Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry or DEXA is the most accurate way to measure body fat percentage. It uses two X-Ray beams of different power levels to separately measure lean and fat mass as well as bone density which is what it was originally created for. Last Friday I went to a local diagnostic clinic and had a DEXA Scan done. Last year I would go for monthly BodPod body analysis sessions, but the results varied so wildly the information was unusable. DEXA Scans, at least here in Austin, are about 3x’s as much as a BodPod session so I’ll just go once a quarter. I’m not sure much would change in a month at this point anyway.

So let’s look at the results:

Total Mass: 238.6 ( This basically what my home scale said that morning which is nice to know it’s pretty accurate )

Fat Mass: 69.8 ( 30.3% )

Lean Mass: 160.6 ( 67.3% )

BMI: 33.0 Obese

Android/Gynoid Ratio: 1.37 ( Basically tells you if you are Apple or Pear shaped. I am Apple. You can read the research, but Apple shaped folks seem to have a higher risk to Type II Diabetes. )

Bone Density T-Score: 2.4 ( Any thing above a -1 is considered normal. So basically there’s a reason it took getting hit by a car for me to break my first bones. )

Resting Metabolic Rate: 1,921 ( The number of calories I’d need if I did nothing but rest. )

Relative Skeletal Muscle Index (RSMI): 10.77 kg/m2 ( I’m still trying to figure out what this is useful for. )