense and herbs that are supposed to increase our dog's fertility. Hope it works.  He doesn't eat the herbs. We just keep them around.  Its a sort of witchcraft thing which was pretty funny during a football game.    Diane S.

Subjecting poor Chip to voodoo! LOL! 

Good news about your platelet issue! 

How exciting to confirm your fitness and lean body! So exciting!!!!!!

But........Hmmm.... I'm going to throw this out there.... 

Now I don't know your age, Paula, nor is it any of my business to know the answer, but....

at 10.9% body fat it is very unlikely that you would have a menstrual cycle of any kind (should you be pre menopausal). None, Nada, Zippo! That is one of the first things to go in ultra lean athletic women. Being ultra lean also postpones the onset of puberty (think of olympic gymnasts). Being in the risky category also means that your are essentially in the same category as an anorexic woman. You do not look underweight to me one bit!!! You look FANTASTIC! 

I know you are lean (I'd guess between 15-20%) - I've seen your pics. I'm guessing there is some inaccuracy in the BOD POD finding. Hell, but what do I know! 

Also, I would not let the BOD POD findings influence my plans for maintenance and my first year at goal. Your body will adjust all by itself. You'll be surprised how the remaining fat seems to redistribute itself. Cheeks fill back out, you'll get more flesh on your breast bone and collar bones - all with doing nothing more than what you're doing right now. 

I agree Kairk- I was thinking I probably fit in the 15-20% range as well.

I don't mind sharing my age - I'm 50 (not too hard to figure out as my username is Paula1965). I do still get periods but pretty sporadically - just the same as when I was obese due to PCOS. Hopefully (soon) all that will be done - my baby making days are over - no longer in need of those functions!

I'm not going to change my maintenance plans unless I start to lose more weight or start feeling ill effects of what I am currently doing.

I'm kind of hoping some of my (lean) co-workers will go and get tested so I can compare results with them.

Paula

It's great you got that done Paula!  Surprising result indeed, and having seen your photos and knowing your stats, the number doesn't feel right to me either.  I'm guessing you're 'lean'.  But it's good info, especially if you get to compare it to some other type of testing, and I think you're making good decisions around the data.