Starting a GLP1 medication like Ozempic or Mounjaro is such a gamechanger when you’ve struggled with your weight all your life. Suddenly you aren’t thinking about food every waking second, and the weight starts dropping without feeling like you’re going to lose your mind in the process. But if you think you can just take a shot and sit on the couch while you wait for your beach body to arrive, then you’re in for a rough time when you actually try to do something active. It’s easy to get distracted by the scale, when you see the numbers going down this is definitely something to celebrate. But you need a strategy that keeps your body functional and also good habits for maintenance, while the meds do the heavy lifting on the fat loss.
Exercise
As an overweight person, you’ve probably been told all of your life that you have to kill yourself in the gym to lose weight. That’s a lie, most people are starting to see now that you just can’t outrun a bad diet or a bottle of wine. Exercise is actually a terrible tool for weight loss, but that doesnt mean you should ditch it (quite the opposite in fact). Its necessary for your physical and mental health, and it is the only way you’re going to maintain your new weight once you reach your goal. If you dont exercise you are just a smaller version of your old tired self. Exercise is good for every cell in your body as well as your mental health. And actually once you’ve lost some weight and can move around easier, and you’re not seeing it as ‘punishment’ to change your body it can be really enjoyable. Find something you love, and reframe it as something you get to do to stay healthy, not something you have to do to lose weight. You dont need to live in the gym but you do need to do some squats and some pushups. This keeps your metabolism from slowing down to a crawl. If you lose all your muscle you will find that you look soft and you wont have the power you need for an active lifestyle. We all know that the jabs are expensive so you might feel like cutting back on gym costs is a good move, but the gym or exercise classes are always worth the money. Gyms like Fitness 19 give you everything you need at a low price, it’s something to not skimp on in your journey!
Vitamins
Since you arent eating much, it’s easy to start missing out on the fuel your body needs to function. This isnt just about protein, it’s important to think about vitamin levels because things like B12 and Vitamin D are what keep your energy from tanking at three in the afternoon. Don’t be fooled by influencers trying to sell you all kinds of expensive vitamin concoctions, a good multivitamin you can buy from anywhere will do the job (ideally one with iron if you know your diet isn’t iron rich.) It’s important to get as much nutrition from food as you can, but especially in the short term when you’re in a calorie deficit and dont have much appetite this is a good way to make sure things are covered. Having a blood test every 12 months to check your levels can be useful so you know if anything needs adding.
Water
Finally, glp1s can reduce your thirst as well as your hunger so it’s easier to get dehydrated. Your body needs hydration to run its best, it can also help indirectly with your weight loss too. Fill up a water bottle every morning and that way you can track how much you’ve drank. Keep sipping throughout the day.