JessicaH_TX said:There is also a quality change that the scan cannot see.
Filing a mild objection. Mild because I might be wrong; an objection because nobody has addressed the case that does not fit. I think this board over-worries about lean mass. Some lean loss is obligatory — you need less muscle to move a smaller body, and preserving mass you no longer need is not a health outcome. The question is whether strength and function held, and mine did.
RunnerRach said:Two DEXA scans eleven months apart: down 24kg total, of which the scan says 6kg was lean.
Body composition tracking via bioimpedance on lean mass (InBody scan every 3 months):
| Metric | Baseline | Month 3 | Month 6 | Month 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skeletal Muscle (lbs) | 74 | 70 | 69 | 72 |
| Body Fat (lbs) | 96 | 70 | 60 | 44 |
| Body Fat % | 40% | 32% | 25% | 22% |
| Visceral Fat (cm²) | 171 | 126 | 91 | 61 |
Note: skeletal muscle mass dipped initially then recovered with consistent resistance training + high protein. The visceral fat reduction is where the metabolic magic happens.
kate.chem said:I think this board over-worries about lean mass.
Sharing my comprehensive lab data relevant to lean mass:
| Biomarker | Baseline | Month 3 | Month 6 | Month 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight (lbs) | 251 | 236 | 221 | 196 |
| A1C (%) | 7.6 | 6.1 | 5.6 | 5.3 |
| hsCRP (mg/L) | 6.0 | 5.0 | 2.5 | 0.7 |
| Triglycerides | 221 | 141 | 111 | 101 |
Protocol: Tirzepatide 15mg/wk, resistance training 4x/week, protein 1.6g/kg/day.
The improvements in lean mass are clearly reflected in these numbers. The inflammatory marker reduction (hsCRP) is particularly striking.
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Shop Reference StandardsOne thing that is still open after labquiet_amy’s answer:
What fraction of loss being lean mass is actually normal, because the numbers quoted here range from 10% to 40% and cannot all be right?
Reporting back.
Follow-up: I dropped the cardio to two easy sessions and put the effort into three real lifting sessions. The scale slowed and the scan improved.