Losing weight? Check that it is fat you are losing

When the number on the scale goes down, it feels like progress. But the scale only weighs you. It cannot tell whether the kilos you lost were fat, muscle or water, and those are very different things to lose.

Why the difference matters

Losing fat is usually the goal. Losing muscle is not. Muscle keeps you strong and steady on your feet, helps your body use sugar, and makes it easier to keep the weight off later. Two people can lose the same 5 kilos: one mostly fat, the other with a large share of muscle. On the scale they look the same. In their health, they are not.

Water also moves the scale. A salty meal, a hot day or a change in routine can shift your weight by a kilo or more without any change in fat.

If you are taking weight-loss injections

Many people in India are now prescribed injections to help them lose weight. These medicines can lead to large, fast weight loss. With any fast weight loss, whether from medicine, a strict diet or illness, part of what is lost can be muscle, not only fat.

That is why it helps to check what your weight loss is made of, not just how much it is. Your doctor or dietitian can then adjust your eating and activity, for example how much protein you eat and whether you do strength exercises, so that you keep as much muscle as possible.

Never start, stop or change the dose of these injections on your own. Only the doctor who prescribed them should make that decision. A body composition reading is information to take to that doctor, not a reason to change your treatment by yourself.

What a body composition test shows

At our Sayan clinic, a body composition analysis estimates:

• how much of your weight is fat
• how much is muscle
• how much is water

It takes a few minutes. You stand barefoot on the machine and hold its handles. It sends a very small electrical signal through the body that you do not feel.

The numbers are estimates, not a diagnosis. They are most useful for comparing yourself with yourself over time: a first reading before or early in your weight loss, and repeat readings every few weeks or as your doctor suggests.

How to get a reliable reading

Your body’s water level affects the result, so keep the conditions similar each time:

• come at about the same time of day
• avoid a heavy meal, a lot of water, tea or coffee, and exercise in the hours before
• use the toilet before the test

This test is not suitable if you have a pacemaker or another implanted electronic device, or if you are pregnant. Tell us before the test.

Body composition analysis is available at our Sayan clinic only. Use the booking button below to ask for an appointment.