Preserving Muscle With Dampened Hunger Signals

Philip Pape 0:01

If you're struggling to maintain muscle while losing fat , especially on appetite-suppressing medications like Ozempic , or if you're worried about losing hard-earned gains during a cut , with or without weight loss drugs , this episode's for you . Today , we're diving into the world of sensor damping , an engineering concept that explains why relying solely on hunger cues can actually sabotage your muscle building efforts . You'll discover how to outsmart your body's dampened signals and preserve lean mass , whether you're on weight loss medication or not . Get ready to fine-tune your body's performance and achieve the physique you want , even when your internal sensors are off kilter . Welcome to Wits and Weights , the show that blends evidence and engineering to help you build smart , efficient systems to achieve your dream physique . I'm your host , philip Pape , and today we are hitting on a very critical topic when it comes to body composition one of the most asked about topics and that is how to avoid losing muscle when your hunger signals are dampened . Maybe when your hunger signals can't be trusted , whether from weight loss drugs like Ozempic or Manjaro or one of the many other GLP-1 agonists , or just being in a calorie deficit we're going to use an engineering concept called sensor damping to understand what's happening in your body and then , more importantly , how to work around it . This episode will give you some practical strategies , as always , to maintain muscle while losing fat , even when you can't rely on your usual hunger cues . Now , before we dive in , if you're enjoying the show , I'd always appreciate and be grateful if you could take a moment to rate and review Wits and Weights on Apple Podcasts or Spotify , because , yes , it helps others discover the show and see what they call social proof , but , more importantly , it lets me know what content resonates with you . I also love reading your feedback and I love giving a shout out if you want it on the show . It only takes a minute and it makes a huge difference it really does for small indie podcasters like me to get more of the message out in the world . So thank you , advance , for your support , and I just wanted to give a shout out , speaking of to a recent reviewer .

Philip Pape 2:30

Clay Yeager titled the Best Health Podcast by Far . That is incredible to hear somebody say that . He said Philip is the best . He's so knowledgeable , vulnerable and personal . He's changed the way I view nutrition and health completely . He puts such time and effort into his content and has such a variety . I love the way that he gives different situations for different people and gives plans on what he would do if they were his client . That is so informative on applying it to your daily life . I'm super thankful for all the knowledge I've gained from him and looking forward to what this life change will do for me in the future .

Philip Pape 3:01

Well , clay , that is , I love the high standards you've set for me . You know no pressure whatsoever , but I do strive to live up to those and make sure that people get as much valuable from this as possible and not just what you can get on any other podcast . For example , today's episode and every Wednesday episode is something I think is unique out there , and that is taking an engineering framework or principle because that is my background and applying it with my quirky , nerdy little brain over to fitness , but in a way that's very accessible and understandable . And that's what we're going to do today and we're going to keep building that mental muscle , which is our brain , one of the important muscles , at least metaphorically , with our body , along with our physical muscles . And we're going to start today by defining the context of why I put together this episode , and it's because these weight loss drugs , glp-1 drugs like Ozempic , manjaro and Wegovi and all of those , some of which are diabetes medications in fact , and then they created weight loss medications from them and there's a whole spectrum of them and their efficacy across a whole spectrum , but the essence of it is that they will allow people to dampen their hunger signals .

Philip Pape 4:17

It takes away your appetite right , effectively , takes away your appetite and allows you to go into a calorie deficit , really almost , I'll say , effortlessly . I've seen it both in clients who've been on Ozempic for diabetes as well as clients who are overweight or , in some cases , massively overweight , and their doctors prescribed it to them , saying , hey , look , you've got to get your health in order . And this seems to be the only thing we can do right now . And then they find me and we work together on the lifestyle changes that support what they're trying to do so that eventually they can come off the drug . I never would say , hey , let's just stop taking the drug . First of all , it's outside my scope of practice , but secondly , I do think it's a helpful tool for a small set of people when used in conjunction with the things we're going to talk about today the challenges there's a couple of challenges really is one it makes your natural hunger cues unreliable . In that context . I've seen it .

Philip Pape 5:12

I have had clients deep into a deficit and they check in with me and on a scale of one to 10 , 10 mean meaning least hungry , how do you feel ? And they score a 10 every time . It's like no hunger whatsoever , almost to the point where I have to tell them to eat enough not to be in too big of a deficit . Right ? And this effect , this sensor damping effect , right ? If the sensor is your body's appetite detection mechanism and now it is dampened , which means it just has less sensitivity , it takes away a key source of data by which you usually make decisions . Some would argue that's a good thing , because now it's taking away what has caused you to overconsume all these years . But it also interferes with the process of doing it via lifestyle change , like we're trying to do . And then what happens is you end up losing weight very quickly , almost too quickly , and because you're losing it so fast , you go well beyond that point at which you start to lose muscle mass . So let me be clear it's not that these drugs cause you to to lose muscle mass . So let me be clear it's not that these drugs cause you to lose more muscle mass . It's that these drugs cause you to lose weight faster in some cases much faster and you therefore lose more muscle weight , yeah , yeah , muscle . So let's tie this to engineering again .

Philip Pape 6:29

In engineering , sensor damping refers to the reduction of a sensor's sensitivity . That's it . That's all it is . And in many cases you do it on purpose when you make a product , because you don't want that sensor to override other information . Right ? You don't want it to override to the point where it's beyond noise and it becomes signal , right ? You ever heard signal in the noise ? Well , in this case , we like to have an appetite sensor usually , but in some cases , where it's just gone overboard and causing us to eat a lot , these drugs will reduce that , but they reduce it to the other extreme .

Philip Pape 7:03

So when we apply this concept to our bodies , we can understand why we can't always trust our hunger cues , especially during weight loss . And even if you're not on a weight loss drug , you may find that certain cues at certain times are not totally reliable . This is also why I'm not a huge fan of intuitive eating at all costs , because I think there is a lot of skill development and self-awareness that has to be developed over time to become intuitive . Your body is a complex control system and hunger is just one of its key sensors . And then , when that sensor is damped by drugs , by dieting itself sometimes , or other factors , we have to rely on other feedback mechanisms to maintain optimal performance . And just for another quick tangent , my recent episode on why weight loss always fails applied that to scale weight , we can't just rely on one data point on scale . We have to rely on lots of other things to understand the true picture .

Philip Pape 8:03

So the core philosophy here is about creating intentional redundancy in our approach to body composition . Intentional redundancy Instead of relying solely on one thing like hunger , we need to develop a multifaceted system of feedback and control . Again , this is why I love this stuff so much . Coming from a software and electronic control systems background , I see the body that way , and it gives me more clarity and control , especially when talking with and helping clients . So what does this look like ? It just looks like other metrics , like your workout performance , the measurements of your body circumference , your energy level , tracking your biofeedback , having planned nutrition strategies that align with your seasons , that align with your goals , and so this concept of compensating for dampened signals will then go beyond just muscle preservation , even though I use that as the setup for today

Enhancing Fitness Through Sensor Damping

Philip Pape 9:06

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Philip Pape 9:06

It can be applied to other aspects of fitness in life , like maintaining the intensity of your workouts when motivation is low . So , for example , motivation is dampened . Well , we rely on other things . We rely on the fact that our squat just went up right , or the fact that we've got our training scheduled at 6 am three days a week to override it , the fact that our bicep size is going up as we're doing those workouts right . It also applies to sticking to your nutrition during high stress periods , where the stress signal is dampened . I mean , it's kind of the opposite , but same idea , right . Or , you know , continuing your professional development to have personal growth , even when external rewards are not necessarily there . It can apply to anything . That's why I love these episodes and these concepts , because these can be applied to anything .

Philip Pape 9:59

But let's focus on key principles , okay , and let's talk about hunger . Let's bring it back to body composition , hunger during fat loss , because what we want to do is not lose muscle . We don't want to lose muscle . What happens when we lose muscle ? We become skinny fat . Our body fat percentage actually goes up , even though the weight on the scale goes down . We don't want that to happen , and if you're on one of these drugs , it requires extra awareness of these other data points .

Philip Pape 10:24

Okay , Not just how hungry you feel or what the scale says . Requires tracking your performance , your photos , how your clothes fit . You know , having systems that don't rely on a single input , like planning your meals in advance , meal prepping on the weekend , setting reminders to eat For those of you who forget to eat , right , oh , I just get too busy , I forget to eat , and then I have to catch up on my calories later , and blah , blah , blah Set reminders . It might sound slightly neurotic , but guess what ? If you're not doing it and you're failing to do the thing you want to do , there's got to be something in place to change your behavior right , rather than waiting until the emotions take over , the cravings take over , the hunger or lack thereof takes over , and then you're going to regularly calibrate your approach based on all of these data points .

Philip Pape 11:11

So if your strength in the gym is declining or you're feeling unusually fatigued , it's probably time to adjust your nutrition or your meal timing , even if you don't feel hungry . Right , even if you don't feel hungry . That's where someone on Ozempic they're not that hungry , so they might not be eating enough , or they're not that hungry , and yeah , so they're not . So they're not eating enough , not only to not be in the appropriate deficit , they might not be eating enough to support even their performance and their training in the gym . And then it's a vicious cycle of well , now they don't go to the gym or they don't push as hard , right . And then the last thing with all of this , of course , is prioritizing the consistency of it rather than trying to be perfect . Because prioritizing the consistency of it rather than trying to be perfect ? Because if you can hit 80% of your targets consistently , you're going to be in the top 5% of people , or even higher than that . There's no track , there's no track . Just remember that . There's no track to fall off of . There's simply do your best , hit the target . If you fail to hit the target , you start again the next day .

Philip Pape 12:11

So the power and understanding that sensor damping can occur with us across a variety of variables , including hunger during fat loss , is that , instead of being at the mercy of unreliable internal cues , you become the controller of your system . Right , you're not beating it into submission , but you kind of . You're up there in your control room and you're looking at all . You're looking at the big mission control board of your body and you're saying , okay , this , this little sensor over here , this hunger signal , is not quite giving me the best information right now , so I need to take these other three or four displays over here and make the best decisions based on that . Of course , working with a coach can be super helpful in this regard , um , or working with someone else who , who's your partner , who can help give you a fresh pair of eyes , and then you're empowered to make informed decisions instead of just do it based on how you quote-unquote feel .

Philip Pape 13:03

Okay , if you can learn to navigate fitness or health or nutrition with dampened signals , you're actually developing a more robust and reliable approach in general . Right , it's a skill that really goes beyond the context I'm talking about today of preserving muscle during weight loss . It's becoming more intentional , more data-driven decision maker in all areas of your life , and that builds mental resilience , that improves decision-making skills , that leads to more consistent progress in any endeavor you pursue . And then you're thinking , okay , philip , well , are you gonna get to the answer of how do I preserve muscle during fat loss ? It's yeah . I just gave you the philosophy , I gave you the first principles . It's track all the things that matter during fat loss to preserve muscle and then adjust accordingly .

Philip Pape 13:56

Now , practically , what does that look like ? That looks like not dieting too quickly , which means don't go past around 1% of your body weight per week loss . So , for those of you who might be on Ozempic or considering it , just think about that , do the math and say , hey , am I going faster than the 1% ? That's probably too fast . To maintain muscle , I need to dial it back , which means I need to eat more . It means continuing to train and it means continuing to eat sufficient protein . But honestly , I didn't wanna break down those specifics today because they're much less important than the idea that all of those things need to be considered . And if you need specifics , I've got so many episodes on the specifics that I can send you . Definitely , reach out to me on Instagram at Wits and Weights , or send me a text message using the show notes . So , as we wrap up , let's just recap the main points .

Philip Pape 14:45

We've looked at how sensor damping applies to our bodies , especially when it comes to the sensor of hunger and appetite . When it comes to the sensor of hunger and appetite , when we're trying to maintain muscle mass during weight loss , especially when you might be on one of these drugs that dampen your appetite . And when that happens , relying solely on that cue can be misleading , and so creating a system of multiple feedback mechanisms is required . The goal is not to just lose weight . The goal is not to just lose weight . It's to improve your body composition , your health and your quality of life . Even if you are at a morbidly obese level of weight right now , and your doctor said you have to do this to lose weight quickly .

Philip Pape 15:25

I have clients that are far north of 300 pounds on the scale and they are doing all the right things . They're going to the gym three , four days a week , eating their protein , they're sticking within a reasonable range of their calories so they don't go too quickly , and they're prioritizing sleep and their stress and all the other things , knowing that hunger itself isn't going to tell them much at the moment . And guess what that does ? That gives them the confidence to eventually go off those drugs more likely than not . Right Again , unless we're talking about specific situations outside my scope of practice I'm not a medical doctor . I don't dispense advice like that , but I do help clients with their nutrition , and those clients then often choose to and , often with their doctors , decide hey , I don't need these medications , along with many , many other potential medications and treatments , potentially . So . By having these redundant systems relying on multiple data points , you make more informed decisions and you achieve more consistent progress , even when one or more of those internal signals may not be as reliable .

Philip Pape 16:27

All right again , if you found value in today's episode , if you like this idea of hmm , here's a concept from an engineering , from engineering , that I can apply to fitness , but even other things in my life . I have a small favor to ask , and it's the same thing I mentioned earlier Take a moment to rate and review the show on your podcast platform of choice . I really would be grateful if you took the extra minute to do a full written review in Apple , but however you do it , it will help others discover the show and also let me know what kind of shows I should create . Only takes a minute , it just takes a minute . It doesn't take long at all , but it would mean the world to me and , as always , I am so thankful for your support , for you listening to this show , for being part of the Wits and Weights community . Until next time , keep using your wits lifting those weights , and remember when your body signals get dampened , it's time to turn up your intentionality . I'll talk to you next time here on the Wits and Weights podcast .