Your GLP-1 May Not Be the Real Issue

Don said:

What keeps getting under my skin in these GLP-1 discussions is the sheer volume of vague figures being tossed around alongside pleas for guidance.

Take a typical post: "3-4 weeks in on this GLP-1 at X dose, down only 1 kg.. what am I doing wrong?"

The starting point shouldn't be whether the GLP-1 performs miracles. It should be whether its core action is taking effect. Has hunger been blunted? Have cravings dropped? Are u consuming less without a constant battle against appetite?

GLP-1s ARE NOT FATBURNERS! They don't magically melt fat off ur body. What they mainly do is make a calorie deficit achievable by dialing down hunger and food noise

When appetite suppression is obviously happening and several months pass with only 1 kg gone, the likeliest answer isn't that the GLP-1 stopped working. The likeliest answer is that a consistent calorie deficit still isn't there.

Plenty of folks will happily inject compounds but won't give up a week to log what they actually eat. That's usually where the truth hides.

And let's be fair, 1 kg lost in a month is far from terrible. Still, when someone begins a GLP-1, particularly with a substantial amount of excess body fat to lose, expectations tend to run higher. If the scale stalls, go back to fundamentals:

Log ur food intake.

Move more each day.

Add structured exercise.

Prioritize food quality, not merely eating "less" of the junk.

Dropping from 3 bags of chips nightly to 2.5 bags is technically progress, but it isn't a nutrition plan.

Another mistake I see is people chasing extreme appetite suppression. The aim shouldn't be a dose so high that u can hardly eat a slice of bread. The aim is a dose that makes adherence easier while still letting u hit ur protein and calorie targets (don't do agressive diets and don't be scared of calories)

GLP-1s should be a tool, not the entire plan.

Lasting success comes from habits around food that hold up even once the GLP-1 is gone. Swapping some fast food for better options, learning portion control, moving more, and understanding ur calorie intake will always outweigh simply raising the dose.

THAT BEING SAID!

Hundreds of people in this community, who deserve a great deal of respect, have gone through a real GLP-1 journey and ticked every one of these boxes along the way, some sooner, some later, but the goal remained the same. Consistency beats intensity.

This forum exists to help u connect with those experiences. Many users here have achieved significant weight loss and built sustainable habits. Look up their journeys, ask questions, and learn from them

Most of them are more than willing to help because they remember exactly where they started
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What I keep seeing among folks who aren't really "fit" and lean more toward overweight, with poor habits as the sole cause, is that they take GLP medications while keeping those same habits going. In the end, when the time comes to stop whichever GLP they're on, the weight comes back and 0 nutrition issues have been addressed.
 
Don said:


I think we're talking past each other a little bit here.

My point was never that people should use a tiny dose and rely mostly on willpower, nor did I suggest that obesity can be solved by diet and exercise alone. I didn't mention a specific dose at all for that reason.

What I was referring to is a threshold of effect, not a specific dose. The optimal level of appetite suppression will be different from person to person. Some people may need much stronger appetite reduction than others depending on their relationship with food, eating behaviours, mental health, and the severity of their obesity.

My argument is simply that there is a middle ground between "white-knuckling a diet" and "being so suppressed that you can barely eat enough to meet your nutritional needs."

For example, if someone weighs 120 kg and has been consuming 5000–6000+ calories per day for years, I don't think the ideal outcome is suddenly eating 1000 calories per day simply because their appetite has been completely shut down. That's not what I mean by support.

To me, the goal is that GLP-1s reduce food noise, cravings, binge tendencies, and the constant mental battle around food, while still allowing someone to eat enough protein, micronutrients, and calories to support their body and preserve lean mass during weight loss.

I completely agree that obesity is heavily biological and that GLP-1s are the most effective obesity treatment we've had so far. Where I differ slightly is that I don't think the objective should automatically be maximum appetite suppression or just a 5% supression. I think the objective should be enough appetite suppression to make adherence sustainable while maintaining adequate nutrition and a healthy rate of weight loss. This range can vary from person to person, some would need 20% supression, others maybe 50%, but going for 95% is not the way and is overdoing it.

So I think part of ur reply is addressing a position that I don't actually hold and I still respect that, since we sometimes just read over big text and be like "OH HE'S SAYING ITS BLACK AND WHITE BUT ITS GREY TOO!"

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Nothing you've written here strikes me as wrong. For those who don't have severe obesity in particular, smaller doses of reta tend to be a sensible approach and frequently deliver solid results. And pushing the dose beyond whatever level achieves a reasonable pace of weight loss serves no purpose — all you're doing is piling on side effects while gaining little.

When obesity is severe, though — BMI 40+ or especially 45+ — my view is that the goal should generally be reaching standard max doses. That's partly because those doses will almost certainly be required to shed that much weight, and partly for the non weight loss health effects of GLP's. At that level of excess weight, the risk of numerous serious health conditions is very high, and larger doses outperform smaller ones when it comes to preventing or slowing those obesity related diseases, with cardiovascular disease being the most important. I'm not saying anyone with severe obesity should ramp up doses while ignoring side effects or the rate of weight loss — for everyone, the objective when increasing doses is striking a balance between effective hunger control and side effects — but in severe obesity, higher doses that are tolerated beat lower doses.
 
This brings to mind folks using GLOW or KLOW hoping for beauty perks, then complaining that they "aren't working" — all while still downing 50-150g+ of added sugar daily. Sugar-driven glycation and collagen breakdown will always win over GLOW/KLOW, every single time.

(I was that person, by the way. 1 year on KLOW, still cheerfully snacking on red vines and similar junk. Then I cut out ALL sugar and grains last September, and BAM, my KLOW began "working".)
 
Pali_Bali said:

This brings to mind folks using GLOW or KLOW hoping for beauty perks, then complaining that they "aren't working" — all while still downing 50-150g+ of added sugar daily. Sugar-driven glycation and collagen breakdown will always win over GLOW/KLOW, every single time.

(I was that person, by the way. 1 year on KLOW, still cheerfully snacking on red vines and similar junk. Then I cut out ALL sugar and grains last September, and BAM, my KLOW began "working".)
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When it comes to fruit, potatoes, and rice—foods that are whole—I've yet to come across anyone whose skin suffers (if that's the beauty benefit you're referring to). Take the many people across Asia who eat tropical fruit and center their diets on rice: their skin and hair tend to outshine what you see in most of the West. The culprit is probably the type of sugar we eat, along with all the other junk that comes with it, rather than the molecules themselves—sucrose, fructose, glucose.
 
coolguyontheinternet said:

Don said:

What keeps getting under my skin in these GLP-1 discussions is the sheer volume of vague figures being tossed around alongside pleas for guidance.

Take a typical post: "3-4 weeks in on this GLP-1 at X dose, down only 1 kg.. what am I doing wrong?"

The starting point shouldn't be whether the GLP-1 performs miracles. It should be whether its core action is taking effect. Has hunger been blunted? Have cravings dropped? Are u consuming less without a constant battle against appetite?

GLP-1s ARE NOT FATBURNERS! They don't magically melt fat off ur body. What they mainly do is make a calorie deficit achievable by dialing down hunger and food noise

When appetite suppression is obviously happening and several months pass with only 1 kg gone, the likeliest answer isn't that the GLP-1 stopped working. The likeliest answer is that a consistent calorie deficit still isn't there.

Plenty of folks will happily inject compounds but won't give up a week to log what they actually eat. That's usually where the truth hides.

And let's be fair, 1 kg lost in a month is far from terrible. Still, when someone begins a GLP-1, particularly with a substantial amount of excess body fat to lose, expectations tend to run higher. If the scale stalls, go back to fundamentals:

Log ur food intake.

Move more each day.

Add structured exercise.

Prioritize food quality, not merely eating "less" of the junk.

Dropping from 3 bags of chips nightly to 2.5 bags is technically progress, but it isn't a nutrition plan.

Another mistake I see is people chasing extreme appetite suppression. The aim shouldn't be a dose so high that u can hardly eat a slice of bread. The aim is a dose that makes adherence easier while still letting u hit ur protein and calorie targets (don't do agressive diets and don't be scared of calories)

GLP-1s should be a tool, not the entire plan.

Lasting success comes from habits around food that hold up even once the GLP-1 is gone. Swapping some fast food for better options, learning portion control, moving more, and understanding ur calorie intake will always outweigh simply raising the dose.

THAT BEING SAID!

Hundreds of people in this community, who deserve a great deal of respect, have gone through a real GLP-1 journey and ticked every one of these boxes along the way, some sooner, some later, but the goal remained the same. Consistency beats intensity.

This forum exists to help u connect with those experiences. Many users here have achieved significant weight loss and built sustainable habits. Look up their journeys, ask questions, and learn from them

Most of them are more than willing to help because they remember exactly where they started
Click to expand...
What I keep seeing among folks who aren't really "fit" and lean more toward overweight, with poor habits as the sole cause, is that they take GLP medications while keeping those same habits going. In the end, when the time comes to stop whichever GLP they're on, the weight comes back and 0 nutrition issues have been addressed.
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Here's the thing: I'm someone who's stayed fairly fit and has never carried extra weight across nearly 50 years, so I can tell you it doesn't always play out that way. Back when I was younger I competed in sports, and I've kept up a 5-6 day a week gym habit my whole adult life; my eating and training have always been tightly structured and calorie controlled. Still, as the years went on I put on a handful of lbs, which lands me in a normal-ish range now, though I'd rather be leaner since the fat that comes with age has settled mostly around my middle. My diet has never been an issue and remains dialed in; cake crosses my lips 1 slice per year, and that's about the extent of it.

I've spent 6 months on reta, and out of curiosity I ramped up to 8mg to find out whether the scale would move at all. Zero lbs came off; on the bright side, zero lbs came on either.

What bothers me about reta isn't the lack of weight loss, since I'm fine accepting that I'm reta-resistant, it's that I'm starving, hungrier than I ever was before reta. The food noise pulls at my attention and I can't stay focused on things that matter more. For the 1st time in my life, I catch myself fantasizing about food.
 
I began taking glp1 just over 12 months back. Across that whole year, my weight dropped by only 9 pounds. Even so, my jeans went from a size 10 down to a size 4. Once I was on the medication, I also began weight training. I wanted to protect my muscle mass, and at my age, building muscle matters a great deal. The outcome has left me quite pleased.
 
endlrls said:

It still gets under my skin whenever people outside this space say "It's cheating." For a GLP to actually do its job, you've still got to put in the effort.... Nice post!
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There was a time when I belonged to that group of people who saw it as cheating. Then my daughter reached a 100lb weight loss milestone on tirz, and she EARNED EVERY BIT OF IT THROUGH HARD WORK. To me, it's just another tool for losing weight that people can choose to use, and if it's what gets you going, then I'm all for it!
 
ProblemChild said:

endlrls said:

It still gets under my skin whenever people outside this space say "It's cheating." For a GLP to actually do its job, you've still got to put in the effort.... Nice post!
Click to expand...
There was a time when I belonged to that group of people who saw it as cheating. Then my daughter reached a 100lb weight loss milestone on tirz, and she EARNED EVERY BIT OF IT THROUGH HARD WORK. To me, it's just another tool for losing weight that people can choose to use, and if it's what gets you going, then I'm all for it!
Click to expand...
100 % with you on this! I dropped 35 lbs before ever starting Tirz (supposedly the old-school route), yet the scale gradually crept back up. Then within a single month of Tirz, 12 lbs came off and both my anxiety and overall inflammation eased. My sister also began Tirz, and while part of me felt envious, access was impossible for me (way too many gatekeepers). A surgery means I need to pause for a couple of weeks soon, so I'll find out how that affects things. I'm not worried, but I am
 
Wishing you well for the surgery you have coming up, @endlrls.

@Skidude, I appreciate you sharing that video!

This is a thought-provoking discussion. When it comes to how these products work, and to the field of obesity medicine and human physiology overall, my own knowledge is far more limited than what exists.
 
HereKittyKitty said:

Wishing you well for the surgery you have coming up, @endlrls.

@Skidude, I appreciate you sharing that video!

This is a thought-provoking discussion. When it comes to how these products work, and to the field of obesity medicine and human physiology overall, my own knowledge is far more limited than what exists.
Click to expand...
I appreciate it, @HereKittyKitty! This marks "pt 2" of my upper airway repair. A recent sleep study flagged UARS, and the ENT's response was basically "well, lets fix it.. best sleep of your life coming up...".

Just the drop in anxiety is enough that I never want to quit the GLP1's.
 
Wow! Wishing you a fast and full recovery. That avatar is great. 🛞 Not sure, but I might be a tire nerd.
 
endlrls said:

HereKittyKitty said:

Wishing you well for the surgery you have coming up, @endlrls.

@Skidude, I appreciate you sharing that video!

This is a thought-provoking discussion. When it comes to how these products work, and to the field of obesity medicine and human physiology overall, my own knowledge is far more limited than what exists.
Click to expand...
I appreciate it, @HereKittyKitty! This marks "pt 2" of my upper airway repair. A recent sleep study flagged UARS, and the ENT's response was basically "well, lets fix it.. best sleep of your life coming up...".

Just the drop in anxiety is enough that I never want to quit the GLP1's.
Click to expand...
I'll drink to that! ☺️
 
endlrls said:

woundcarping said:

endlrls said:

It still gets under my skin whenever people outside this space say "It's cheating." For a GLP to actually do its job, you've still got to put in the effort.... Nice post!
Click to expand...

All you actually need to do is keep raising the dose until a caloric deficit kicks in... no point acting like shedding fat takes some superhuman grind.

One hour of minimum wage per week is more than enough for the big 3 GLP of choice, some bac, and syringes.
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Indeed: for certain people, that path will bring muscle wasting and a total collapse of metabolism along with it.... Sure, you could end up "skinnier".... and up to a certain point, healthier, yes... The same holds for where you get your information... provided you know the right places to search...
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That's the reason I believe folks should learn more ahead of starting any GLP-1. If you never address unhelthy habits, you're setting yourself up to fail!
 
Don said:

What keeps getting under my skin in these GLP-1 discussions is the sheer volume of vague figures being tossed around alongside pleas for guidance.

Take a typical post: "3-4 weeks in on this GLP-1 at X dose, down only 1 kg.. what am I doing wrong?"

The starting point shouldn't be whether the GLP-1 performs miracles. It should be whether its core action is taking effect. Has hunger been blunted? Have cravings dropped? Are u consuming less without a constant battle against appetite?

GLP-1s ARE NOT FATBURNERS! They don't magically melt fat off ur body. What they mainly do is make a calorie deficit achievable by dialing down hunger and food noise

When appetite suppression is obviously happening and several months pass with only 1 kg gone, the likeliest answer isn't that the GLP-1 stopped working. The likeliest answer is that a consistent calorie deficit still isn't there.

Plenty of folks will happily inject compounds but won't give up a week to log what they actually eat. That's usually where the truth hides.

And let's be fair, 1 kg lost in a month is far from terrible. Still, when someone begins a GLP-1, particularly with a substantial amount of excess body fat to lose, expectations tend to run higher. If the scale stalls, go back to fundamentals:

Log ur food intake.

Move more each day.

Add structured exercise.

Prioritize food quality, not merely eating "less" of the junk.

Dropping from 3 bags of chips nightly to 2.5 bags is technically progress, but it isn't a nutrition plan.

Another mistake I see is people chasing extreme appetite suppression. The aim shouldn't be a dose so high that u can hardly eat a slice of bread. The aim is a dose that makes adherence easier while still letting u hit ur protein and calorie targets (don't do agressive diets and don't be scared of calories)

GLP-1s should be a tool, not the entire plan.

Lasting success comes from habits around food that hold up even once the GLP-1 is gone. Swapping some fast food for better options, learning portion control, moving more, and understanding ur calorie intake will always outweigh simply raising the dose.

THAT BEING SAID!

Hundreds of people in this community, who deserve a great deal of respect, have gone through a real GLP-1 journey and ticked every one of these boxes along the way, some sooner, some later, but the goal remained the same. Consistency beats intensity.

This forum exists to help u connect with those experiences. Many users here have achieved significant weight loss and built sustainable habits. Look up their journeys, ask questions, and learn from them

Most of them are more than willing to help because they remember exactly where they started
Click to expand...
Retatrutide turned out to be the one that helped me. With Ozempic, I went through what felt like a gallbladder attack, and Zepbound had no effect on me at all.
 
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