Why We Love The GLP-1 Medication For Weight Management
- Jun 18, 2024
- 4 min read
Shelley DiAngelo is committed to helping reduce the cost of chronic disease and increase the quality and longevity of life from individuals to corporate America with using holistic health options. She specializes in obesity, type 2 diabetes, and internal health and anti-aging from a cellular perspective.
If you're struggling with your weight, I want to share why GLP-1 receptor agonists may be the medication you've been waiting for. We’ve heard of this medication, it’s all the rage in Hollywood, but do you really know why this medication is a boon in the weight loss industry? Because who doesn’t love an easy, once-weekly injection to “cure” the resistant weight loss woes?
How GLP-1 receptor agonists work with your biology
Many weight loss medications, work against our biology, but the glp1 medications work with the way our bodies lose weight. Decades of research have shown that our weight is regulated through a hormonal mechanism. Our bodies have a "set point" for weight, which these hormones try to defend. Imagine this set point as a stretched rubber band -when you lose weight through diet and exercise, your body works to pull you back up to that set point.
Related reading: GLP 1 Weight Loss Injection: Miracle or Mirage?
Why GLP-1 medications help
Lowering Your Set Point: These medications work through hormonal mechanisms to bring your set point down, making it easier to maintain weight loss without fighting against your biology. Instead of that rubber band stretched down to a new set point level, its starting point is dropped to this new set point.
Significant weight loss results
Another reason I love these medications is their effectiveness. Historically, weight loss medications resulted in an average of 5-10% total body weight loss. While this is significant, GLP-1 receptor agonists have shown even more impressive results.
For example, a medication called Wegovy has shown:
On average, patients on Wegovy for two years, experience a 15% body weight reduction.
Over half of patients achieve about a 15% weight loss, and more than one-third lose over 20% of their body weight.
This is a 2-4 times improvement compared to older medications.
Improved overall health
GLP-1 receptor agonists don't just help with weight loss; they also improve overall health. Originally developed as type 2 diabetes medications, they are among the most potent available.
Benefits include:
Better Blood Sugar Regulation: These medications help manage diabetes effectively.
Improved Heart Health: They reduce blood pressure, cholesterol, and even the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Reduced Inflammation: Many patients experience a reduction in inflammation, contributing to long-term health benefits.
Reduction of painful joints: When there is less pain, movement becomes easier and an exercise regimen can be put into place, also helping to regulate sleep, stress, and an overall upregulated mood.
Minimal side effects
While all medications have potential side effects, GLP-1 receptor agonists primarily cause mild nausea. This goes back to hormonal control and the biofeedback loop in the brain. However, most patients report that this side effect diminishes after a few weeks.
Here are some tips to manage nausea
Start Slow: Gradually increasing the dosage can help your body adjust.
Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water to help reduce nausea.
Eat Small, Frequent Meals: This can help stabilize your stomach.
Reduce the saturated fat in your meals.
Your healthcare provider can offer additional strategies to minimize nausea and make the medication more tolerable.
GLP1’s are not the whole story
Without lifestyle and habit changes, true sustained health is not achievable. With every weight loss medication prescribed, the advice says to concomitantly practice a lifestyle of healthy eating and active movement, every day. The GLP 1’s, though they help people reach their ideal body weight, they are not the cure all.
Obesity in and of itself, is a hormonal disease, usually worsened by a sedentary lifestyle and poor eating. So, regardless of what medication one relies on for weight loss, there are plenty of scientific studies to prove that without transformational habit change, the inevitable weight-regain occurs.
Related reading: Top Tips for Healthy Weight Loss
Is GLP-1 right for you?
Most people want an easy fix to the very real struggle with their weight. But every patient is different, and it's essential to determine if GLP-1 receptor agonists are the right choice for your weight management journey. Here at Mile Hydrate Mobile IV Therapy and Wellness, an in-depth health assessment guides our partnering with each client to ensure this weight loss modality is the right choice and this is true for approximately 80% of our clients. If you fall in the 20% of people who do not medically qualify for the GLP1, we together discuss a plan of care using other hormonal-control interventions. If you don’t live near Arvada, CO, I always recommend a consult with your healthcare provider to discuss your options to see if this innovative treatment could help you achieve your health goals. Another option is learning therapeutic, nutritional training to naturally control metabolic hormones, which is a great adjunct to using any weight loss drug for lifelong sustainable health changes.
Shelley DiAngelo, Mile-Hydrate Mobile IV Therapy and Wellness
Shelley DiAngelo is committed to helping reduce the cost of chronic disease and increase the quality and longevity of life from individuals to corporate America with using holistic health options. She specializes in obesity, type 2 diabetes, and internal health and anti-aging from a cellular perspective. With her extensive professional background and many accolades garnered over the years for her substantial contributions to the enhancement and safety of patient care, she has a strong foundation from which to impart her experience as a speaker and educator.
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