Source Article: Why You Shouldn’t Panic About GLP-1 Muscle Loss
What I have learned about these medications is that I am not trying to lose weight, instead I am trying to readjust my body’s chemistry to burn more fat than store fat. The article outlines some findings related to the use of GLP1 weight loss medications and the manufactured ‘fear’ that some people have regarding ‘muscle loss’. Research suggests the muscle lost is likely low-quality, fat-infiltrated tissue; not the functional muscle that matters for strength and mobility. As a user of Trizepitide (Zepbound) I have had similar concerns about muscle loss. Reading this article and these findings, I am less concerned about the changes I see in my monthly BodPod scans. Over the past few sessions, my BodPod readings have shown a slowing of fat loss (by percentage) and a reduction in lean body mass (LBM).
I have been a lifelong dieter and the idea of an injection that results in weight loss is mind boggling. As this fat reduction has been made ‘easier’ by the injections, the fear of staying fat has been superseded by the fear of losing too much muscle (due to under fueling). I have become obsessed with tracking my protein intake, and the mixture of fat and carbs. All in an attempt to maintain muscle mass.
For the month of March, I decided to try and ‘reset’ my mental thinking. I stopped counting calories, went back to timed eating (snacking and eating at set intervals each day), and increased my water intake. It is the middle of the month and I am seeing improvements. My clothing is getting looser and my strength has not decreased. These medications are amazing. When I think back to all the fad diet programs, special foods, and even hypnosis; all of which did nothing, and now all I have to think about is ‘don’t forget to drink some water and pick up something heavy now and again.’
Michael Montez 