Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Well, here it is Tuesday already and Christmas Eve is now only two weeks away. WTH??? The older I get the faster Christmas is upon me!

DEXA scan was done today. Results were interesting. I was a bit surprised by some of the negatives, and also surprised by some of the positives. Not exactly sure how to respond to the information. But for now, here it is:

The negatives:

Body Fat percentage: 32.8%, only 16% of men in my age range in the database have higher percentages of body fat; Visceral Fat: 4.7 pounds, 90th percentile (only 10% of men in my age category have a higher visceral fat rating);

The Positives: Lean mass is 64% which is higher than 91% of men my age; lean limb mass is higher than 74% of the men in my age range, and finally my bone density is in the high range.

Recommendations: 1 gram of protein per pound of lean mass (Lord help me - That's 140 grams of protein per day!!!!); minimum of 2 full body workouts per week (I'm already doing that); reduce alcohol (none), ultra-processed foods high in trans fats, refined carbs, and sugar.

Anyhow, I think I will get another scan in 2 months (it's a membership type of deal) and see what changes I make.

You're in the enviable position of not needing to build more muscle! If you are interested in lowering body fat percentage, how much fat do you need to burn? Curious if this triggers any of your food issues, or if it's just data to use to measure progress. Also, can a dexa scan differentiate excess skin from excess fat? Finally, a 140 grams of protein? I just fainted!

So far no feelings of being triggered. What the information does tell me is that I've been doing the tirzepatide journey in the way that is bringing about the results I wanted. I was hell bent on not losing muscle, though I knew losing some muscle was inevitable. I really want to use the DEXA scan as a measurement tool.

The BMI really messed me up after VSG. Even at my thinnest I was still considered medically overweight - even though I had a 29 inch waist. Logically I knew I wasn't overweight, but having body dysmorphia, an eating disorder, and super low self esteem and still being classified as overweight really messed with me and fed my "I'm never good enough no matter how hard I try" feelings. DEXA scans take the weight component out of the equation for me. It's all about getting to an acceptable body fat percentage. For my age, anything lower than 24% is considered healthy. That's my goal.

As for getting in 140 grams of protein, not sure how that's going to work. LOL! Supplementing with Fairlife shakes and Quest Bars is the only way I will make that goal. I just don't have the ability to eat 10 oz of chicken breast in a sitting! I'll keep you posted on that.

The major adjustment I need to make is reducing the ultra processed foods I still eat. I will have to decide how to manage that without triggering eating disorder take over.

Right now I'm feeling pretty good about myself - my physical well being, my size, my mobility, and my appearance. Those things are far outweighing the negatives of extra skin. I am feeling right now that my extra or loose skin is a testament to my hard work. I like it better loose than all filled out and puffy!

I scheduled my next scan for January 31.

I think the positives about your muscle outweigh the negatives by a lot. I know DH's numbers wouldn't be anywhere near that. He does work out but not like you. I guess it makes sense that you need a lot more protein than one would calculate for you based on body weight since you have so much more muscle. 140 grams!

Overall this sounds good Peps. But 140 G protein is 20 oz chicken or 20 eggs. Is my math wrong? Glad you are doing this. When mine was measured after I was at weight goal my body fat was 30% which dr, cirandle said was normal for my age. So good job. Where did you get this done? Dc

Company called Body Spec. They have offices in SF, Santa Clara, and somewhere on the peninsula. They have a mobile unit that travels. I went to the mobile unit in Concord.