How to Lose Fat Taking GLP-1 Medications?

“Visit MRC Longview to Learn About Our Protein-Forward Approach“

Prescriptive GLP-1 receptor agonists stimulate insulin release to slow gastric emptying of food into the digestive system and promote feelings of fullness sooner and for longer. This allows for lower calorie intake at meal times and without those constant feelings of hunger. Although remarkably effective for shedding pounds, clinical trials suggest using semaglutide medications can lead to muscle loss unless your weight loss plan ensures fat loss takes precedence.

Indeed glucagon-like peptide-1 helps you eat less, but that makes it even more important for you to make sure every bite is providing crucial nutrients to help your body shed fat while retaining energy-burning muscle mass. Generally speaking, experts say that up to 40% of the weight you lose during prescription GLP-1 medical weight loss treatments may come from fat-free tissue, unless you incorporate resistance and weight training at least a couple of times each week.

In addition, it can help to eat protein first ahead of other nutrients to ensure you meet your goals for food intake before GLP-1 triggers satiety. Moreover, add plenty of low-carb, fibrous whole foods options like tempeh and tofu that can be used to replace fatty meats in stir-fries or scrambles. Chia seeds and certain nuts also make excellent toppings and edamame (soy) contains healthy plant fats in a snack with zero-cholesterol.

Actionable strategies using semaglutide for fat loss...

It is important to build meals and snacks around low-glycemic vegetables to maximize fiber; but avoid highly-processed plant-based meat substitutes that contain added fats, sugar and sodium. For the most part, overly-processed or highly-refined food products are poor dietary choices for shedding unwanted fat deposits. Whereas animal proteins are considered to be complete proteins, as they contain the nine essential amino acids that your body cannot produce on its own, many plant-based foods do not. However, quality protein-rich plant sources do provide a critical dose of soluble fiber that digests more slowly to suppress cravings for high-calorie comfort foods. Plus, low-calorie protein powders and supplements can help to optimize satiety at snack time by aiding in blood sugar regulation while helping to preserve lean muscle during daily calorie deficits. Nonetheless, pairing lean sources of animal proteins with low-glycemic whole foods is one of the best ways to ensure you get all the amino acids that your body needs for fat loss and long-term weight control.

WHY PERSONALIZED PROTEIN-FORWARD MENUS BURN FAT

There’s really no secret here. A personalized protein-forward diet lets you dial in your body’s specific protein needs to target stored fat rather than allowing loss of energy-burning muscle throughout your body. But, it is crucial to remember that unlike carbohydrates and fats, your body does not store excess protein for later use. So, it is crucial to use protein-pacing throughout the day to deliver high-quality sources of protein beginning with a protein-packed breakfast soon after waking up and up to a couple of hours before bedtime if needed.

Following a protein-forward menu plan that’s custom-tailored to your body takes full advantage of the thermic effect of food (TEF), where protein burns significantly more energy to be broken down compared to the other macronutrients. For example, digesting healthy sources of protein requires about 25 to 30% of its total calories compared to a low-single digit percentage for fats. Nonetheless, when you reduce daily caloric intake, your body typically burns both fat and muscle, but protein-forward foods tells the body to burn adipose tissue and preserve lean muscle mass.

Whether you qualified for a prescription GLP-1 medical weight loss program or chose a more traditional approach for long-term weight management, lean animal proteins and low-glycemic whole foods trigger the release of glucagon-like peptide-1 and peptide YY gut hormones that are natural appetite suppressants that trigger the brain that you are full. PYY even helps to prevent overeating by eliminating those annoying food cravings and is known to help balance your gut microbiome. Research indicates that obesity can cause lower fasting levels of GLP-1 and PYY, as well as a reduced satiety response after initial food intake.

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GLP-1 medications like semaglutide or tirzepatide create significant weight loss, but they can also cause a loss of lean muscle mass known as "sarcopenic obesity.” If a protein forward intake is not intentionally personalized to meet your body’s specific needs, it becomes much more difficult to ensure long-term improvements to metabolic health. Moreover, combining a protein-first eating pattern with some resistance band exercises helps ensure weight loss comes from loss of fat and not lean muscle. If you’re trying to decide whether a prescription-based weight loss plan or a more holistic metabolic weight loss program is right for you, contact MRC Longview today. One of our weight loss coaches will be in touch to discuss how hormone imbalances, genetic factors and key lifestyle habits may have slowed your metabolism and led to unintended weight gain. After all, hormonal balance can be restored and disrupted metabolic rates can be reset with a personalized approach.