New Year’s is a time for reflection, new beginnings, and not least – new goals. Many set out to lose weight or improve their health, but without knowing their individual body composition, strengths, and weaknesses before they begin. Many weight loss dreams are thus based on imprecise measurements (hello, old bathroom scale!), which don’t tell the full truth about your body. If you want to change your body and achieve better results with your weight loss, it’s time to think of your body as a whole and start the year with an accurate and scientific approach to your weight loss goal.
What is Dexa scanning?
Dexa scanning, or Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry, is medical equipment with an advanced scanning technique that uses a low-dose of X-rays to provide a detailed and precise analysis of your body composition. Instead of just measuring weight and body fat percentage, DEXA scanning divides the body into three different components: bone mass, fat mass, and lean mass (lean mass is muscles, tissues, and organs). During the scan, the body is divided into several areas (torso, legs, arms, etc.), and each body part is analyzed separately. This provides insight into exactly where fat and muscle are located on the body, offering a much more nuanced picture of your body’s health.
Benefits of Dexa scanning for weight loss
1. Accurate measurements of fat and muscle mass
Where fat is located on the body matters. A DEXA scan provides answers on the amount of visceral fat – fat around the internal organs, the distribution of fat between android and gynoid, and the ratio of fat percentage around the waist and hips, which indicates the so-called ‘apple’ or ‘pear’ shape. These are important metrics because increased abdominal fat is generally associated with a higher risk of health problems like fatty liver, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.
When working with weight loss, it’s also important to build muscle while reducing fat, as this helps you burn more calories and boosts your metabolism.
2. Body development on a micro-level
With Dexa scanning, you gain insight into how your body responds to training and diet, even down to your bone density. Dexa scanning not only gives a picture of your overall body composition but also an individual analysis of body regions, helping you focus your efforts on specific areas of the body where you particularly want to see results.
3. Reliable long-term follow-up
When you regularly perform DEXA scans, you have the opportunity to track long-term changes in your body and adjust your training and diet accordingly.
Dexa scanning stands out for being highly consistent in its measurements compared to, for example, bioimpedance measurements, which estimate body composition based on a small amount of electricity passing through the body. Due to the electricity, bioimpedance is easily affected by the body’s fluid levels, whether you are menstruating, and the humidity in the air. If you want reliable information about your progress over time, precision is a key factor.
How to use Dexa scanning to achieve your New Year’s resolutions
If you’re ready to make your New Year’s resolutions a reality, DEXA scanning might be the right tool for you. Here are a few steps to get the most out of your DEXA scan in relation to your weight loss goals:
1. Book your first Dexa scan – Start by getting a medically accurate measurement of your body composition. This baseline will give you an understanding of where you stand and how your body is structured. Book your appointment here
2. Set realistic goals – Use the detailed analysis from your DEXA scan to set goals for both fat burning and muscle building. Focus on building muscle mass, as this will help you increase your metabolism. Book a free follow-up with one of our skilled partners, who are all trained in interpreting DEXA scan results within their area of expertise.
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3. Track your progress regularly – Repeat the scans every 6-8 months to monitor your progress and adjust your training and diet.
4. Adjust your training and diet based on the results – Use the results from your DEXA scans to improve your training and nutrition in order to optimize fat loss and muscle gain.
Invest in your health and do so on an informed basis. Book your appointment here
Sources:
- Bergman, M., & Ramiro, M. (2021). Understanding the role of Dexa scans in body composition analysis. Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
- McCarthy, H. D., & Cole, T. J. (2005). A simple method for measuring body fat distribution in adults and children. International Journal of Obesity.
- Heymsfield, S. B., et al. (2019). Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry: A Useful Tool in Body Composition Research. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
