Ep 83 | What You Need to Know Before Going on GLP-1s for Weight Loss
You've probably seen celebrities and influencers losing dramatic amounts of weight on Ozempic and other GLP-1 medications. Maybe you've even considered trying them yourself. Several of my clients and their family members are currently using GLP-1s, and I'll be honest with you—these medications can be incredibly effective for weight loss.
But here's what concerns me as a coach: I'm seeing too many people make the same critical mistakes that set them up to regain all the weight they lost, and sometimes even more. If you're thinking about going on a GLP-1 but you don't plan on changing anything else about your lifestyle, you need to hear this.
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Jayd (00:00):
You probably have seen tons of celebrities have gone on. Ozempic lost a lot of weight really, really quickly, and many gym goers as well are on GLP-1s. Several of my clients and their spouses or family members are on GLP-1s, and they can be very effective for weight loss. And the way that these medications work is they reduce your appetite and what we call food noise or cravings, where you have less preoccupation with food, you don't feel like eating as much, but they come with significant risks and downsides that I think a lot of people don't consider when they first go on these medications or when they start thinking about these medications. If you're thinking about going on this drug, but you don't want to do anything else, you need to consider the fact that if you ever go off of this drug, you're very likely to regain all of the weight back that you lost.
(01:05)
Welcome to the Coaching Corner podcast. I'm Jayd Harrison, AKA Jaydigains. I've been a personal trainer for over 10 years, and I've created this podcast to share with you tips so that you can burn fat, get strong and eat better without shame and without burnout. In today's episode, we're going to be talking all about GLP-1s, which are a really popular drug that many people are using for weight loss. You've probably seen advertisements for GLP-1s, and you may be thinking that this might be a good fit for you if you are wanting to lose weight. There are some things that you need to take into consideration when you are thinking about going on a GLP-1 to ensure that you're going to lose the weight that you want to lose, but also keep it off for good and not damage your metabolism. So in today's episode, I'm going to share with you some of the considerations that you need to take so that if you do decide to use a GLP-1 to help you lose weight, you'll be able to actually have long-term success and not have all of that weight come right back as soon as you go off the drug.
(02:10)
Now, before we get into this episode, make sure that you like this video if you're watching on YouTube and subscribe to my channel so that you always get the latest videos as soon as they drop. And if you're listening to this podcast, thank you so much. Make sure that you follow the show so you always get the latest episodes delivered right to your device. And without further ado, let's get into the episode and talk about the things you need to think about when considering going on a GLP-1.
(02:38)
I will say from the outset, as a personal trainer, I'm not opposed to people using GLP-1s to help them reach their fat loss goals. I know a lot of people that struggle with fat loss for a variety of reasons. Fat loss is not just, oh, a moral failing because you eat too much or you are lazy. We know now from decades of science and research on the topic that metabolism, fat storage, fat loss, the impact of your thyroid and your hormones on your ability to burn fat or to store fat. There are a lot of moving pieces when it comes to fat loss, and that's why a lot of people struggle to burn fat or to maintain a healthy body weight. So I do have clients who are on GLP-1s who have success in reaching their fat loss goals. And so it can be a really helpful tool, but that is the key takeaway from this episode is that it is one of several tools that you need to be using at the same time if you want to achieve your fat loss goal and keep it off for good, because what I have seen for a lot of people, one of some of the biggest mistakes that a lot of people make when using these drugs is they use them without also addressing their eating habits.
(04:02)
And they don't exercise, they don't build muscle, they don't do resistance training, and they don't change their movement patterns. So what typically happens is they have a certain amount of success on this drug. They end up slowing down their metabolism because this drug also causes them to break down muscle, which is one of the main drivers of your metabolism. And because they haven't changed their food behaviors, as soon as they go off the medication, they start rapidly gaining weight again. And so when you use this tool by itself and you think it's going to be like this magic bullet that's going to magically get you to your fat loss goal, if you don't do the other things that are important for fat loss and for sustainable fat loss, you're going to find yourself in a world of hurt. I see the same problems with GLP-1s that I see with people who go on and off fat diets, right?
(04:59)
You put yourself at risk of that yo-yo on again off again, fat loss when you just go on a GLP-1 and you don't try to do anything else about how you eat, what your eating habits are, your relationship with food, and you don't change anything about your exercise. And in fact, you can actually make your metabolism worse in the long run by losing muscle mass when you're on these type of drug and you're not doing resistance training when you go off, your body's going to burn fewer calories, which is going to make it harder for you to burn fat and keep it off. And in fact, you may end up gaining back all of the weight that you had when you started and gaining even more than what you started with. So that's the danger, but it doesn't have to end up that way.
(05:49)
But if you do decide to go on a GLP-1 and you talk about it with your doctor, a really responsible doctor is going to encourage you to also exercise, to work out, especially prioritizing resistance training when you go on a GLP-1. And they're also going to encourage you to clean up your eating habits, eat healthier and address if you have a mental health issue towards food, you need to be working on that as well because if those things don't change, you're going to, yes, probably see rapid fat loss, but it's not going to be sustainable and you may end up finding yourself having to be on this medication for a really long time. And the truth is that we don't actually have long-term studies showing the long-term effects of being on this drug for fat loss and how it might in the long-term affect your body for being on it for long-term, right?
(06:46)
We have studies showing the benefits and what the long-term effects are of using these types of drugs for type two diabetes, but when it comes to fat loss and the effects on your metabolism, there's not a lot of science around that yet. And so it's risky, right? It's risky. So you kind of signing up to be a Guinea pig if you plan on being on these drugs for a really long time. So let's back up a little bit and talk about what these drugs are, what GLP-1s are, how they work and their efficacy, their effectiveness for fat loss, because they really are very effective. And so that's why I can't say that I don't recommend it, but it is definitely a conversation you need to have with your doctor. And you also need to take into consideration your willingness and your ability and your capacity to address those other things, exercise and how you eat and your relationship with food.
(07:50)
So let's talk about how they actually work, right? So one GLP-1s, they mimic the natural GLP-1 hormone that regulates blood sugar and your appetite. This is a hormone that your body naturally produces called glucagon, like peptide one, and your body already secretes this hormone, but GLP-1s just increase the amount of it that you have in your body. Now, the GLP-1 that you take is a synthetic version of that hormone, but it acts in the exact same way, so it makes you have less of an appetite. You're not quite as interested in eating, you don't experience as much food noise, which is like that preoccupation with food where you're thinking about food a lot or cravings. Your cravings get reduced at the same time. It also slows down your digestion, it slow gastric emptying is what we call it. So you end up feeling fuller longer.
(08:48)
You don't need to eat as much when you do eat and you feel satisfied when you're full. And then you have longer periods between when you eat that you feel full and you don't feel like you need to eat again quite as soon. And the different medications that are GLP-1s are things like ozempic and wegovy and manjaro, ze bound. And these medications were originally developed for helping people to manage their type two diabetes. But now the FDA has approved them for weight management and that's why they're being prescribed for weight management. So with the appetite suppression and the slowing down of your digestive tract, this can be life-changing. For a lot of people who struggle with really a preoccupation with food who have really intense cravings or they think about food or they're obsessed with food, this can help to break the cycle of compulsive emotional eating, using food to help you feel better.
(09:53)
A lot of people who have those types of experiences end up having a lot of success breaking that cycle when they go on a GLP-1, but it's not magic, it's just essentially appetite suppression through medication. So having your appetite suppressed can be super helpful, but if you don't at the same time address your food behaviors, how you eat, how you exercise, then as soon as you stop taking this medicine and your appetite comes back and the food doesn't stay in your system for quite as long, then your old behaviors are going to come right back. You'll have just as hard of a time resisting compulsive eating, emotional eating, binging. Those things will come right back, and that's what a lot of the people that I have talked to as clients or as gym goers, that's what they say they experience. So my recommendation as a coach is to work on your food behaviors and your exercise behaviors.
(10:59)
Use the opportunity of you having that suppressed appetite where you're not thinking about food all of the time to change your habits, use that time to build healthy habits, change your relationship and your approach towards food, how you see food, work with a coach, work with a therapist, work with your doctor, work with a dietician to develop healthy habits in terms of how you eat and how you exercise. That way when it comes time for you to go off of these medications and wean off of them, you already have healthy habits that are established that you can continue to carry on when you have that appetite back and when your appetite suppression isn't happening anymore. Do you see what I mean? It's really hard for a lot of people where this can be. So life-changing is I've worked with tons of people who've hired me for fat loss, who are very overweight, who have a lifelong difficult relationship with food.
(12:01)
Usually there's some kind of childhood trauma or some kind of traumatic event where food was kind of the main comfort for them. And so their relationship with food is that food becomes their main way that they regulate their nervous system when they're feeling stressed, bored, angry, emotional or dysregulated, right? Food is the thing that comforts them the most, but when you have appetite suppression, it's not as comforting. It doesn't hit quite like it did before. And so that can help to kind of remove the pressure if you're trying to break that habit. Reducing your appetite can help you to break that habit and be more effective at it. It's a lot harder to break that habit when your appetite is so high and you have this mental habit of thinking about food all of the time. And so if you don't take that time to build those habits and that appetite comes back, you're going to go right back to the old behaviors.
(13:03)
And that's why so many people end up gaining all of that weight back. They start gaining weight as soon as they go off these medications, and sometimes they gain even more weight because if they didn't, especially if they didn't exercise or eat enough protein while they were on this medication, it's likely that the amount of muscle that they've lost while on the medication will be significant to the point where it slows down how many calories their body burns. So remember, fat loss is all about your body needs to be burning more energy than what you're taking in through the food that you eat. And your muscle is one of the main drivers of your metabolism. The more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns every day, even on the days that you don't work out. So if you lose muscle, if you break down muscle, then your body burns less energy, your body burns fewer calories, which means that when you go to eat like you were before you went on this medication, your body's going to store even more of that energy as fat.
(14:04)
You want to make sure that you're using the opportunity of being on this medication if you do choose to go on it. If you and your doctor decide, let's do this, you need to use that time to learn how to eat better and to change your relationship with food, you need to get into an exercise routine where you are taking care of your body and actively combating the loss of muscle. That usually happens when people go on these drugs. But I get it. I do. I get it. And I want to take a second to acknowledge how you might be feeling if you're thinking about going on one of these GLP-1 drugs. It can be so frustrating when you have been struggling to lose weight for. So a lot of times the people who want to go on these drugs, they've tried a lot of different things in the past and they've had limited success.
(15:00)
Maybe they've tried to do an exercise routine or tried to change their eating habits and nothing stuck. Or maybe they have an on, again, off again, relationship with the gym or an on, again, off again, relationship with healthy eating. And it may feel like, oh, this is finally something that's going to work in the long run. But I just want to caution you away from that magical thinking because this is just another of those tools that you could just kind of repeat the process for you that cycle. You could just be continuing the cycle of on again, off again fat loss, right? Where you'll see significant fat loss being on this drug, but as soon as you go off of it, you're going to be right back where you started. Maybe you. So it's not going to fix that pattern, but it can make it helpful or it can make it easier for you to establish new, healthier patterns because you're not having to fight against your feelings and that food noise and preoccupation with food that usually drives you to overeat or eat emotionally or eat as a stem if you're neurodivergent emotional board eating.
(16:12)
So it can be helpful. And for that reason, I can't say as a coach, that I don't like this drug or that I think it's bad. But I do want you to go into, if you're thinking about going on this medication, I do want you to go into it realistically with a realistic expectation of what it's going to do for you and how you can go into it responsibly to ensure that you are going to actually successfully burn that fat and keep it off for good. And if you do decide to go on this medication and you want a little bit of help in terms of getting into an exercise routine and learning how to eat healthy, I am also accepting clients into my Fat Loss transformation program where I will teach you how to build those healthy habits that will help you sustain your fat loss if you're on this medication and keep that fat off for good.
(17:13)
My Fat Loss Transformation program covers how to eat healthy, how to eat the right amount of calories, how to take in the amount of energy that your body needs to not store fat and to burn fat. And there's also a customized exercise program. I'm going to teach you how to exercise, how to move, and how to take better care of your body so that when you inevitably decide to go off of this medication, you have all the healthy habits in place to help you sustain that fat loss for good. So the link for applying to work with me will be also in the show notes and the video description below. I also have a bunch of downloadable resources available on my website in my Gaines Club membership site, which includes downloadable workout plans. I have a bunch of recipes, meal plans there, and exclusive training tips, fat loss tips, and nutrition tips.
(18:07)
So that is available on my website. You can go to my website and click on membership to check out the Gaines Club because that has, if you want to do it yourself, but you just want a little bit of guidance, I have a bunch of downloadable resources there for my members. So you can sign up there and then if you want something that's in between personal training and do it yourself, I also have a workout app. I'm on the A BC Trainer Rise app, and I update that every month and put programs up there. Right now, there's several different programs for resistance training and cardio and stretching and mobility work for exercises of all levels, regardless of whether you're a beginner or intermediate or advanced, and regardless of what kind of equipment you have. So you can check out my app as well. So there's lots of resources for you, but I do encourage you to get started with one of them, whether you decide to do it yourself with the downloads in the membership site, or you want the phased workout plans on my training app, or if you want to work with me one-on-one for more accountability, all of that is available to you.
(19:16)
So I would encourage you to check those things out. And also what I would encourage you to do is try to get started on those things first. If you want to go on a GLP-1, but you're not sure, make sure that you check off the boxes to make sure that you're already setting yourself up for success and fat loss with my programs. You'll learn how to eat better. You'll learn how to eat the amount of calories that your body needs. You'll also learn how to exercise the way that you need. And so if you do that first, you may actually start to gain some success in burning fat and keeping it off to the point where you may not even have to go on a GLP-1. So that's the other consideration that I have as a personal trainer is like, what have you tried first?
(20:00)
Have you actually tried to stick to a consistent training program or a consistent healthy eating plan? What have you tried first? And if you're not already trying to eat healthy, trying to eat within your calories a good calorie goal, if you're not already exercising and on a resistance training program, do those things first. Okay? That would be my ideal situation as a personal trainer, because then whether you actually need to go on this medication or not, you know what I mean? And then if you feel like you're doing all those things and you're still kind of not seeing the success that you want to see, or you're not seeing the weight go away the way that you would like, then you could talk to your doctor about going on a GLP-1, right? It's not the only thing that's going to get you, there are a lot of other tools that you can use without going on this drug, but if you are going on the drug, you're still going to need to use these other tools. So that's my recommendations. I hope that you find that helpful. I'm happy to answer any questions. If you do have questions, leave them in the comments below the YouTube video if you're watching on YouTube, or you can get in touch with me in the ABC Trainer Eyes app if you're one of my subscribers, and you can also chat with me while I'm live on my Twitch channel, Twitch tv slash JD Gains.
(21:26)
Thank you so much for watching this episode of The Coaching Corner podcast. Again, I'm Jayd Harrison. If you liked this episode and you found it helpful, make sure to like the video on YouTube and subscribe to my channels. So you always get more episodes of The Coaching Corner podcast and the other videos that I drop. And if you are listening to this podcast, make sure to follow the show so you always get the latest episodes delivered right to your device. If you're interested in one of my products or services, check out my website. That's Jaydigains.com, J-A-Y-D-I-G-A-I-N-S.com. And keep in mind that you can follow me on social media. I'm Jaydigains everywhere. I'll see you in the next episode. In the meantime, make sure that you're taking good care of yourself. Drink your water, eat your veggies, eat your protein, and take care, and I will see you soon.
I'm Not Against GLP-1s (But There's a Catch)
Let me start by saying I'm not opposed to people using GLP-1 medications to reach their fat loss goals. As someone who's been training clients for over 10 years, I know that fat loss isn't a moral failing or just a matter of willpower. Decades of research have shown us that metabolism, fat storage, hormones, and thyroid function all play complex roles in your ability to lose weight and maintain a healthy body weight.
The key word here is "tool." GLP-1s are one tool in your toolbox—not a magic solution that works in isolation. And if you use this tool without addressing your eating habits, building muscle through resistance training, and changing your movement patterns, you're setting yourself up for disappointment.
How GLP-1 Medications Actually Work
GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound mimic a natural hormone your body already produces called glucagon-like peptide-1. This hormone regulates blood sugar and appetite. When you take a GLP-1 medication, you're essentially increasing the amount of this hormone in your body, which creates several effects.
First, these medications significantly reduce your appetite and what we call "food noise"—that constant preoccupation with food and cravings. You're just less interested in eating. Second, they slow down gastric emptying, which means food stays in your stomach longer. You feel fuller for longer periods, you don't need to eat as much, and you have longer stretches between meals where you feel satisfied.
For people who struggle with intense cravings, emotional eating, or constant thoughts about food, this can be genuinely life-changing. It can help break the cycle of compulsive eating and give you space to work on your relationship with food.
The Problem Everyone's Ignoring
Here's where most people go wrong: they think the medication alone will solve everything. They lose weight rapidly while on the drug, but they're not exercising, not building muscle, not addressing their eating behaviors or their relationship with food. Then when they go off the medication—and most people don't plan to stay on it forever—their appetite comes roaring back, and so do all their old habits.
The result? They rapidly regain all the weight they lost, and sometimes gain even more. Sound familiar? It's the same pattern I see with fad diets—that frustrating yo-yo cycle of losing and regaining weight.
But there's an even bigger problem. When you lose weight on a GLP-1 without doing resistance training or eating enough protein, you lose significant muscle mass along with the fat. Since muscle is one of the main drivers of your metabolism, losing muscle means your body burns fewer calories each day. So when you go off the medication and start eating normally again, your slower metabolism makes it even easier to regain weight—and harder to lose it again.
What We Don't Know About Long-Term Use
We have solid research on using these medications long-term for type 2 diabetes management. But when it comes to using them specifically for fat loss and their long-term effects on metabolism? The research is limited. If you're planning to stay on these drugs for years, you're essentially signing up to be a guinea pig. That doesn't mean it's necessarily dangerous, but it's a reality you should consider.
The Right Way to Use GLP-1 Medications
If you decide to go on a GLP-1 after talking with your doctor, here's what you absolutely need to do at the same time: use the appetite suppression as an opportunity to build sustainable healthy habits.
While you're not constantly thinking about food and your cravings are reduced, that's your window to change your relationship with food. Work with a coach, therapist, dietitian, or your doctor to develop healthy eating patterns. Learn what appropriate portions look like. Understand how to fuel your body properly. Address any emotional or psychological issues you have with food.
At the same time, get into a consistent exercise routine that prioritizes resistance training. This is crucial for maintaining your muscle mass while you lose weight. The more muscle you preserve or even build while on the medication, the better your metabolism will function when you eventually go off it.
A responsible doctor will encourage both of these things. If your doctor is just handing you a prescription without talking about exercise and nutrition, that's a red flag.
I Understand the Frustration
I want to take a moment to acknowledge how you might be feeling if you're considering GLP-1s. Maybe you've tried multiple diets and exercise programs with limited success. Maybe you have an on-again, off-again relationship with the gym or healthy eating. It's incredibly frustrating, and I get why a medication that promises rapid weight loss sounds appealing.
But I want to caution you against magical thinking. This isn't going to fix the underlying patterns that led to weight gain in the first place. It can, however, make it easier to establish new patterns because you won't be fighting against constant hunger and food preoccupation.
For many of my clients who struggle with using food as their primary way to regulate their nervous system—often tied to childhood trauma or stressful life events—the appetite suppression can be a game-changer. When food doesn't provide the same comfort it used to, it becomes easier to break those habits and develop healthier coping mechanisms. But only if you're actively working on building those new habits while the medication gives you that breathing room.
My Recommendation: Try Other Tools First
Before you commit to a GLP-1, I'd encourage you to honestly assess what you've tried first. Have you actually stuck to a consistent resistance training program? Have you worked with a coach or followed a structured nutrition plan? Have you given sustainable methods a real chance?
If you haven't exhausted those options yet, start there. You might find that with proper guidance on training and nutrition, you can reach your goals without medication. And if you do still decide a GLP-1 is right for you, you'll already have the healthy habits in place that will help you maintain your results.
If you've tried everything and feel stuck, or if you're already on a GLP-1 and want to make sure you're setting yourself up for long-term success, that's exactly what my Fat Loss Transformation program is designed for. I'll teach you how to build sustainable eating habits, how to structure your training to preserve muscle mass, and how to create a healthy relationship with food that lasts beyond any medication.
I also offer resources for every level of support—from DIY options in my Gains Club membership (with downloadable workout plans, recipes, and meal plans) to structured programming on my ABC Trainerize app, to one-on-one coaching for maximum accountability.
The Bottom Line
GLP-1 medications can be an effective tool for weight loss, but they're not a magic bullet. If you use them without also addressing your eating habits, building muscle through resistance training, and working on your relationship with food, you're very likely to regain the weight when you stop the medication.
Use the appetite suppression as an opportunity—a window of time when you can more easily build the sustainable habits that will serve you for life. That's how you achieve lasting fat loss, whether you're on medication or not.
Have questions about GLP-1s or fat loss in general? Drop them in the comments or connect with me on my Twitch channel, in the ABC Trainerize app, or on social media @jaydigains.
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