Not that long ago, being extremely thin was the standard for women in Hollywood. This body type is unattainable for most people and can actually end up being harmful to maintain. Instead, a healthy body is one that is achieved through a balanced diet and moderate exercise. Everyone is different so what is healthy for one may not be in another. One way to determine how fit you are is to measure your body composition, the percentage of fat, muscle, and bone in your body. Body composition can be adjusted for individual body types and isn’t a one-size-fits-all measurement. Having more fat than muscle in your body composition makes you more likely to develop serious health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. The most effective weight loss programs in the UK focus on losing fat and gaining muscle, especially lean muscle mass.

Muscle Gain vs Fat Loss

People starting a moderate to intense workout routine in an effort to lose weight tend to quickly gain new muscle mass. Because muscle weighs more than fat, the numbers on the scale may be higher than what you expected. Don’t be alarmed if you think you haven’t lost weight or have actually gained weight you may just have a higher amount of muscle than you used to. Beginners in particular tend to quickly improve their overall balance of muscle and fat. People who previously had more muscle mass also have more success because it’s easier to build back lost muscle than it is to create new muscle. Depending on the type of exercise you’re doing, you may instead lose muscle mass along with fat. The leaner muscle you have, the more calories you burn throughout the day (even when you aren’t working out!). So it’s important to find a workout routine that helps you build lean muscle mass while also losing fat. And of course, it should be a routine that you enjoy!

Achieving a Lean Body Composition with Medications

Body composition makes allowances for the variations in our individual body types. This is why it’s important to recognise that your muscle vs fat weight loss journey is likely to be different than everyone else’s. For some people, no amount of diet and exercise is enough to achieve their weight loss goals. If this sounds like you, there are effective weight loss medications that can help you lose weight and keep it off. We have several of these mediations available to buy safely online in the UK with swift delivery:

1. Saxenda
2. Orlistat
3. Wegovy

Saxenda

Saxenda is an injectable weight loss medicine that can help reduce your overall body weight and fat percentage. Its active ingredient, liraglutide, helps you feel fuller faster, so you eat less food at mealtimes.

Orlistat

Orlistat, the brand name for Xenical, is an oral medication that absorbs some of the fat you eat. When used with a healthy diet, it can help you lose weight and keep it off.

Wegovy

Praised in America for its effectiveness, Wegovy is an injectable weight loss drug that will soon be available in the UK and through us. It works by supressing your appetite and slowing down digestion, helping you to feel fuller for longer periods of time.

These medications are designed for people who are significantly overweight, typically with a  Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or higher. They can sometimes be prescribed for people with a lower BMI is there’s a high risk of weight related diseases. For any weight loss drug to work, you’ll need to eat a balanced diet and stay active. Combining weight loss medications with a muscle vs. fat body composition program can significantly improve your overall results.

Optimising Fat Loss and Muscle Gain

Balancing fat loss and muscle growth might seem difficult to achieve, but there are several tips to help you with achieving a lean body composition. The best weight loss program in the UK uses workout routines that have both cardio and strength training. Doing just cardio on its own can cause you to lose muscle while only doing strength training can hamper any weight loss goals. Doing them together makes it easier to balance fat loss with muscle gain. How often you exercise will depend on your own abilities and preferences. As a general guide, aim for 30 minutes per day, 3-5 times a week. Examples of cardio include cycling, walking, swimming, and aerobics. Strength training can be done with lightweights, dumbbells, or resistance bands. Try to space out the days you exercise so that your body and muscles have time to sufficiently recover. While strength training, you need to be mindful of your reps as well as your rest periods between each set.

• To increase muscle endurance: rest for 60 seconds
• To increase muscle size: rest for 90 seconds
• To increase muscle strength: rest for 3-5 minutes

Body Decomposition Techniques

Body composition refers to the amount of fat and fat-free mass your body has. Fat-free mass is made up of bone, muscle, and water. It’s a more realistic and modern way to measure your body’s amount of fat than the Body Mass Index (BMI) is. With body recomposition, a person aims to balance the ratio of fat to muscle in the body. One of the most effective body recomposition techniques is to do strength training while increasing the amount of protein in your diet. An added benefit to this technique is that it can boost your metabolism, helping you to further lose weight without losing muscle mass.

High Protein Foods:

• Chicken breast
• Quinoa
• Almonds
• Eggs
• Lentils
• Greek yoghurt
• Salmon
• Lentils

Lose Weight with Pharmacy Planet

The pharmacists at Pharmacy Planet are always on hand to discuss your weight loss goals and concerns. Not only can we provide advice and resources about safely and effectively losing weight, but we can also prescribe several different types of weight loss medications. Once dispensed, we’ll have them shipped right to your door! To start losing weight and keeping it off, contact us now.