- Lifestyle choices can hinder or enhance the effectiveness of GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound.
- Health experts say there are several research-backed strategies that can help improve weight loss results while using GLP-1 drugs.
- These include regular exercise, reducing stress, eating a healthy diet, and prioritizing sleep.
GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound have become popular because of their ability to help people lose weight.
However, while these drugs are an important tool for many people, they are far from a «silver bullet» that guarantees you will lose weight quickly or, in some cases, lose weight. not at all.
Lifestyle choices can greatly affect the effectiveness of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss.
Experts say that the following healthy habits can help increase the weight you can lose while taking this medicine, as well as maintain the long-term results.
Perhaps it will come as no surprise that regular exercise is the best way to complement the effects of Wegovy and Zepbound.
A common complaint about these drugs – and weight loss in general – is that they can cause you to lose muscle and fat.
«Exercise will help you maintain your muscle mass and prevent muscle loss during weight loss,» says registered dietitian Kim Shapira.
He explained that resistance training, in particular, is a good way to help protect against muscle loss and promote fat loss, which is important for your metabolism and maintaining weight. bodies.
Kristin Kirkpatrick, a nutritionist in the Cleveland Clinic Department of Wellness and Preventive Medicine, points out study published in 2021 that supports this idea.
Researchers have found loss of muscle mass affects metabolism, heart health, insulin sensitivity, and even death.
«This is also an important point if/when you choose to reduce the dose or stop the medication completely, since low muscle mass increases the risk of rapid weight gain,» Kirkpatrick says.
Quality sleep may not be immediate when it comes to weight loss, but it can play a bigger role than you think.
Feeling tired and irritable can affect your ability to make good decisions and, in a physical sense, your ability to lose weight.
Shapira says: «When a person doesn’t sleep well, which means they have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up restless, this increases the stress hormone cortisol.» «When cortisol levels are high, it changes the way we use food and disrupts our hormonal balance.»
Research shows that adequate sleep is necessary for maintaining a healthy weight.
A study published in 2022 found that sleeping less than six hours a night was associated with a higher body mass index.
The same study cites short sleep duration as «a major risk factor for weight gain and obesity.»
Although Wegovy and Zepbound can produce impressive results, the importance of proper nutrition should not be ignored – especially if you want to maintain weight for a long time.
GLP-1 medications help regulate hormones that signal the brain that you are hungry and help increase feelings of satiety so you can eat smaller meals.
That said, Shapira says it’s always best to eat a balanced diet full of fiber, vegetables, whole grains, and foods rich in omega-3 and protein.
Consuming enough protein can be key to preventing weight gain again if you decide to stop taking Wegovy or Zepbound.
A 2021 exam notes that a high-protein diet can provide many benefits in preventing weight gain.
For Kirkpatrick, making every bite count is key when taking a GLP-1 drug.
«GLP-1 agonist drugs reduce appetite and, as a result, the amount of food. Lack of food can increase the risk of malnutrition, so it is very important to get proper nutrition he was bitten,» he explains.
Stress can also affect your ability to lose weight.
«Like lack of sleep, ‘fight or flight’ behavior increases our cortisol levels, which affects our metabolism, causes insulin resistance and disrupts our hormonal health,» Shapira explains. .
Several studies have found a link between stress and obesity, including recent research published in January that suggests that childhood stress may contribute to an increased risk of heart disease and obesity.
«It’s important to practice techniques to control the nervous system, such as deep breathing or spending some time meditating,» Shapira advises.
Drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound can cause dramatic weight loss results. However, lifestyle choices can hinder or enhance their success.
Health experts say the best way to increase the effectiveness of GLP-1 drugs is through health strategies such as regular exercise, reducing stress and prioritizing healthy nutrition.
Implementing these lifestyle changes now can also help you maintain your weight loss results in the future.
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