FIT3D FAQ

Body Shape Rating (BSR)

Fit3D extracted SBSI, ABSI, Trunk to Leg Volume Ratio, body fat percentage, and BMI from more than 26,000 scans. Fit3D then evaluated the correlation between each algorithm and calculated the weighted values for the health risk outcomes based on the overall Fit3D user population. This results in a Body Shape Rating (BSR). A user can then understand how their body shape wellness compares with the rest of the Fit3D population.

Ways to Improve: The primary way to improve your BSR is to increase the density of your body, build the muscle in your legs, and decrease your waist circumference. This can be done through a balanced mix of good nutrition and exercise. Consult with your trainer, nutritionist, coaches, or doctors to set up a plan.

Waist Circumference

A larger waist circumference can mean more "deep" (visceral) fat which is an unhealthy type of fat that wraps around internal organs and can lead to additional health risks. Generally a lower waist circumference is better. Waist circumference has been widely used in the past due to its simplicity.

Waist circumference (WC) provides a prediction of risk independent of BMI. WC is particularly useful for patients who are categorized as normal or overweight on the BMI scale as a measurement associated with visceral fat and overall body shape.

• High risk is associated for men with WC > 102 cm and for women where WC > 88 cm.

• WC is the circumference measurement taken at the small of the back.

Ways to Improve: You can decrease your body fat percentage through a balanced mix of good nutrition and exercise that includes higher intensity interval training and cardio. Consult with your trainer, nutritionist, coaches, and/or doctors to set up a plan.

Waist to Hip Ratio

Waist to hip ratio describes body shape using a ratio between waist and hips. A lower ratio generally means lower risk for certain health issues. If you have heard of body shapes described as apple or pear, these are two ends of the WHR spectrum where pear has a lower WHR ratio and therefore lower risk for certain health issues.

• The waist to hip (WHR) ratio is obtained from dividing the circumference of the waist (the narrowest point between the hips and ribs) by the circumference of the hips (the widest part of the hips).

• WHR is a ratio generally used to evaluate whether the individual is at high risk of obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and/or high blood pressure. The measurement evaluates body shape in the midsection of the body.

• This ratio as a health metric is extremely limited, but it is an easy way to try to evaluate the level of visceral fat one may have.

Ways to Improve: While you cannot spot reduced fat mass throughout your body, you can still work with your coaches to reduce the amount throughout your body, which will generally decrease the circumference of your mid-section. WHR is extremely limited in scope, but is widely used as a metric of health.

Trunk to Leg Ratio

Trunk to Leg Volume Ratio compares the volume of your trunk with the volume of your legs. This can generally only be done with some type of body scanning, whether it be Fit3D or more costly and complex scanners like DXA or MRI. Research claims that having a high percentage of your body’s volume in your torso compared to your legs increases the likelihood of you experiencing prediabetes, diabetes, high triglyceride (fat) counts, high blood pressure, metabolic syndromes, and other severe health complications.

Weight in your mid-section is highly correlated with visceral fat, which is the unhealthy fat around your organs. If you have a big belly and smaller legs, it is a good assumption that your weight is centered around your midsection and is therefore visceral fat.

Ways to Improve: This formula is dependent on volume, not weight. The overly simple way to improve your Trunk to Leg Volume score is to decrease the volume of your midsection and increase the volume of your legs. This can be done through a balanced mix of good nutrition and exercise that includes higher intensity interval training. Consult with your trainer, nutritionist, coaches, and/or doctors to set up a plan

Body Fat Percentage

Body fat percentage is the user's total fat mass divided by the total body mass. Fat is an essential component of the body, however, too much body fat can negatively affect overall health.

Through research partnerships with public and private institutions, Fit3D has scanned thousands of people with Fit3D and DXA systems side by side. Fit3D has subsequently created algorithms that utilize hundreds of measurements automatically extracted from these body scans to calculate a user’s body fat percentage.

Body fat percentage is the user’s total fat mass divided by the total body mass. Fat is an essential component of the body and is necessary to maintain life and reproductive functions; however, too much body fat can negatively affect overall health or hormone levels. It also serves as an indicator of more serious health problems that could potentially be faced in the future. The essential body fat (fat that is required to maintain life functions) is generally 10-13% for women and 2-5% for men (referenced through NASM).

Ways to Improve: You can decrease your body fat percentage through a balanced mix of good nutrition and exercise that includes higher intensity interval training and cardio. Consult with your trainer, nutritionist, coaches, and/or doctors to set up a plan.

Weight

Body weight is a person’s mass or weight. This is probably the easiest metric to measure on a human and is therefore a part of our primary assessment metrics; however, the body shape makeup and body composition is a much more real mechanism to determine the health of an individual.

Fat Mass

Fat mass is also known as adipose tissue within the body. This loose connective tissue is primarily composed of adipocytes (fat cells). Its main role is to store energy in the form of lipids. It also cushions and insulates the body.

• Body fat is primarily made up of three types of fat:

  • Epicardial Adipose Tissue (EAT): EAT is a particular form of visceral fat deposited around the heart and is found to be a metabolically active organ that generates various bioactive molecules, which may significantly affect cardiac function.

  • Subcutaneous Fat: The fat that is generally stored just below the surface of the skin. Subcutaneous fat is not related to many of the classic obesity-related pathologies, such as heart disease, cancer, and stroke and is generally a protective fat.

  • Ectopic Fat: The storage of triglycerides (fats) in tissues other than adipose tissue that are only supposed to contain small amounts of fat, such as the liver, skeletal muscle, heart, and pancreas. These fats can interfere with cellular function. The cause for accumulation of Ectopic fat is unknown.

Ways to Improve: You can decrease your body fat percentage through a balanced mix of good nutrition and exercise that includes higher intensity interval training and cardio. Consult with your trainer, nutritionist, coaches, and/or doctors to set up a plan.

Lean Mass

Lean mass is the muscle tissue, skeletal tissue, and water in the body. Lean mass burns more energy than fat mass, so increasing lean mass can help continue to reduce fat mass.

The 2-component model, which consists of fat mass and lean mass calculations, is widely used to determine body composition. Fat mass is the mass of the adipose tissue in the body. Lean mass is the muscle tissue, skeletal tissue, and water in the body. In 3- and 4-component models, skeletal tissue and water are drawn out as isolated measurements.

Ways to Improve: You can increase your lean mass by participating in fitness programs that include weight training. You can also talk with your nutritionist to develop a nutrition program that will effectively build lean mass. If you are simply looking to build lean mass, but not necessarily lose fat mass, your program may be quite different than a program that is geared towards a more balanced fat percentage reduction. Consult with your trainer, nutritionist, coaches, and/or doctors to set up a plan.

Basil Metabolic Rate

The amount of energy your body is burning while at rest.

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the amount of energy expended while at rest in a neutrally temperate environment and in the post-absorptive state. In this state, the digestive system is inactive, which is usually achieved by about twelve hours of fasting. Furthermore, BMR is the amount of energy expressed in calories that a person needs to keep the body functioning (i.e. breathing, blood circulation, controlling body temperature, cell growth, brain and nervous function, and contraction of muscles). BMR affects the rate at which a person burns calories and ultimately affects whether that individual maintains, gains, or loses weight.

Ways to Improve: You can increase your BMR by participating in fitness programs that include high intensity interval training or lifting weights to build muscle. You can further increase your BMR by eating more protein, eating many smaller-portioned meals per day, and staying hydrated. The rule of thumb here is that muscle requires more energy to survive—the more lean muscle you have on your body, the higher your BMR. Consult with your trainer, nutritionist, coaches, and/or doctors to set up a plan.

As part of the 3D body surface scan, the Fit3D includes an assessment of your full body posture, from eyes and ears to feet. Unlike other tools that evaluate posture, the Fit3D analyzes the position of your ears and eyes as a baseline, which provides important insight into your head and neck positioning. Our Posture Analysis evaluates your shoulders, hips, knees and ankle positions when you are standing. It also provides posture Wellness Metrics on body shape, waist circumference, waist to hip and trunk to leg volume ratios, and more. 

This is particularly important for people with mobility issues, chronic neck, back, and other joint pain. A Posture Analysis can help you focus your time in the gym and during physical therapy on the right activities to strengthen your core. Over time, as your fitness and health improve, you can take repeat scans to see changes and further calibrate your posture. And the Fit3D ProScanner Posture Analysis is the only one of its kind that visualizes your changes with an avatar.

Use your Body Scans to Buy Better Fitting Clothes

Fit3D is pleased to announce the availability of its Marketplace for the purchase of bespoke clothing online. Fit3D members can submit their 3D body scans to partners and purchase custom clothing based on their exact measurements.

Fit3D launched its marketplace today with three bespoke clothing partners:

• Unspun makes customized denim on-demand, in-situ, and without waste, and are infinitely recyclable.

• Sene designs a line of casual, business, and formal wear that empowers men and women of all shapes and sizes to feel their best.

• Stantt offers custom men’s dress, casual, and formal shirts that is powered by data and technology.

Our Marketplace shopping experience is available exclusively to Fit3D users, but you can get scanned if you don’t have an account yet. 3D body scans from DXA and other vendors are not compatible. Fit3D has ProScanners in health clubs in 45 countries and 48 U.S. states; most facilities offer scanning to non-members. Click here to find a ProScanner location near you. We will continue to add more scan locations & partners to the Marketplace in the upcoming months.

To try the new marketplace from Fit3D:

1.       Login to your Fit3D account.

2.       Click the “Shopping” link.

3.       Upload your 3D body scan.

4.       Browse the catalogs of companies like Unspun, Sene, and Standt.