The Best Medical Retreats For Body Composition And Transformation

For anyone serious about changing their body, the number on the scales tells only part of the story.

True body transformation is about understanding what lies beneath the surface: how much of your weight is fat, where that fat is stored, how much lean muscle you have, how efficiently your metabolism is functioning and whether your current lifestyle is supporting long-term health. Body mass index (BMI), for all its widespread use, is a notoriously poor proxy for these questions. Two people with identical BMI scores can have profoundly different body compositions, metabolic health profiles and long-term health risks.

This is where a new generation of medical spa retreats is changing the conversation. Combining advanced diagnostics such as DEXA body composition scanning, metabolic testing and comprehensive blood analysis with personalised nutrition, physician-led programmes and targeted exercise, these retreats take a far more sophisticated approach than traditional weight-loss holidays. For a broader overview of what Europe's leading medical spas offer, read our guide to Europe's best medical spas.

Whether your goal is to reduce visceral fat, build or preserve lean muscle mass, reset unhealthy metabolic patterns or simply gain a clearer understanding of your body, these are some of the world's best medical retreats for body composition and transformation.

What are the best medical retreats for body composition and transformation?

The best medical retreats for body composition combine advanced diagnostics - typically DEXA or DXA scanning, resting metabolic rate (RMR) assessment and comprehensive blood analysis - with personalised physician-led programmes in nutrition, exercise and lifestyle medicine. In Europe, SHA Spain, Palazzo Fiuggi, Palace Merano, Clinique La Prairie, Chenot Palace Weggis, Park Igls, Mount Med Resort, VIVAMAYR Maria Wörth and the three Lanserhof clinics (Lans, Tegernsee and Sylt) all offer strong medical frameworks for body transformation. In Asia, RAKxa Integrative Wellness in Thailand stands out for its integrative, highly personalised approach. The right choice depends on whether you are looking for pure diagnostic depth, a digestive and metabolic reset, an active fitness-led transformation or a long-term longevity strategy.

Key Takeaways

• BMI is an unreliable measure of body composition. The most effective medical retreats use DEXA/DXA scanning, resting metabolic rate testing and comprehensive laboratory analysis to build a meaningful clinical picture.
• Visceral fat, not total body weight, is the primary metabolic health concern. High levels of visceral fat are associated with insulin resistance, inflammation and elevated cardiovascular risk, regardless of overall weight.
• Sarcopenia - age-related muscle loss - is one of the most important and underaddressed body composition challenges, particularly for guests over 40, during perimenopause and beyond.
• GLP-1 receptor agonists such as semaglutide and tirzepatide are changing the weight management landscape, but require structured lifestyle and nutritional support to preserve muscle and sustain results.
• Medical retreats offer what conventional dieting cannot: diagnostic clarity, personalised clinical strategy, structured accountability and the space to change habits at the root level.
• The best transformation programmes focus on metabolic flexibility - the body's ability to efficiently switch between fuel sources - rather than calorie restriction alone.
• Healing Holidays can help you identify the right retreat, programme type and duration based on your specific body composition goals and health history.

Understanding Body Composition: Beyond the Scales

Body composition refers to the proportion of fat mass, lean mass (muscle, bone, water and organs) and fat-free mass that make up total body weight. Understanding this breakdown is far more clinically meaningful than knowing total body weight alone.

Fat itself is not a uniform category. Subcutaneous fat, found just beneath the skin, carries different health implications from visceral fat, which accumulates around the abdominal organs and is strongly associated with insulin resistance, systemic inflammation, metabolic syndrome and elevated cardiovascular risk. Two individuals with similar total fat percentages can have very different visceral fat burdens and, consequently, very different health profiles.

Lean muscle mass is the other side of the equation. Muscle tissue is metabolically active, meaning it burns energy even at rest and plays a central role in resting metabolic rate (RMR). As we age, sarcopenia - the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength - begins to reduce metabolic rate and increase the relative proportion of fat in the body, even in the absence of significant weight gain. Resistance training and adequate protein intake are the primary tools for preserving or rebuilding this mass.

The gold standard for measuring body composition in a medical setting is DEXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), also written as DXA. A DEXA scan provides precise measurements of fat mass, lean mass and bone mineral density (BMD), including regional data on where fat and muscle are distributed. Alongside DEXA, resting metabolic rate testing, VO2 max assessment and detailed laboratory panels including fasting glucose, HbA1c, insulin, lipid profiles and inflammatory markers build a comprehensive clinical foundation for a meaningful transformation programme.

For a detailed overview of why medical supervision is central to effective body transformation, read our guide to why a medical spa can help you lose weight more effectively.

The Best Medical Retreats for Body Transformation: Mediterranean Europe

For guests travelling from the UK and Northern Europe, Spain and Italy offer some of the most compelling short-haul options for medically supervised body composition work. Beyond their geographic accessibility, both countries bring a meaningful additional dimension: Mediterranean diet principles, sunshine, outdoor movement and a relationship with food that treats quality and pleasure as inseparable from health. These are not retreats that punish the body into submission. They are programmes built around understanding it.

SHA Spain

SHA Spain is one of Europe's most comprehensive destinations for a medically informed approach to weight management and body transformation.

Located on Spain's Mediterranean coast, SHA combines conventional medicine with preventative health, nutrition, fitness and natural therapies. Its programmes are particularly well suited to guests who want to look beyond simple calorie restriction and understand the wider factors influencing their weight and body composition, including insulin resistance, hormonal imbalances, inflammatory burden and gut microbiome function.

Medical assessments and body composition analysis help establish a clearer picture of fat and lean tissue, while personalised exercise and nutritional strategies are designed around individual goals and metabolic function. SHA's approach is especially appealing for those looking to improve metabolic flexibility, reduce visceral fat and create sustainable lifestyle changes rather than pursuing a short-term transformation.

Read more: which SHA Spain programme is right for you.

Best for: A comprehensive, medically guided transformation combining nutrition, fitness and preventative health on Spain's Mediterranean coast.

Palazzo Fiuggi, Italy

Palazzo Fiuggi brings together advanced medical diagnostics, nutrition and fitness in one of Italy's most luxurious medical wellness settings, set in the historic spa town of Fiuggi just outside Rome.

DEXA assessment provides detailed information about fat mass, lean mass and bone mineral density, including regional fat distribution, allowing clinicians to build a far more informed transformation strategy than one based on body weight alone. Visceral fat burden, fat-free mass and skeletal muscle index can all be tracked, giving both guests and clinicians a meaningful picture of progress. Palazzo Fiuggi's programmes combine medical supervision with personalised nutrition and physical activity, making it a strong choice for those looking to improve body composition while supporting long-term health across multiple areas simultaneously - metabolic health, cardiovascular fitness, mobility and physical performance.

Best for: Luxury medical transformation with DEXA diagnostics, personalised nutrition and comprehensive clinical oversight in Italy.

Palace Merano, Italy

Palace Merano is one of the strongest choices for guests seeking an active and measurable body transformation, set in the elegant spa town of Merano in South Tyrol.

Its Sport and Remise en Forme programme combines personalised training, nutritional consultation and medical evaluation with DEXA scanning, providing detailed data on lean mass, fat mass, fat distribution and bone mineral density. Rather than simply pursuing weight loss, the objective is to improve the balance between muscle and fat while enhancing endurance, physical function and vitality. The South Tyrolean setting adds a further dimension: clean Alpine air, mountain trails and a natural environment that actively encourages physical activity.

Best for: Fitness-led body transformation supported by DEXA diagnostics and personalised training in an elegant Italian Alpine setting.

The Best Medical Retreats for Body Transformation: The Alpine Clinics

The Austrian and Swiss Alpine medical tradition is arguably the most developed in the world for intensive clinical wellness. From Modern Mayr Medicine to the LANS Med Concept and the Chenot Method, these retreats have spent decades refining evidence-based approaches to metabolic health, digestive function and body composition. The Alpine environment itself plays a meaningful role: altitude, clean air, forest walks and thermal facilities create natural conditions for physiological reset. For guests seeking genuine clinical depth in body composition work, Austria and Switzerland remain the benchmark.

Park Igls, Austria

Park Igls is one of the leading destinations for Modern Mayr Medicine and offers a distinctive approach to body transformation.

Rather than focusing purely on losing weight, the clinic treats digestive health, metabolism, nutrition and lifestyle habits as interconnected factors. For many guests, this is particularly valuable when repeated dieting has led to cycles of weight loss and regain, disrupting metabolic rate and eroding lean muscle mass. A structured nutritional programme, medical supervision and individually prescribed activity help guests reset their habits while developing a better understanding of how their body responds to food and lifestyle. Park Igls is less about rapid aesthetic transformation and more about creating the physiological foundations for healthier, more sustainable body composition.

Best for: Metabolic reset and sustainable body composition improvement through Modern Mayr Medicine in the Austrian Alps.

Mount Med Resort, Austria

Mount Med Resort offers a highly personalised environment for guests seeking to improve physical health, metabolism and body composition.

Its medical wellness philosophy brings together diagnostics, nutrition, movement and recovery, making it particularly suitable for guests who want a structured transformation programme without reducing the experience to calorie counting. Body composition goals vary significantly from one guest to the next: one may need to reduce visceral fat, another to rebuild lean muscle following inactivity, a third to optimise metabolic flexibility and insulin sensitivity. By combining medical oversight with personalised lifestyle interventions, Mount Med Resort is a strong choice for those looking for an intensive reset in a focused Alpine environment.

Best for: Individualised body transformation combining medical wellness, movement and metabolic health in Austria.

VIVAMAYR Maria Wörth, Austria

VIVAMAYR Maria Wörth approaches body transformation from the perspective of Modern Mayr Medicine, with digestive health at the centre of the experience. Set on the shores of the Wörthersee lake in Carinthia, it offers one of the most scenically situated medical environments in Europe.

For guests who have moved between restrictive diets without achieving lasting results, this offers a valuable change of direction. The programme focuses on gut microbiome function, digestive enzyme activity and metabolic efficiency through a medically supervised approach. Rather than promising dramatic transformation through intensive exercise alone, VIVAMAYR concentrates on the underlying habits and physiological factors that influence body weight and composition over the long term.

Best for: Digestive reset, gut microbiome optimisation and sustainable metabolic management through Modern Mayr Medicine on Austria's Wörthersee.

Lanserhof Lans, Austria

Lanserhof Lans is the original Lanserhof clinic and one of Europe's most medically intensive wellness destinations. Set in the Tyrolean Alps near Innsbruck, it combines sophisticated diagnostics with the LANS Med Concept, integrating Modern Mayr Medicine, modern diagnostics, nutrition, exercise physiology and complementary therapies.

Body composition assessment helps clinicians look beyond weight alone and consider the relationship between fat mass, lean tissue, bone mineral density and wider metabolic health. This is particularly important for guests whose goal is fat loss without unnecessary loss of muscle mass - an outcome that requires precision rather than simply reducing caloric intake. Lanserhof's medical depth also makes it a strong choice for guests who suspect that poor metabolic health, insulin resistance or digestive dysfunction may be contributing to difficulty managing their body composition.

Best for: Medically supervised body transformation with a strong diagnostic foundation and the full depth of the LANS Med Concept.

Clinique La Prairie, Switzerland

Clinique La Prairie is one of the world's most prestigious medical wellness destinations and is particularly suited to those who want body composition goals to form part of a wider longevity strategy. Located on the shores of Lake Geneva in Montreux, it combines scientific rigour with exceptional surroundings.

Its approach is centred on detailed medical evaluation and personalised preventative healthcare. Rather than treating body transformation as an isolated objective, Clinique La Prairie considers how nutrition, physical fitness, metabolic health, hormonal status and biological ageing interact. This makes it particularly appealing for guests who want a deeper understanding of how to optimise their body composition over the long term - preserving lean muscle mass, reducing fat-free mass loss and maintaining metabolic resilience as they age.

For more detail on what a stay involves, read our complete guide to Clinique La Prairie.

Best for: High-end medical wellness and long-term body composition optimisation within a longevity and healthy ageing framework.

Chenot Palace Weggis, Switzerland

Chenot Palace Weggis offers one of the most clearly defined diagnostic approaches to body composition available at any medical retreat.

Its Body Insights and Optimisation programme uses DXA scanning to measure fat mass, lean mass, bone mass and their precise distribution throughout the body, combined with medical diagnostics, metabolic and nutritional assessment and performance testing. The clinic assesses visceral and subcutaneous fat, skeletal muscle mass, bone mineral density and body water, making it one of the most comprehensive measurement environments available. For those looking to move beyond guesswork, this level of precision transforms the quality of the transformation goals that can be set. Combined with personalised nutrition, resistance training and performance-focused interventions, Chenot Palace Weggis is one of the best options for a genuinely data-driven body optimisation programme.

Best for: Detailed body composition analysis, DXA diagnostics and data-driven physical optimisation in Switzerland.

The Best Medical Retreats for Body Transformation: Germany

Germany's two Lanserhof locations offer the same rigorous LANS Med Concept as Lanserhof Lans but in two entirely different natural environments, each of which contributes meaningfully to the therapeutic experience. Read our comparison of all three Lanserhof resorts for detailed guidance on which suits you best.

Lanserhof Tegernsee, Germany

Lanserhof Tegernsee brings the LANS Med Concept to one of Bavaria's most beautiful landscapes, set against the forested peaks of the German Alps on the shores of Lake Tegernsee. The clinic combines rigorous diagnostics with nutritional medicine, exercise therapy and complementary treatments within an environment where natural surroundings - clear mountain air, lake views, forest walks - become part of the therapeutic programme.

For guests focused on body composition, Tegernsee offers the same clinical depth as Lanserhof Lans alongside the psychological benefit of immersion in one of Europe's most restorative natural landscapes. Read our full guide to Lanserhof Tegernsee.

Best for: Medically supervised body composition and metabolic health in the Bavarian Alps, with the full depth of the LANS Med Concept.

Lanserhof Sylt, Germany

Lanserhof Sylt occupies a striking position on Germany's North Sea island of Sylt, where the architecture is as precise and uncompromising as the medical approach it houses. The LANS Med Concept is delivered here against the backdrop of sea air, open skies, dune landscapes and the elemental clarity of a coastal environment that removes guests entirely from their everyday rhythms.

For those whose difficulty managing body composition is compounded by chronic stress and an overloaded urban lifestyle, the particular quality of the Sylt environment adds a meaningful dimension to what is already one of Europe's most medically rigorous approaches to metabolic health. Read our full guide to Lanserhof Sylt.

Best for: Data-led body composition and metabolic transformation in the restorative atmosphere of Germany's North Sea coast.

The Best Medical Retreats for Body Transformation: Asia

For guests willing to travel further, Thailand offers a distinctive alternative to the European medical retreat model. The integrative approach - combining Western diagnostics with traditional healing systems, personalised nutrition and high-calibre clinical expertise - is well suited to body composition goals that have proved resistant to conventional interventions.

RAKxa Integrative Wellness, Thailand

RAKxa Integrative Wellness stands out for its highly personalised and data-led approach to body transformation.

Its Weight Management programme combines integrative diagnostics with personalised treatment plans designed to address the individual factors influencing body weight and composition. Assessments can include body composition analysis, basal metabolic rate (BMR) testing, functional fitness assessment, nutritional consultations and extensive laboratory testing covering hormonal status, insulin resistance markers, inflammatory load and nutritional deficiencies.

Rather than applying the same formula to everyone, the programme aims to understand metabolic function, hormonal influences, gut microbiome status, nutritional status and physical capacity before building an individual strategy. Personalised corrective exercise and active training are integrated to ensure that transformation focuses on preserving or developing lean mass and improving metabolic flexibility, not solely on fat loss.

Best for: Personalised metabolic and weight management programmes with extensive diagnostics, combining Western and traditional approaches in Thailand.

Body Composition and GLP-1 Medications: What a Retreat Can Offer

GLP-1 receptor agonists - including semaglutide (marketed as Ozempic and Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) - have rapidly transformed the clinical landscape of weight management. By reducing appetite, slowing gastric emptying and improving insulin sensitivity, these medications can produce substantial reductions in total body weight.

However, GLP-1 medications present a significant body composition challenge that is often underappreciated. Without structured protein intake and resistance training, a meaningful proportion of the weight lost on GLP-1 therapy can come from lean muscle mass rather than fat. This loss of muscle has downstream consequences for resting metabolic rate, physical function, bone mineral density and the likelihood of weight regain after stopping the medication.

A medical retreat offers a particularly valuable framework for guests who are currently taking, transitioning from or considering GLP-1 therapy. DEXA scanning at entry and exit allows clinicians to track precisely what is being lost - fat versus lean mass - rather than relying on the scales alone. Personalised nutrition strategies focused on protein targets, resistance training programming and metabolic monitoring can help preserve lean mass throughout the treatment period or support a safe and sustainable transition after stopping.

SHA Spain, RAKxa, Chenot Palace Weggis and Clinique La Prairie are among the retreats best positioned to offer the clinical depth and body composition monitoring that GLP-1 users require. For retreats particularly well suited to GLP-1 support and post-GLP-1 maintenance, read our dedicated guide to the best retreats for weight maintenance after GLP-1.

Body Composition and the Menopause

Menopause represents one of the most significant physiological transitions a woman's body undergoes, and its effects on body composition are both profound and frequently underserved by conventional healthcare.

The decline in oestrogen that accompanies perimenopause and menopause drives a redistribution of fat towards the abdominal region, increasing visceral adiposity even in the absence of significant weight gain. At the same time, the loss of oestrogen accelerates sarcopenia - the progressive decline in skeletal muscle mass and strength - while reducing bone mineral density and increasing the risk of osteoporosis. Resting metabolic rate declines, insulin sensitivity worsens and the body's ability to mobilise and oxidise fat - metabolic flexibility - diminishes.

These changes are not inevitable to the degree that many women experience them, but they do require deliberate and informed intervention. Conventional calorie restriction is poorly suited to this phase of life: it frequently accelerates muscle loss and fails to address the hormonal and metabolic drivers behind the changes in body composition.

A medical retreat can offer something qualitatively different. DEXA scanning provides a precise baseline of fat mass, lean mass and bone mineral density, with regional data distinguishing central visceral fat from subcutaneous fat. Comprehensive hormonal assessment can evaluate oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA-S, thyroid function and insulin sensitivity, giving clinicians the clinical picture needed to develop a genuinely personalised strategy. Resistance training, tailored to rebuild or preserve skeletal muscle, is central to any effective peri- or post-menopausal body composition programme. Nutritional strategies focused on protein adequacy, calcium, vitamin D, anti-inflammatory foods and phytoestrogens can support both body composition and bone health. HRT or MHT considerations can also be evaluated within the medical framework of these programmes where appropriate.

Retreats with strong menopausal and hormonal health programmes, including DEXA-led body composition assessment and hormonal evaluation, include SHA Spain, Clinique La Prairie, Chenot Palace Weggis and Palazzo Fiuggi.

How to Choose the Right Body Composition Retreat

Book Your Body Composition Retreat with Healing Holidays

Choosing the right medical retreat for body composition and transformation requires more nuance than selecting a weight-loss programme from a brochure. The right combination of diagnostic approach, clinical methodology, programme duration, environment and post-retreat support depends on your specific goals, health history, body composition baseline and what has or has not worked for you in the past.

That is where Healing Holidays comes in. As one of the world's leading specialists in luxury wellness travel, Healing Holidays has over 20 years of experience helping guests find the right retreat for their goals. Every programme in this guide has been evaluated in depth, and every recommendation is grounded in genuine knowledge of what each retreat delivers, who it suits and what results guests realistically achieve.

When you book through Healing Holidays, you benefit from:

• Expert, personalised advice: speak with a specialist consultant who understands the clinical differences between a DEXA-led body composition programme, a Mayr Medicine metabolic reset and an integrative weight management retreat.
• Programme matching: guidance on the right retreat, duration and diagnostic entry point aligned to your specific body composition goals, health history and lifestyle.
• Best available allocation: particularly important at medically intensive clinics where physician and diagnostic capacity is carefully managed.
• Access to exclusive added-value benefits: Healing Holidays' long-standing relationships with the retreats in this guide often unlock upgrades, additional consultations, spa credits and complimentary inclusions.
• Complete peace of mind: from first enquiry to your return home, your dedicated consultant is available to support every detail of your stay.

Frequently Asked Questions: Medical Retreats for Body Composition and Transformation

1. What is the difference between a body composition retreat and a standard weight-loss programme?

A standard weight-loss programme focuses primarily on reducing total body weight, typically through calorie restriction and increased physical activity. A medical body composition retreat takes a fundamentally different approach. It begins with diagnostic precision: DEXA or DXA scanning to measure fat mass, lean mass and bone mineral density; resting metabolic rate (RMR) testing to understand how efficiently the body uses energy; comprehensive blood panels to assess insulin resistance, hormonal status, inflammatory markers and nutritional deficiencies. The goal is not simply to lose weight but to understand what the body is made of, why it is configured that way and how to improve its composition in a sustainable, clinically informed manner.

2. What is DEXA scanning and why is it important for body transformation?

DEXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) scanning is the clinical gold standard for measuring body composition. It provides precise measurements of fat mass, lean mass and bone mineral density, broken down by region of the body. This means a clinician can identify not just total fat percentage but the distribution of visceral fat around the abdominal organs, the quantity and distribution of skeletal muscle mass and bone mineral density. Rather than targeting a number on the scales, a guest can aim to reduce visceral fat by a specific amount, preserve or increase lean mass and track changes in bone density over time.

3. Is a medical retreat suitable for someone who has tried many diets without success?

Yes, and it is often particularly well suited to this situation. Repeated cycles of calorie restriction, weight loss and regain can erode lean muscle mass, slow resting metabolic rate and entrench patterns of insulin resistance that make subsequent fat loss progressively more difficult. Medical retreats such as Park Igls, VIVAMAYR, the Lanserhof clinics and SHA Spain are specifically designed to investigate the physiological reasons why conventional dieting has failed, rather than simply applying more of the same approach. A diagnostic-led programme can identify metabolic inflexibility, gut microbiome imbalance, hormonal disruption and nutritional deficiencies that conventional weight management ignores.

4. How long should a body composition retreat last to see meaningful results?

The minimum duration for a meaningful diagnostic and early-intervention programme is typically seven nights. For deeper metabolic reset and more substantial changes in body composition, fourteen to twenty-one nights tends to produce more significant and durable results. The retreats in this guide are equipped to work within a range of durations, and Healing Holidays can advise on the most appropriate length based on your specific goals and starting point.

5. Can a medical retreat help with body composition changes during or after menopause?

Yes, and this is an area where the clinical depth of a medical retreat is particularly valuable. The decline in oestrogen during perimenopause and menopause drives visceral fat accumulation, accelerates sarcopenia, reduces bone mineral density and impairs insulin sensitivity in ways that cannot be addressed by calorie restriction alone. A retreat that includes DEXA scanning, comprehensive hormonal assessment and a programme centred on resistance training and protein-adequate nutrition is far better equipped to address menopausal body composition changes than any conventional weight-loss approach. SHA Spain, Clinique La Prairie, Chenot Palace Weggis and Palazzo Fiuggi are among the retreats with the clinical breadth to address these needs effectively.

6. What role do GLP-1 medications play in relation to a body composition retreat?

GLP-1 receptor agonists such as semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) can produce significant reductions in total body weight, but without structured protein intake and resistance training, a meaningful proportion of the weight lost may come from lean muscle rather than fat. A medical retreat can support GLP-1 users by using DEXA scanning to track what is being lost, prescribing resistance training to preserve muscle and optimising nutrition around protein targets. For guests transitioning off GLP-1 medications, a retreat can help establish the nutritional and lifestyle habits needed to sustain results without ongoing medication. Read our guide to the best retreats for weight maintenance after GLP-1.

7. What is the difference between the Mayr Medicine approach and the DEXA-led diagnostic approach?

Mayr Medicine, as practised at Park Igls, VIVAMAYR and the Lanserhof clinics, focuses on digestive function as the foundation of metabolic health and body composition. The approach works from the premise that impaired digestion, gut microbiome imbalance and accumulated metabolic burden are the primary drivers of unhealthy body composition, and that restoring digestive health creates the conditions in which sustainable fat loss becomes possible. The DEXA-led diagnostic approach, as found at Chenot Palace Weggis, Palace Merano and Palazzo Fiuggi, begins with precise measurement of what the body is made of and builds a programme around those findings. The two approaches are not mutually exclusive: the Lanserhof clinics combine the LANS Med Concept with comprehensive modern diagnostics. Healing Holidays can help you determine which framework best suits your goals.

8. What should I look for when comparing medical retreats for body composition?

Look for retreats that prioritise diagnostic depth over programme uniformity. The strongest options will include objective body composition measurement through DEXA or DXA scanning; resting metabolic rate assessment to personalise nutritional targets; comprehensive laboratory testing covering insulin resistance, inflammatory markers, hormonal status and nutritional deficiencies; a resistance training component to support lean mass preservation; and a post-retreat strategy that translates clinical findings into actionable habits. The quality of the physician and nutrition team, the level of personalisation and the retreat's track record in producing measurable changes in body composition are all important considerations. Healing Holidays' consultants can help you assess each retreat in depth based on your specific starting point, goals and health history.