GLP-1/GIP Medication & Lifestyle Coaching: Why HLTHYher is Essential for Women Taking GLP-1/GIP Medication
More than 5 million Americans are on the GLP-1 and GIP analogs for weight loss and diabetes. These medications have not just transformed medical weight loss offered by doctors but have also impacted various other businesses, including food and beverage manufacturers and wellness and fitness businesses. News media report that Americans are snacking less, eating smaller portions, and downsizing their clothes.
As a Board-Certified Endocrinologist with a busy obesity and diabetes practice, I am acutely aware of the excitement and frustration that many of my patients have recently experienced: they get a prescription filled and take the meds only to experience serious side effects and mixed results. I began prescribing these medications for weight loss in 2014, and after 10 years of coaching my patients, it is clear that people taking these medications need lifestyle change support to find long-term success. It’s also clear that they need a different kind of coaching than traditional weight loss coaching. This blog is the second in a series (the first post is here) that explores how these medications work and why the lifestyle coaching provided by HLTHYher is essential for supporting these patients.
Lifestyle change coaching for weight loss has traditionally focused on diet, exercise, behavior modification, and positive psychology. None of these pillars of weight loss coaching wholly apply to people who take these medications without making fundamental changes. Dietary restriction, meal planning, and portion control must adapt to the fact that most folks taking these medications do not or cannot eat enough! In my practice, I’ve observed that most do not get enough protein, micronutrients, water-soluble fiber, or drink enough fluids. Consequently, they feel sluggish, are dehydrated, lose muscle, and often suffer from chronic constipation. Their coach must challenge med users to eat protein-rich foods, to eat daily portions of nutrient-rich veggies and fruits, and to drink lots of water or other appropriate fluids. In addition, specific dietary measures must be followed to avoid constipation. Caloric restriction needs to be replaced with quality caloric intake. Like diet, exercise and behavior change coaching must also be adjusted for individuals taking GLP-1 medication to avoid relapse prevention and weight regain. HLTHYher coaches are trained to specifically support women taking GLP-1 medication as they pursue physical, mental, and social health goals.
Weight loss should be a consequence of healthy lifestyle changes. Without the education, behavior modification, lifestyle change, and relapse prevention training provided by programs like HLTHYher, the number on the scale will certainly go back up when these medications are stopped. In fact, over half of patients stop taking these meds in the first year due to many reasons, including cost. In a recent study, about 40% of people who went off these meds gained some, if not all, the weight they had lost. The same study, however, showed that the other 60% maintained or even lost more weight over the following year. I suspect those who regained the weight back were not coached for lifestyle change. Common sense suggests that coaching maximizes the weight loss results of these drugs during and after treatment, but that study – comparing the success of medication users who are coached versus those who are not during and after treatment – has not been published yet.
