Abstract To develop a simplified magnetic resonance imaging method (MRI) to assess total adipose tissue (AT) and adipose tissue free mass (ATFM) from three single MRI slices in people with overweight/obesity in order to implement body composition follow-up in a clinical research setting. Body composition of 310 participants (70 women and 240 men, age: 50.8 ± 10.6 years, BMI: 31.3 ± 5.6 kg.m −2 ) was assessed with 3 single slices (T6-T7, L4-L5 and at mid-thigh) MRI. Multiple regression analysis was used to develop equations predicting AT and ATFM from these three single slices. Then we implemented a longitudinal phase consisting in a 2-month exercise training program during which we tested the sensitivity of these equations in a subgroup of participants with overweight/obesity (n = 79) by comparing the exercise-induced variations between predicted and measured AT and ATFM. The following equations: total AT = − 12.74105 + (0.02919 × age) + (4.27634 × sex (M = 0, F = 1)) + (0.22008 × weight) + (26.92234 × AT T6-T7) + (23.70142 × AT L4-L5) + (37.94739 × AT mid-thigh) and total ATFM = − 33.10721 + (− 0.02363 × age) + (− 3.58052 × sex (M = 0, F = 1)) + (30.02252 × height) + (0.08549 × weight) + (11.36859 × ATFM T6-T7) + (27.82244 × ATFM L4-L5) + (58.62648 × ATFM mid-thigh) showed an excellent prediction (adjusted R 2 = 97.2% and R 2 = 92.5%; CCC = 0.986 and 0.962, respectively). There was no significant difference between predicted and measured methods regarding the AT variations (− 0.07 ± 2.02 kg, p = 0.70) and the ATFM variations (0.16 ± 2.41 kg, p = 0.49) induced by 2-months of exercise training. This simplified method allows a fully accurate assessment of the body composition of people with obesity in less than 20 min (10 min for images acquisition and analysis, respectively), useful for a follow-up.