The Truth About “Muscle Loss” on Body Scans

Tracking muscle mass and weight loss on a DEXA or bioimpedance scan?

It’s worth understanding what your results actually mean.

DEXA vs Bioimpedance: what are you actually measuring?

A lot of people are using scans to track progress now. DEXA. Bioimpedance. Smart scales.

But here’s the part that often gets missed:

Neither of them directly measure muscle.

They measure lean mass.

And lean mass is everything that isn’t fat or bone.

That includes:

• Muscle

• Organs like your liver

• Water

  
  

So what is the truth about “Muscle Loss” on body scans?

DEXA, or dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, uses low-level X-rays to estimate body composition. It is generally more consistent and less affected by day to day changes.

Bioimpedance, or bioelectrical impedance analysis, uses an electrical current to estimate body water, then predicts lean mass from that.

Which means it is very sensitive to hydration.

This is where things get confusing

If your scan says you have lost lean mass, it does not automatically mean you have lost muscle.

You might have:

• Less glycogen stored

• Less water

• Improved liver health

All of these reduce lean mass on a scan.

Especially with bioimpedance, even small changes in hydration can show up as muscle loss.

So what should you actually look at?

Use these tools for trends, not truth.

And zoom out:

• Are you getting stronger?

• Do you feel better in your body?

• Are your habits consistent?

Because your body is more than a number on a scan.

It’s dynamic. It adapts. It responds to how you eat, move, rest, and live.

And sometimes the data doesn’t tell the full story of what’s actually improving beneath the surface.

So before you panic about what a scan says, take a step back and look at the bigger picture. How you feel. How you’re functioning. The changes that don’t always show up as a number.

If you are confused about muscle loss, unsure what your scan results mean or want help understanding your body in a more grounded way, you don’t have to figure it out on your own.

You’re always welcome to reach out. I’d love to hear from you.

Grow strong,

Mel x

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