Three of the women I train have used weight loss injections. All three reached the number they had in their heads. They feel better, and they’re wearing clothes that hadn’t fitted in years. I’m pleased for every one of them.
Then each of them told me some version of the same thing. When they looked in the mirror and were completely honest with themselves, it wasn’t what they had pictured. Softer than they expected. Skin that sagged where they’d hoped it would be smooth. The number had moved, and the reflection hadn’t caught up.
This isn’t a post against the injections. If they’re helping you and you’re using them with your doctor’s support, that’s your decision. It’s a post about the part the injections can’t do for you.
What weight loss injections do, and what they don’t
The injections turn your appetite down. You eat less, and the weight comes off. But the scales can’t tell you what that weight was made of. When you eat much less and give your muscles no reason to stay, your body lets some of them go along with the fat.
So you can end up lighter but not stronger. Smaller, but with less shape.
The scales tell you how much of you there is. The mirror shows you what it’s made of.
Muscle already gets harder to hold on to as the years go by, especially after the menopause. Losing a chunk of it quickly on top of that is the opposite of what you want for the next thirty years. Muscle is what gets you up from a low sofa, carries the shopping in from the car and keeps you steady on a wet pavement.
Why the mirror needs muscle
Strength training is how you tell your body to keep its muscle, and build more, while the weight comes off. That’s what gives you shape: arms with a bit of definition, legs that look strong, a back that holds you tall.
I’ll be straight with you about skin. Training won’t make loose skin disappear, and I won’t pretend it does. What it changes is what sits underneath. Muscle fills out the shape, and that changes the whole picture, and how you feel when you look at it.
It doesn’t take long to see the first signs. One client, only a few sessions in, rolled up her sleeve to show me the first bit of definition in her arm. It was small, and she was delighted.
So yes, use the injections as a tool if you need to. But if what you want is to like what you see, the gym has to be part of it.
If you’re using them now, or have just stopped
Don’t wait until you’ve finished the course. The best time to start lifting is while the weight is coming off, so you keep as much muscle as you can along the way.
Two or three short strength sessions a week is plenty to begin with: something for your legs, something that pushes and something that pulls. Start lighter than you think you need, and add weight only when the movement feels solid.
Eat enough. When your appetite is turned right down it’s easy to eat too little, particularly protein, and your muscles need it. Your GP, prescriber or a dietitian can help you get that right.
If you want to see how this fits into staying strong for the long run, the Stronger for Longer page explains how I work.
Where to start
Here’s one for your arms you can do today. Stand an arm’s length from a wall and place your hands flat on it at shoulder height, a little wider than your shoulders. Keeping your body in one straight line from head to heels, bend your elbows and bring your chest towards the wall, then push back. Do eight, rest, then do eight more. When that feels easy, step your feet a little further back.
When you want someone alongside you, a free taster session is a good place to start. It’s relaxed and friendly: we talk about where you are with the injections, what you’d like to see in the mirror and how you want to feel, try some movement together, and there’s no obligation either way. Sessions are one-to-one at Horizon Guildford, and you don’t need to be a member.