GLP-1 Medications Don't Cause Muscle Loss

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Hey Woodson Ways family , just another quick bonus episode for Sunday . Let's get this one thing crystal clear , and that is that GLP-1 medications like semaglutide , terzepatide , known by their name brand , so Zempic , manjaro , wagovi , they do not directly cause muscle loss . Think about it logically . These medications , how do they work ? They work by slowing the gastric emptying and affecting appetite , affecting your satiety hormones . They are not catabolic agents . They don't break down muscle tissue . But the question is , why do people lose muscle on these medications ? Because I didn't say they didn't lose , I said they're not caused by the drugs

Why Rapid Weight Loss Affects Muscle

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Well , it's the same reason that people lose muscle during any rapid weight loss scenario , with or without the drugs . It is the rate of weight loss combined with inadequate protein intake , lack of resistance , training or , I'll be honest , even with those things , if you go too fast , you're going to lose muscle . What actually happens is you start the medication , your appetite plummets , it goes way down . You're eating way less food that means probably less protein as well , if you were eating enough to begin with . You're losing weight fast , maybe two to three pounds a week or more , probably more in many cases , and your body's in a massive calorie deficit , without all those other signals . That then starts to break down both fat and muscle for energy . And this is just basic physiology , right ? Rapid weight loss without the muscle preserving strategies are not going to preserve muscle period . So whether you're on the meds or you're just severely restricting calories on your own , it's gonna work out that way .

Protein and Training: The Solution

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And the solution then isn't hey , I'm gonna avoid the medication because I'm worried about muscle loss . The solution is the lifestyle piece , the strategies that we use for any fat loss phase , particularly an aggressive fat loss phase , and I've taken people through rapid fat loss phases and one of the things we have to have dialed in , or two of the things , is the training in the protein .

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So prioritizing protein 0.701 gram per pound of body weight minimum , maybe more than that if you're an aggressive deficit , even when your appetite is suppressed . So this is one of the challenges with people on these drugs . You might have to use more calorie dense forms of protein , like protein shakes , for example , greek yogurt , you know lean meat and stuff , but some of these things fill you up and it's almost a challenge to get the protein . Second is , of course , resistance training . What we talk about all the time on this show , it's the weights . Part of what's in weights .

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Your muscles need a reason to stick around . If you're not lifting weights consistently , your body has no incentive to preserve muscle mass during weight loss . Additionally , because you don't have appetite , just because the medication allows you to eat very little , doesn't mean you should . And this is a challenge that we help people with is that sometimes we have to almost , I hate to say , force you to eat more , but basically have a lot tighter structure and control around it , which is ironic , because it's the opposite problem that you probably went on the drugs in the first place for right . You went on because you probably were eating too much due to the appetite . Now you might be eating too little , and slower is often faster when it comes to getting the result you want , which is fat loss because you are preserving muscle .

Upcoming Q&A with Justin Silver

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And then here's where it ties into what we do inside Physique University . These are not new strategies . He does the same lifestyle interventions we teach for sustainable body composition , whether you're using medication or not . And this is the personalization piece of this , because weight loss medications can be incredible tools when they're used properly , but like any tool just like tracking is a tool they work best when combined with the strategies you know are supposed to work anyway protein resistance training , reasonable rate of weight loss , et cetera and so that the fear of muscle loss doesn't have to be there whether you're on these or not , and that could open up options for you that could transform your health . So it's about being informed and making informed decisions based on the knowledge to do it the right way . Speaking of doing it the right way , I'm excited to share .

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We have recent podcast guest , justin Silver , joining us for a live Q&A this Tuesday , september 2nd , inside Physique University . If you heard episode 358 , he talked about managing GLP-1 side effects without losing muscle , and so he's got a lot of expertise in this topic of weight loss meds in general . He's the creator of SymptomGuard . He's also an expert in how these medications interact with what we're doing for our body composition . So this is a member-driven Q&A . It's the first of many we're going to do inside Physique University . We've got some others coming up with Karen Martell , wazora , benamu lots of podcast guests who will be coming into the program to do live Q and A's that you can talk to them directly .

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So this Tuesday , Justin , you can ask him about the medications , about how we combine them with lifestyle strategies , about symptoms . Really nothing's off limits . And if you want to be part of that live Q and A with Justin , if you want to learn how to optimize your approach , whether you're on the medication or not , or you're curious about them , use the special link in the show notes and you could join WWPU . As always , it's only 27 per month and you'll get my custom nutrition plan , built by me for you , for free with the link in the show notes . Only with that special link . It's normally an add-on , but again , podcast listeners , I love you guys . I'm very grateful , always like to throw you some free stuff . And that is it for today's bonus episode . Again , use the link in the show notes if you want to get in on that live Q&A and all the other goodies there . Until next time , enjoy the rest of your weekend and we'll talk to you on Monday .