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Showing Up Anyway is a podcast about unlearning diet culture, redefining health, and making peace with food, movement, and your body -- without needing to have it all together. Hosted by Coach Adam Wright, an anti diet-culture personal trainer and body-trust educator, each episode dives into the imperfect side of wellness and how to navigate motivation burnout, body image struggles, emotional eating and the pressure to be "healthy". This is your reminder that progress doesn't need to be perfect, and you'll still see progress as long as you show up anyway.
Welcome to Showing Up Anyway,
the podcast for people
who are not perfect.
On this show, we talk
about intuitive eating,
fitness without obsession
and healing your relationship
with food and your body.
Hello, everybody. Welcome back.
I'm so glad you're here
for a very special episode,
and I say it's very special
because this is a subject
that I've been wanting to
talk about for quite a while.
So many clients and viewers and
anybody that I come across, uh,
on my social media now
is asking me about
the hottest new thing available when
it comes to weight loss - GLP-1s.
So, today's episode is going to be
focused on explaining to you
what GLP medications are,
what their intended purpose is,
who should and shouldn't use them,
and, if you're someone
who decides to use them,
how to do that safely
and intentionally
without losing sight of your health
or your relationship
with food in the process.
I want you to come away
feeling informed
and empowered and like
you've got a game plan
if you're seeking to include GLP-1s,
or if you're already doing so
on your weight loss journey.
But, right off the bat,
I have to remind you
I am not a doctor, okay?
This is not medical advice.
I will say that my opinion on
GLP-1s has grown more favorable
the more I've learned about them,
but it is not my job to tell you
whether or not they are
right for you.
That's a decision
between you and your doctor.
So, first off, what are GLP-1s
and what do they do?
GLP-1 stands for
Glucagon-Like Peptide 1,
which is a hormone that is already
naturally produced in your body,
and it's released in your
small intestine when you eat,
and it has a few big jobs,
it triggers insulin release to
help lower your blood sugar,
it tells your liver to dial
back your sugar production,
it slows down your stomach emptying,
and it signals to your brain
that you are full.
But some people's bodies
do not produce enough,
or they just don't respond
properly to that hormone
and so these drugs mimic
that hormone by binding to
the same receptors in
the body that do those jobs.
They do not increase your
body's natural GLP-1 hormone,
they are just a synthetic substitute
that sort of performs
the same functions. Make sense?
Originally, they were developed for
people with type 2 diabetes,
but because they reduce
your appetite so much
and they help support weight loss,
they've become a really big
supplement to help treat obesity.
Some of the most common
GLP-1 medications
that you've probably heard
about are Semaglutide,
which is also known as the
brand name Ozempic and Wegovy,
it has all those fancy,
catchy commercials.
Semaglutide is a
once-a-week injection.
There's also Liraglutide, which is
known as the brand name Saxenda,
that's a daily injection.
And there's also Tirzepatide,
which is known as Mounjaro,
which is a newer weekly injectable
that activates GLP-1 and
another hormone called GIP.
All of these drugs basically
do the same thing -
they help you feel fuller
sooner and longer,
and they slow down how quickly
food leaves your stomach
and tell your brain
that you have had enough.
And when you take them,
you find that
that constant need to eat something,
that food noise that's
in your head,
quiets down almost completely.
Your cravings aren't as strong,
and you're just not thinking
about food 24/7.
And it does work - people tend to
eat about 50% less,
and weight loss almost
falls off as a result.
And if this was a commercial,
I'd stop right there.
I mean, that sounds really,
really good, right?
But, and this is important,
it is not magic.
You still have a role to play
in making those results happen
and last.
As effective as GLP-1s are,
they can't do it all for you.
They are only a tool,
and you still are responsible
for developing healthy habits
to help get the best results
and to stay feeling good -
things like proper nutrition
and movement and self-care.
So, if you're on a GLP-1
or you're considering it,
I've gathered some of my most
helpful and practical things
that are going to
help you on this journey.
My first tip is actually a warning.
If you have struggled
with disordered eating
or restrictive eating disorders,
it might not be a good idea
for you to take this medication,
because the two things that go along
with these medications,
rapid weight loss and
severe appetite suppression,
can potentially trigger
or worsen an eating disorder
if you are susceptible to that.
If you've gone through ED recovery,
or maybe you've just been listening
to my content for a while,
some of you have done both,
you have been working really hard
to learn to tune into
your hunger and eat consistently.
A GLP-1 can muddle
those signals by design.
They can seriously
suppress your appetite
and for someone with a
history of under-eating
or obsessing over food
that is a really slippery slope back
into harmful patterns.
If all of a sudden you don't
feel hungry anymore
and you can start skipping meals,
that can destabilize some of
the progress
that you have made towards
normal eating patterns, okay?
You've got to be careful.
It can be dangerously reinforcing.
It is so important to be on guard
for these kinds of feelings,
and to have a support
system in place.
It doesn't mean you can't
use them at all,
but you need to be honest
with your doctor,
your dietician, your therapist,
ideally one that is knowledgeable
about eating disorders,
regular check-ins,
and honest communication
about what you're feeling
and what you're experiencing
physically and mentally
are really important.
Make sure you do that.
My second tip is actually a tip -
even if you are not hungry,
if it's been more than,
like, five hours,
you need to eat something.
Something small is fine,
but do not develop a habit
of skipping meals.
It was never a good idea
before your medication,
it is not a good idea now.
One of the biggest mistakes
that people make
when they're taking a GLP-1
is not eating enough.
Now, yes, that's the whole
point, right?
You're less hungry,
but your body still needs
to be fueled to function
properly every day, right?
Right. And also keep in mind
that rapid weight loss
is not just fat.
You're also going
to be losing muscle mass,
so we want to try and prevent that
as much as possible -
we'll talk about how to do
that a little bit later.
But if you do lose a bunch of muscle
mass, you're going to feel weak,
you're going to feel frail,
you're going to see,
you know, sunken-in eyes
and that's why you kind of get that
Ozempic face, As they say,
you're losing a lot of muscle mass.
You're also going
to lose water weight,
which can make you feel
pretty crummy as well.
That being said,
I understand that you might
not feel your best at times.
You might feel a little more
bloated and full than normal,
especially if you've
just taken your medication.
But one thing that I recommend
for clients who are on this
is to drink your calories, okay?
Like a smoothie or a protein shake
if you don't feel
like eating anything,
a little Bolthouse Farms or
a Naked drink can really help
you sip on some much needed
calories,
even if your tummy
is a little bit sensitive.
A lot of GLP-1 users are going to
have days where it's like 3pm
and they realize that all they've
had is coffee that morning
and maybe like half a yoghurt.
It is way too easy to forget to eat
because your usual hunger
signals just aren't there.
And while this can be
a little bit freeing, right?
No more obsessing over snacks,
that can backfire
if you are not careful.
Going long stretches without food is
going to make you feel fatigued,
it's going to make you feel weak,
and, over time, that is not
great for your overall health
and it's not great
for your metabolism.
So, how do we make sure
that we are eating enough?
The biggest thing is to plan it out
and start to make a routine.
If you do not have the urge to eat,
then think about your meals
like taking your medicine,
something that you do
to keep your body healthy.
Try to have at least
three small meals
or mini meals spaced
throughout the day.
Set alarms if you need to.
The key is consistency.
Even if your brain is not
sounding the alarm for food,
I want you to try and
eat on a schedule.
Your energy, your mood,
your long-term weight outcomes
are going to be better if you
avoid putting your body
into that malnutrition state, okay?
You don't want that.
The goal is NOT,
and I say this often,
it is not to eat as
little as humanly possible.
It is to eat enough to feel
good and stay healthy
while that GLP-1 works
in the background.
Third, like any medication,
GLP-1s have side-effects,
specifically gastrointestinal
side-effects
like nausea, diarrhea,
constipation, heartburn,
though how much those affect you
depends on the type of GLP-1,
I think Ozempic tends to hit you a
little harder than, like, Mounjaro,
but it also depends on the dose.
They're probably going
to hit you hardest
either right after you take the
shot, or about 24 hours later,
and then they'll die down
as the week goes on.
What can be really helpful
is to take your shot,
your medication, right before bed
to kind of help mitigate
how much you feel them
if you are worried about them.
But here's where the
tip kicks in, okay?
Beyond those side-effects,
there are also side-effects of
under-eating and rapid weight loss -
extreme fatigue,
irritability, hair loss,
constantly being cold, nausea, brain
fog, light-headedness.
If you don't want to feel worse than
what the medication is making you,
you need to fuel your body properly.
And, again, we'll talk about
how to do that in a little bit.
My fourth tip - make
movement mandatory.
You can choose how you do that,
okay? But lifting, walking,
biking, swimming - something
needs to happen.
Lifting weights can really help you
preserve muscle mass,
so I always recommend doing that.
Building and keeping
muscle will help maintain
your metabolism
in the long run as well,
but any sort of gentle regular
activity is really fantastic.
I've heard that walking
right after you take a dose
can really be helpful
in reducing side-effects,
but that's probably
a little subjective.
But that can also help
with circulation,
it's good for stress,
your mental health
and it's just a good habit
to get into regularly,
so find a way
to fit regular exercise in.
But, on that same note,
it's important to mention that
you should really pay attention
to how you feel when you are
exercising on a GLP-1.
If you are eating less,
you're going to find
that you're probably tired
a little bit faster,
or you might need to scale
back the intensity at first.
You might not be able to lift as
much as you once did,
that's okay, all right?
If you feel dizzy
or you feel exhausted,
that's your cue to take a break.
Have a snack, go a little lighter.
Fitness is not all or nothing, okay?
You don't need to always lift
more than you used to.
If you're changing your habits,
if you're changing your lifestyle,
you have to understand
that your performance
is going to change with that.
What's important is that you are
listening to your body.
On days that you have more energy,
maybe you do a longer workout,
or you go for a longer bike ride.
On days that you are feeling wiped,
maybe you just do
some gentle stretching
or just do your normal daily chores
around the house.
That's enough movement.
Honor your body's limits and move
because it's good for your body
and it's good for your mind.
Don't do it out of obligation.
So, let's talk about some of
the changes
that you're going to notice
if you're taking GLP-1s.
You are not, I repeat,
you are not going to be able to eat
the same way you did before, okay?
GLP-1s, as I mentioned, cut
people's appetites by about 50%.
If you used to eat a
whole Chipotle burrito,
now you might feel completely
full on half or a third.
You really have to learn
to slow down
and to listen to your
fullness cues, okay?
Don't force yourself
to finish large portions,
you are going to be
extremely uncomfortable.
Your stomach empties
a lot slower now,
so you're going to
get fuller longer and sooner.
So, if you eat a big meal
like you used to,
you're going to feel bloated,
you're going to feel nauseous,
you're going to feel
like you want to throw up.
That is not fun.
You will feel like shit,
and you're going to go the rest of
the day without eating
and probably some
of the next day too.
That is not how we create
sustainable habits.
Instead, focus on small,
intentional meals.
Start with a lot less
than you'd normally eat.
Chew well. Pay attention
to your fullness
and then stop when
you're feeling satisfied.
It's gonna happen sooner
than you think.
And, as I already told you,
do not go hours and hours
without eating anything, okay?
These medications
lower your blood sugar.
So if you go too long without
eating on top of that
and you let your blood sugar crash,
you're gonna feel it.
You're gonna feel shaky.
You're gonna have a headache.
You're gonna feel exhausted.
You're gonna be irritable, dizzy,
or a host of other symptoms.
It could be helpful
to have some fruit juice,
some dried fruit,
a rice krispie treat,
a banana, some apple sauce,
some sort of quick
digesting carbohydrate on hand
to bring that blood
sugar up just in case.
And since you are
eating less food overall,
the quality matters more than ever.
Think about it. You have limited
real estate in your stomach now,
so you have to start filling it
up with the good stuff.
You don't have to be perfect,
but you do need to start making
an attempt to fill your belly
with more nutritious foods.
That means focusing on balanced,
nutrient-dense meals
with a lot of whole foods,
a focus on protein and fiber,
and definitely plenty of fluids.
Protein helps you maintain your
muscle mass when you lose weight.
Fiber helps your digestion and
keeps your bowel movements regular,
which is really important,
especially when you
have constipation
and diarrhea as side-effects.
So, you want foods like eggs
and beans and tofu
and poultry and leafy greens,
roasted veggies, berries,
wholegrains like quinoa and rice,
but in small amounts, okay?
Now, you might hear all this
and think, "Adam, this is cruel.
"Not only can I not eat the amounts
of foods that I want to eat,
"but I also can't eat the
yummy foods that I like -
"the pizzas, the fries?"
Listen, you don't have to completely
avoid those foods, okay?
We all like the greasy fried
food, the high sugar foods,
but you do need to please keep
it to smaller amounts, okay?
You are not going to feel your best
if you eat those foods that often.
The good news is, though, that
medication is going to make it
so you don't crave those
foods as much anyway.
It's mostly going to be a
matter of breaking those habits
of ordering those foods
when you order DoorDash
or you go out to a restaurant
or something like that.
Now, I mentioned fluids,
it is absolutely crucial that
you stay hydrated on a GLP-1.
When you are eating less,
you might also be drinking
less without realizing it,
and side-effects like nausea
or diarrhea can sneakily
dehydrate you too.
So, sip on water
throughout the day,
have an emotional
support water bottle.
Water is going to be your friend.
It's going to greatly reduce
side-effects.
It's also going to help
to add at least one portion
of electrolytes
every day if you can.
I want to go over something
that I said a little bit earlier,
just in case the message
was not clear.
Do not fall into the trap of
letting GLP-1s do all the work
because they
work almost too well.
They can be so effective
that it's easy to think
that you just don't have to
make any lifestyle changes,
but those results will not
last if you do not
put in the work to
create healthy habits
that support the life
that you want to live.
There have already been studies
that show that when people
who have not developed these kinds
of habits get off this medication,
they gain the weight right back.
They can be a healthy tool
on your weight loss journey,
but they are just that - a tool.
They are not a magic cure-all.
They will not fix
your habits for you.
You've got to do that yourself.
So while the medication
is doing its thing,
incorporate all the things that we
have talked about on this podcast.
Find some movement that you enjoy
and that you can do regularly,
prioritize your sleep
and your stress management,
drink plenty of water, eat with
intention and with mindfulness
and, of course,
stay mindful of emotional and
distracted eating as well.
Now, unfortunately, there
is still a negative stigma
attached to this medication,
which we shouldn't be
surprised about, right?
I mean, diet culture is never happy.
Society doesn't want you to be fat,
so you try and lose weight,
but when you have
trouble doing that,
you go to your doctor,
you get some medication
to try and do that,
but then society is not happy with
that because you didn't do it
the right way and
it's just never enough.
Stop trying to please society.
Fuck 'em.
Using something like a
GLP-1 for your weight
or for your food noise
is not cheating, okay?
It's not something to feel
weird or ashamed about.
It is just another form of support
and a medication
for weight management,
similar to one for high cholesterol
or high blood pressure.
But you are the one that is
making the changes happen.
I want to read you a text
from a client
who spent about a year and
a half working with me
before recently starting
on Mounjaro,
and here is what he said.
Let me grab my phone.
He said, "I feel like
after working with you,
"I got a lot of my life back from
"the constant fear
and personal judgment,
"and the GLP-1 has given
me that last 15%
"that was still causing me to
think about food all the time.
"I literally just live my life now
and eat food when my body needs it.
"It's so freeing."
I'm really happy for him.
He did the work.
But GLP-1 or no GLP-1,
that kind of peace where
you can trust your body,
where you can eat when you're hungry
and actually enjoy your life
without obsessing over food,
can be really life-changing
and it is possible to achieve.
You are in the driver's seat
of your own body
and you're allowed to do
whatever works for you.
Thanks for being with me here today,
I'll see you next time.
Thank you for tuning in to
this episode of Showing Up Anyway.
You can find it for free on Spotify
or wherever you get your podcasts.
And wherever you're listening,
if you like the show, I'd love it
if you gave me a five-star review,
because that does help
other people find the show,
and hopefully it'll
help change their life,
just like you're looking
to change yours.
If you're listening
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you can follow me
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when new episodes come out.
I'm Coach Adam. Remember -
when things get challenging,
keep showing up anyway.