Many years ago when I was a health coach, part of my services included measuring body fat percentage with calipers. Pinching someone’s arms, stomach and legs always seemed a little strange but it was the best method available to us at the time. I still have those calipers, but the body structure has now gone as high-tech as the bod pod.
Bod Pod is a “gold standard” body composition tracking system that uses air displacement technology to accurately measure body fat percentage and fat free mass in approximately 5-10 minutes. It is a safe, non-invasive, egg-shaped chamber and the results are often used for fitness planning, weight management, and tracking progress over time.
When I saw this offered as an experience when Mom and I were visiting Canyon Ranch, I jumped on it. I followed the advice to not exercise, eat, or drink caffeine until at least 2 hours before and wore a bathing suit (and a robe). After a brief introduction on the process, including a test run with an empty pod so I could understand the sound of air displacement here and understand what to expect, I was handed my cap (like a swimmer’s cap) and I climbed inside.
I almost asked to have my picture taken here but it felt a little silly to do so 😉
We ran two races, each race took about 45 seconds and that was it! I felt like a breeze and my ears were a little open, but there was no discomfort of any kind other than the cold seat I was sitting on.
She opened the pod, I got out and put on my robe, and we met in her office next door to discuss the results. It helped that I became familiar with many of the terms – body fat percentage, lean body mass, etc. Let’s take a look at the print out:
This was the printout she brought to go with me. It shows my body fat percentage and my fat free mass. I was told that the statistics were compared to other women of my same age and ethnicity, however the real value is in comparing my results over time, not to others.
Some findings from this analysis:
- I have 24% body fat, which is in the healthy zone.
- I have 89 pounds of fat free mass (no fat of anything including muscle, bones, organs, etc) and my goal height, weight and age is 90+
It was interesting to me, but I wanted to know deeper. I asked if my goal was to increase my fat free mass (muscle) from 89 to 92 pounds, would it make sense for me to focus on building muscle or losing fat. As we began discussing the topic of this conversation, she made me wait while she printed another page.
When she came back I was thrilled because this was information I was more curious about than the simple statistic of my fat percentage. I needed information I could act on and it was this:
I found this page extremely useful, so if you get an evaluation, please make sure you ask for this print out as well.
This page helped me see if I was in the upper range of athletic levels of body fat. I feel OK about that, but the longevity-focused goal is to gain more muscle. When I asked him if my goal should be to lose some fat or focus on gaining muscle, the answer was clear: muscle! So we dived into calorie expenditure.
Your RMR (also called BMR) is the calories your body needs to survive if you lie in bed all day (1097 for me). Your total energy expenditure (TEE) is the number of calories you need based on your activity level. I told her about my daily life and exercise schedule and she determined that I was in the active group, which means my body requires 1909 calories per day to maintain its current level of activity.
Since my goal is to gain muscle, I really need a little extra calories with a focus on protein to accomplish this. Aiming for 2100 calories per day with 120 grams of protein would be a good place to start, while also continuing focused strength training 4 days a week.
This information was very helpful to me because I feel like I’m actually eating less for this goal. I don’t track macros, but given my extensive experience in doing so, I estimate I’m eating around 1600-1800 calories a day.
Have I lost you yet? Haha 🙂
As a health data enthusiast (because it sounds cool more than stupid), I love this stuff. This is one of the reasons I love Function Health so much.
Do I start tracking calories and macros on My Fitness Pal to achieve these goals? Maybe for a day or two out of curiosity, but honestly, probably not. But I will continue to focus my meals on protein and fiber and try to increase my calorie intake a bit as well.
Overall I found Bod Pod to be a very valuable experience. I would love to do it again in a year to see how my body composition changes. As we age, muscle mass becomes more important for longevity, so it is very helpful to have information and knowledge of what my specific body needs to grow it.
Have you done a body composition assessment? Would you like to do this if given the opportunity?
