What’s the Difference of Fat Loss vs Weight Loss

When it comes to achieving ideal physiques, most of us are overly concerned about losing excess weight. While it is true that shedding unwanted weight does make positive changes in our health and body shape, you may also want to consider the benefits of fat loss.

Weight Loss vs Fat Loss

Losing weight could mean that you are losing either water or muscle. Losing water has short-lived effects, with no real improvements. Losing muscle, meanwhile, is not necessarily healthy, as it slows down your metabolism and lowers your basal metabolic rate (BMR), the rate at which you burn calories.

We often use the number on the scale as the indication of progress. Although this seems like a good standard, you have to remember that your weight fluctuates ALL the time (like when you consume a large meal or drink water). This is why focusing only on the scale means that you’re always not seeing the whole picture.

Furthermore, with weight loss, your fat cells shrink giving you a slimmer shape whenever you exercise and eat healthy. However, the moment you stop this healthy lifestyle, your fat cells will expand again, showing up as unwanted bulges on your body. 

Fat loss, on the other hand, means making more permanent changes in the body. It means aiming for lipolysis or the biological process of breaking down fats and other lipids to release fatty acids. This occurs in the mitochondria of the muscles, which only means that having more muscles means more opportunities to burn more fat.

Keep in mind, however, that your body’s potential burn rate is difficult to predict. This is because there a number of factors that can affect this rate such as hormone functions, muscle-to-fat ratio, different enzymes, biochemical reactions, and others.

What Can Help with Fat Loss

Rather than just losing unwanted weight, it is better to lose fat to alter your body composition so that you’ll have more muscle and less fat. Working out can help you shed fat and build muscles, especially full-body exercises, including combining vigorous aerobic exercise with resistance routines like weightlifting.

You can also get help from non-surgical fat reduction procedures that can contour your body and reduce the fat layer thickness without going under the knife. Here are some procedures worth considering:

Fat Freezing (CoolSculpting and Z Lipo)

At Cutis Laser Clinics in Singapore, we have two safe and effective fat reduction devices that use Cryolipolysis or controlled cooling technology. Both CoolSculpting and Z Lipo work by freezing only the fat cells, which then triggers the process of apoptosis or natural cell death. Read on to learn more about these two procedures:

CoolSculpting (By Zeltiq, Made in the US)

CoolSculpting is a US FDA-approved non-invasive fat reduction procedure that effectively targets and eliminates fat cells in specific areas of the patient’s body without harming the skin or other tissues. It has a high safety profile and proven effectiveness, with over five million CoolSculpting treatments performed worldwide.

It works by suctioning the fat bulges using applicators that are specifically made to target problem areas in the belly, thighs, arms, and chin as well as smaller fat areas like bra and knee fat. It slowly reduces the fat layer thickness, with results that can be seen within 60 to 90 days once your body metabolized the dead fat cells.

Z Lipo (By Zimmer, Made in Germany)

Z Lipo is a safe, effective, and non-invasive fat freezing procedure been found successful in reducing fat on the belly, hips, thighs, and love handles. After the procedure is performed, the fat cells die and are naturally metabolized by the body via the lymphatic system over a period of 10 to 12 weeks.

Z Lipo works by using a handpiece that suctions the fat bulges, with two applicators attached to its device and can be used in one session. This only means that two areas can be treated at the same time, lessening procedure’s duration. It also has a strong vacuum pressure that enables the device to draw a good amount of fat bulge.

You can check out our previous post to learn more about these two fat freezing procedures and the difference between CoolSculpting and Z Lipo.

Vanquish ME (By BTL)

If CoolSculpting and Z Lipo target fat cells through cooling temperatures, Vanquish ME uses heat to kill fat cells. This non-invasive fat reduction device uses an FDA-cleared radiofrequency technology that can reduce inches off your belly, thighs, and arms without cuts, needles, or downtime.

Vanquish works by delivering selective heating that only targets fat cells to trigger apoptosis or natural cell death. Heat exposure causes the fat cells to naturally die over time, which will then be processed as waste in the liver and cleared naturally through the lymphatic system.

This procedure can shape or contour your body without touching the skin. The device just hovers over the area of concern using a panel array of heat to target and kills fat cells, without affecting the skin or the muscles. 

Some patients may see results in as early as three weeks but optimal results can be seen after a 60 to 90-day window. You can check out our previous post and learn how you can Vanquish your stubborn fat without surgery. 

Exilis Ultra (For Skin Tightening)

Exilis Ultra in Singapore is a non-invasive skin tightening treatment that can help address face and body concerns without surgery. It combines two well-known safe energies: radiofrequency and ultrasound, to tighten the skin, kill fat cells, and promote collagen production.

This works by simultaneously delivering radiofrequency and ultrasound energies to target specific body parts. It has a small applicator that can help tighten the skin and reduce wrinkles (in smaller areas of the body), and a big applicator that disrupts the fat cells and triggers the process of natural cell death without harming the skin. 

The simultaneous delivery of two energies can give you jaw-dropping results without anesthesia, needles, scalpels, and pain medications. Exilis Ultra is ideal for wrinkle and cellulite reduction, skin tightening due to skin laxity, as well as rejuvenation of intimate areas.

Acoustic Shockwave (For Cellulite Reduction)

Acoustic Shockwave is an FDA cleared non-invasive procedure that can reduce cellulite and stimulate collagen production. It is also clinically proven for firming and tightening of loose and sagging skin, stretch marks reduction, scar appearance improvement, and smoothing and toning the skin. 

At Cutis Laser Clinics, we have two clinically proven acoustic shockwave devices: BTL X Wave and Zimmer Z Wave. Both use specially modified wave pulses to induce targeted vibrations within the connective tissues to make them firmer and tighter, as well as increase the elasticity of the epidermis.  

Acoustic Shockwave works by rejuvenating the soft tissues in the body and harnessing the energy of targeted vibrations to provide noticeable results in non-invasive cellulite reduction and body rejuvenation. It can also be combined with fat reduction treatments such as Vanquish and Cryolipolysis to improve and speed up the results. 

Schedule a Body Assessment Today

Contact Cutis Laser Clinics today and schedule a consultation and body assessment with our Harvard-trained aesthetic doctors find out which procedure is most suitable for you.