Hidden Risks of Losing Muscle with GLP-1 Shots [AND The 4 Strategies for Reversing Them]
Taking the GLP-1 Weight Loss and Diabetes Medications?
Great! I hope you're noticing improvements in your physical and mental health. Some things we do can have consequences, whether we intend them or not. These miracle drugs are not an exception. Losing weight can lead to muscle loss and nutrient deficiencies.
Let’s get right to it… Here they are 👇
The Four Strategies Mitigating Muscle Loss on GLP-1 Medications
Strength Training: Incorporate regular strength training exercises into your routine. Resistance training helps preserve and build muscle mass, counteracting the effects of reduced caloric intake.
Diet: Ensure a well-rounded diet with sufficient protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates. Aim for high-quality protein sources such as lean meats, fish, dairy, and plant-based proteins.
Water: Dehydration can make you feel weak and fatigued, so make sure you’re drinking enough water throughout the day.
Get Enough Rest: Make sure you’re getting enough sleep. Muscle recovery happens when you’re resting, and hormone balances, like insulin and cortisol, are restored.
Aside: Clients, if you need a refresher on how solid nutrition is possible, ask us for help. Your nutrition program has been specially designed and based on solid, great, and science-backed information.
Now Some Background
What Are GLP-1 Weight Loss Drugs, and How Do They Work?
Over the last few years, GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Ozempic/Wegovy and Mounjuro/Zepound have skyrocketed in popularity. If you’ve been exploring options for weight loss, you’ve probably heard about these medications and how effective they can be at helping people shed pounds. Essentially, GLP-1 medications work by mimicking a hormone in your body that helps regulate blood sugar and reduce appetite. When you take these drugs, they slow down the rate at which food leaves your stomach, making you feel full for longer periods. In turn, this can lead to reduced calorie intake and weight loss.
For many, this sounds like the perfect solution. You lose weight by eating less, and since it’s medically prescribed, it feels safe and effective. However, there’s more to the story.
The Problem with Losing Muscle Mass Along with Fat
While shedding unwanted pounds is great, not all weight loss is created equal. When you lose weight, you don’t just lose fat—you often lose muscle, too. Muscle is essential for a variety of reasons: it keeps you strong, helps regulate your metabolism, improves vitality and plays a big role in your overall health. Losing too much muscle can slow your metabolism, making it harder to keep weight off long-term. Here’s why losing muscle mass is a problem:
Metabolism Takes a Hit: Muscle is metabolically active, meaning it burns more calories than fat, even when you're at rest. If you lose muscle, your resting metabolic rate decreases, making it harder to maintain your weight loss!
Tiredness, Weakness and Fatigue: Muscle mass contributes to your strength and stamina. Without it, you might feel weaker and more tired throughout the day. Simple tasks, like carrying groceries or climbing stairs, can become more challenging. Your vitality goes!
Risk of Injury: As muscle mass decreases, so does your ability to maintain balance and stability. This makes you more prone to falls, injuries, and even fractures, especially as you age!
Long-Term Weight Management: When you lose muscle mass, your body becomes less efficient at burning calories, which means you’re more likely to gain back the weight you’ve lost. Have you heard how the medication “stops working” for some women?
Why Women Need to Pay Extra Attention
Linda Radker, actual client working out at the leg press machine at Fit Chicks (Fishers, IN)
For women, the muscle loss associated with weight loss medications like GLP-1 can be even more concerning. On average, women have less muscle mass than men to begin with, and hormonal changes throughout life (like during menopause) can accelerate muscle loss even further.
The concept of body image tends to have a greater impact on women, and avoiding the phenomenon known as "Ozempic face" and "Ozempic butt" can be quite challenging. These terms refer to the sagging or wrinkled skin that individuals may experience on their face or buttocks, particularly as a result of rapid weight loss from taking GLP-1 weight loss drugs. This rapid weight loss can lead to loose, sagging, or prematurely aging skin on the face and buttocks.
When you lose muscle as a woman, you’re not just compromising your strength and metabolism; you’re also increasing your risk of osteoporosis, a condition where bones become weak and brittle. Muscle helps support and protect bones, so losing it can contribute to an increased risk of fractures and injuries.
In short: muscle loss isn’t just about looking younger or feeling strong; it’s about maintaining a healthy, functioning body—especially as you age.
Get Strong Live Long
Get a body composition analysis done
A body composition scale, like TANITA or InBody, scans your entire body and therefore accurately calculates the BMR.
Studies have indicated these monitors are within 5% of the Pencil Beam DEXA scan for accuracy.
A body scan/scale does not measure fat directly. Instead, body fat percentage is calculated using an equation based on weight, age, and other values such as height, gender, and body type.
ConclusioN
Medications like GLP-1s, and even bariatric surgery, are available for a reason: they help women struggling with obesity. While the weight loss shots are not a magic wand, they do turbocharge the weight loss journey. We recognize that even with these interventions, humans will still be human, which means we will carry our habits, emotions, and physical bodies along for the ride, too. We still need support and community to feel healthy, happy and strong ❤️🩹 ☺️ 💪🏼 ‼️