Getting the Most out of Ozempic
Welcome to The Spotter!
My name is Nolan Vannata. I’m a fitness and nutrition coach that helps busy professionals lose weight and have more energy in their daily lives.
This newsletter provides simple, realistic strategies for you to lose weight and get strong so you can look and feel your best.
I had the pleasure of watching Dr. Christle Guevarra give a presentation on GLP-1 agonists (Ozempic) at the Real Coaches Summit in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago. Specifically, she spoke about how coaches can best work with clients on these medications, and she did some myth-busting as well.
So, I have taken what I learned (listening to experts as well as my own self-studying over the past few months) and wrote this article for you to better understand these medications and how to get the most out of them.
Here’s what I have for you:
What is Ozempic? More specifically, what are GLP-1 agonists?
How does it work?
Potential concerns/downsides to the medication.
How to combat those downsides.
Before I get into the article, I’m asking that you send this to someone that is taking or considering these medications if you find the article useful and informative.
What is Ozempic?
Ozempic is currently the most popular weight loss medication. I see it in news articles, social media posts, and it has been coming up more frequently in regular conversations at work and social gatherings with friends and family.
Ozempic is just the brand name of a specific type of GLP-1 agonists, which stands for Glucagon-Like-Peptide-1. Other popular GLP-1 medications are Wegovy, Zepbound, and Mounjaro (and many more).
Long story short, these medications are appetite suppressants, making you significantly less hungry.
From this point forward, I’ll be referring to these medications as GLP-1s.
How do GLP-1s work?
These medications are usually injected once per week. I don’t want to go too deep into the mechanisms and nerd-words, so here’s an illustration for you.
Insulin increases and glucagon decreases, which lowers blood sugar. This also acts on the digestive system to slow things down. And finally, GLP-1s affect the brain to make you have less of an appetite.
Potential concerns about the medication.
Every drug has its downsides and side effects. Given that this is a fitness and nutrition newsletter, and I am not a doctor, I’m only going to address to concerns of muscle mass and diet quality. If you would like to learn more about the other concerns, please speak with your physician or a relevant expert.
Muscle mass and GLP-1s.
According to the article, “Fundamental Body Composition Principles Provide Context for Fat-Free and Skeletal Muscle Loss With GLP-1 RA Treatments”, it is expected to lose about 25% of fat free mass (weight that isn’t fat) when losing weight. This percentage is a very rough estimate, as that will vary widely based on genetics, exercise status, and the rate of weight loss.
Either way, it normal and expected to lose weight that isn’t fat whether you are on GLP-1s or not. Below is an illustration from that same article demonstrating a hypothetical distribution of weight loss.
Diet quality and GLP-1s.
Weight loss requires a calorie deficit (not including water weight), meaning you must consume fewer calories than what you burn. One of the obvious barriers to creating a calorie deficit is hunger.
In the absence of GLP-1s, it is recommended that you increase your protein, fiber, and minimally processed food intake, as those foods generally have fewer calories and make you feel fuller for longer.
However, these weight loss medications make it more possible to eat a high proportion of ultra processed foods (that usually lacks protein, fiber, and micronutrients) but still feel satisfied from your food while eating few enough calories to lose weight.
Here’s what you can do about it!
I’ll copy and paste the following quote from the same article linked above…
Ross et al [38] evaluated MRI appendicular skeletal muscle mass changes in women with obesity who followed an energy-restricted diet (1000 kcal/d below weight-maintenance needs) alone or in combination with endurance exercise. After the 16-week treatment period, similar weight reduction of approximately 11% was experienced by both groups; however, loss of appendicular skeletal muscle was observed in the diet-only group, but not in the group who additionally performed endurance exercise.
Translation = both groups lost the same amount of weight, but the group who didn’t exercise lost fat and muscle, while the group who exercised only lost fat mass.
In a separate study (source), researchers found that combining exercise and GLP-1s resulted in a higher percentage of fat lost with a lower percentage of lean mass lost (lean mass essentially meaning “not fat mass”) compared to GLP-1s alone.
Losing muscle mass doesn’t seem to be unique to GLP-1s, but it is something that happens when people drastically reduce calories, which tends to happen on GLP-1s. Combine that with a lack of exercise and muscle mass will decrease even more.
For the nutrition side of things, the GLP-1s take care of the calorie control part. It is on you to make sure your diet quality it is adequate.
Follow these general guidelines:
Consume 1.6g/kg (or 0.73g/pound) of lean bodyweight per day.
Your lean bodyweight can be what you think you would weigh if you were rather lean. This gets a “good enough” number. Multiply that number by 1.6 if using kilograms or 0.73 if using pounds. Eat that many grams per day.
Consume about 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories you eat.
Eat a diverse diet and don’t eat the same thing all the time.
This will make it so you can preserve more lean mass (because of the protein) and still get the fiber and micronutrients you need for good health.
I personally think these medications are incredible. However, they come with their downsides, just like every drug. Exercise, specifically resistance training, and getting enough protein and fiber can help you get the most out of GLP-1s.
Lose weight and get fit without spending hours in the gym or constantly preparing food.
I help busy professionals lose fat and get strong with time-friendly fitness and nutrition plans so they can have long term weight loss success and more energy in their daily lives without constantly preparing food or spending hours exercising.
On top of this, I offer daily (unlimited) communication, so you can get maximum feedback and support from a coach.
If you’d like to hear more about how I can help, schedule a free call with me by clicking this link.
For more information, visit thespottercoaching.com.