Two DEXA scans eleven months apart: down 24kg total, of which the scan says 6kg was lean. I want to know whether that ratio is bad, normal, or simply what happens.
What I am trying to establish is whether resistance training and protein change the ratio or only the absolute amount.
Not looking for reassurance. Looking for the part I have got wrong.
Taking the question as asked, rather than the general version of it. The intervention that works is boring and well evidenced: resistance training two to three times a week at a genuine effort, protein at 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg of reference body weight, and not making the deficit larger than the training can support. Cardio does not protect lean mass and in a deep deficit competes with recovery.
I would rather be corrected than agreed with, if it comes to it.
LabKate said:The intervention that works is boring and well evidenced: resistance training two to three times a week at a genuine effort, protein at 1.4 to 2.0…
Agreed on the ranges, with the condition that a single DEXA is not a measurement, it is one draw from a distribution. Hydration status moves the lean compartment by a kilogram or more between scans, so any comparison of scans done at different times of day or different hydration states is noise.
Sigma-Aldrich — Research-Grade Standards
Certified reference materials, analytical reagents, and research-grade standards for peptide verification. Trusted by laboratories worldwide.
Shop Reference StandardsJakeSmashed95 said:Two DEXA scans eleven months apart: down 24kg total, of which the scan says 6kg was lean.
Can confirm the pattern JakeSmashed95 describes. The honest range is roughly 20 to 40% of total loss as lean mass without deliberate resistance training, and roughly 10 to 20% with it plus adequate protein. Both numbers need a caveat that matters: "lean mass" on a DEXA is not muscle. It includes water, glycogen and the lean fraction of organs, and glycogen alone carries about three grams of water per gram. A large early lean drop is mostly the glycogen and water going, which is why the first scan flatters and the second is the honest one.
Clinical perspective, offered as context rather than as advice.
Body composition tracking via bioimpedance on lean mass (InBody scan every 3 months):
| Metric | Baseline | Month 3 | Month 6 | Month 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skeletal Muscle (lbs) | 76 | 70 | 70 | 72 |
| Body Fat (lbs) | 98 | 76 | 60 | 44 |
| Body Fat % | 40% | 34% | 25% | 22% |
| Visceral Fat (cm²) | 153 | 118 | 88 | 63 |
Note: skeletal muscle mass dipped initially then recovered with consistent resistance training + high protein. The visceral fat reduction is where the metabolic magic happens.