Through the university sports medicine clinic the dexa scans here are $50 and the VO2 is $150. You're in Indiana, no? Looks like there is a place in Indy charging $125, but you might have to go out of state to find one for $50: https://dexascan.com/locations/usa/indiana/ For best results don't eat for a few hours beforehand and stay fully hydrated (DXA is extremely accurate at finding bone mass and very accurate at finding fat mass, but (de)hydration can cause significant fluctuations in lean mass readings).
My fitbit also gives a relative VO2 max reading, but it is currently pretty optimistic. The algorithms aren't very good at estimating VO2 max for obese individuals, but they get better the more athletic you become since the formulae were largely derived from athletes' data. When I tested at 26 three months ago, fitbit put me at 29-33 (~19% high). Today it says 37-41 when I'm at 35 (~11% high).I get a free VO2 test annually but it's on a steeply inclined treadmill and my knee gives up before my cardio system does. My Garmin watch does a pretty good estimation, as it turns out.
For my VO2 max test I opted to use the bike since that was my primary form of cardio in October, but they can also do the test (here) on a treadmill or rowing machine if you prefer. The score is nice to have, but my main benefit is knowing my specific heart rate training zones so I can get the most from my exercise regime. For instance, fitbit says my "cardio" heart rate zone (aka medium endurance) begins at 127 bpm, but the vo2 max tests showed that zone beginning at 139 initially and 137 today.
Subsequent tests shouldn't tell me that much more, but I do expect my heart rate zones to drift downward as my heart's stroke volume increases with fitness.
Thanks!
I was targeting a calorie restriction resulting in 1% weight loss per week, all from fat. The 35 lbs of fat I lost in 12 weeks - a bit over my 1% per week goal - works out to an average daily deficit of 1458 calories. That's way too extreme for 99.9% of the population and I can no longer sustain that deficit without losing lean mass. That's because the amount of fat your body can burn in a day is related to the amount of fat it has on hand. According to research by the late Seymour Alpert (using data from the Minnesota Starvation Experiment), that fat loss limit occurs at deficit of about 20-32 calories per day per pound of fat mass. For me today that's 20 calories per day x 70 lb of body fat = 1400 calorie deficit.
As far as Macros, I running around 40% carbs, 40% protein, & 20% fat, but I really only care about getting 1 gram of Protein for every 1 lb of lean mass in my body (works out to about 170g of protein for me). I also shoot for a minimum of 30g of fiber which really seems to help keep me feeling full all day. What does that look like in foods & quantities? Here are my meals from yesterday & today:
Yesterday's Breakfast:
Orgain protein shake (150 cal, 20g protein, 3g fiber)
Banana (105 cal, 1.3g protein, 3g fiber)
Post workout snack:
Orgain protein shake (150 cal, 20g protein, 3g fiber)
Lunch:
6 oz cooked boneless skinless chicken breast (220 cal, 52g protein, 0g fiber)
1 bag of frozen green beans (147 cal, 8.4g protein, 8.4g fiber)
1/4 tsp Chile Lime Seasoning (0 cal, 0 protein, 0 fiber, 180mg sodium)
Dinner:
5.3 oz cooked boneless skinless chicken breast (194 cal, 45.9g protein, 0g fiber)
1 can of Cannellini beans rinsed & drained (338 cal, 23.7g protein, 20.3g fiber)
2 large jalapenos - 62 grams total - (18 cal, 0.6g protein, 1.7g fiber)
1/4 tsp Chile Lime Seasoning (0 cal, 0 protein, 0 fiber, 180mg sodium)
Evening snack:
1.02 oz smokehouse almonds (173 cal, 6.1g protein, 3g fiber)
3.1 oz pitted prunes (207 cal, 2g protein, 6.2g fiber)
Daily totals:
1700 calories
31.4g fat (3.2g Saturated)
196.5g carbs (48.7g fiber, 57.4g sugar)
180.1g protein
2338mg Sodium
263.7mg Cholesterol
My base daily energy expenditure is about 2550 plus I burned about an additional 600 calories (34 min on exercise bike VO2 max test plus 2 30 minute walks) for a daily deficit of about 1450
Today's breakfast:
Orgain protein shake (150 cal, 20g protein, 3g fiber)
Banana (105 cal, 1.3g protein, 3g fiber)
Lunch:
6.7 oz cooked & trimmed top sirloin (407 cal, 53.4g protein, 0 fiber)
210 g broccoli (71 cal, 5.9g protein, 5.4g fiber)
1/4 tsp Chile Lime Seasoning (0 cal, 0 protein, 0 fiber, 180mg sodium)
Dinner (split into 2 meals consumed ~2 hours apart):
1.75 cups black beans (397 cal, 26.7g protein, 26.2g fiber)
1/4 pound 73% lean ground beef (350 cal, 19g protein, 0g fiber)
1 scoop whey protein isolate (100 cal, 25g protein, 0 fiber)
2 small, 30g total, jalapenos (8 cal, 0.3g protein, 0.8g fiber)
2 mini sweet peppers (18 cal, 0.6g protein, 1.2g fiber)
Evening snack:
1 clementine (35 cal, 0.6g protein, 1.3g fiber)
1.7 oz cooked boneless skinless chicken breast (62 cal, 14.7g protein, 0 fiber)
Today's totals:
1701 calories
58.2g fat (20.3g saturated)
136.2g carbs (40.9g fiber, 31.2g sugar)
167.3g protein
918mg sodium
266mg cholesterol
I burned about 2550 calories as my base expenditure + about an extra 540 going for a 41 minute run and 18 minute walk for a daily deficit of 1389 calories.