Busting 5 GLP-1 Myths w/ Christine Grant, NP

Higher dose isn't better. You're supposed to eat. And no, you don't have to be on Ozempic for life. A nurse practitioner who lost 90 pounds breaks down GLP-1 myths.

Ana Reisdorf, MS, RD sits down with Christine Grant, NP, a nurse practitioner at Tyde Wellness and a GLP-1 user who has lost 90 pounds over the last two years. They work through the five myths Christine hears most often in clinic — the "easy way out" framing, the idea you shouldn't be hungry, the belief that higher doses work better, the safety panic, and the "on it for life" assumption — and what the reality actually looks like.

IN THIS EPISODE
- Why undereating on Ozempic, Wegovy, or Zepbound backfires — fatigue, hair loss, and muscle loss
- The 0.5–2 lb per week sweet spot and why higher doses don't mean faster results
- Microdosing for maintenance — what it looks like and who it works for
- The cardiovascular case for staying on a GLP-1 long term
- How to tell when your dose is actually too high (hint: it's not "I'm hungry sometimes")

ABOUT THE GUEST
Christine Grant is an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner with clinical expertise in urgent care and telemedicine, dedicated to evidence-based, patient-centered care. She has a strong interest in wellness and innovative therapies, including peptide therapy, as tools to support energy, recovery, and overall well-being. As a mother of three boys, she understands the demands of balancing health, family, and career. Her personal experience with GLP-1s has strengthened her passion for helping others feel their best and live healthier lives.

CONNECT WITH CHRISTINE
Tyde Wellness: https://tydewellness.com

SPONSOR
Tyde Wellness — sustainable weight loss with support, for women.
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CHAPTERS
00:00  Why I'll be on a GLP-1 forever
01:43  Meet Christine Grant, NP
02:25  Christine's 90-pound GLP-1 journey
04:30  Myth: GLP-1s are the easy way out
07:30  Myth: You don't eat on a GLP-1
15:25  Myth: Higher dose equals better results
20:00  Why weight loss isn't linear
21:30  Myth: GLP-1s are dangerous
23:58  Myth: You're on it for life
30:05  Final advice and where to find Christine

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*The content of this show is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The goal of this show is to provide various points of view about GLP-1 Medications. The personal and professional opinion of the guests and their content does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Ana Reisdorf or GLP-1 Hub.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

We know that it has so many added benefits. If you can come off blood pressure medication or go to a lower dose, if you can decrease your cholesterol, we know that the cardiovascular effects of this medication are substantial. And that's another reason why I personally take it too. I have a component of my life that I can't control. My father had a heart attack at 40. I have high blood pressure and I have since I was 18 years old. So having a reduction in the cardiovascular component with using this medication is enough for me. Sign me up.

SPEAKER_02 0:29

It's always surprising to me how many myths there are floating around in the GLP1 space. So today I'm joined by nurse practitioner Christine Grant to bust some of those myths. Welcome to the GLP1 Hub Podcast. I'm Anna Reisdorf, registered dietitian and GLP1 user. And one of the reasons I started this podcast is because of the amount of misinformation I saw online about these medications, what they can do, and what they can't. And I wanted to be a source of quality information for GLP1 users to help support your success. And Christine works directly with patients over at Tide Wellness and is also a GLP1 user herself, having lost 90 pounds in the last two years. So today we're going to have a discussion about the myths and misconceptions that she is addressing daily in her practice. And I want to thank Tide Wellness for sponsoring this episode. You can find out more info about their services and get a special discount code just for my listeners down below in the show notes. And as always, if you're enjoying this episode, make sure you leave a review on Apple or Spotify. Or if you're watching on YouTube, let me know what you think and if you've heard some of these myths too. Now let's get on to the episode. Welcome to the GLP One Hub podcast. I want to welcome today Christine Grant. We are going to talk about myths about GLP1 because there are a lot, there's a lot of misinformation out there. So, Christine, could you introduce yourself to the audience and tell them a little bit about your professional background? Sure.

SPEAKER_01 2:01

So I have a bachelor's degree in exercise physiology. After that, I went back to nursing school. I have a bachelor's in nursing and I am currently an acute care board-certified nurse practitioner. Um, I have a GLP1 advocate and enthusiast. I'm also a mom of three boys, super busy. Um, and then I am a GLP1 user myself.

SPEAKER_02 2:21

Oh, awesome! Why did you decide to use a GLP1 as a nurse and all that?

SPEAKER_01 2:25

I was kind of, you know, stuck with a lot of people. You know, I've had ups and downs, weight fluctuations my whole life. I was an athlete. I struggled to get pregnant. Um, I went through IVF, so the hormone fluctuation from that in general, you know, so I've had a lot of ups and downs with my weight. So I kind of just got to the point after having three kids back to back to back with two very complicated pregnancies. You know, I was at my highest and at my wits end, to be honest, I felt uncomfortable in my body. My inflammation was crazy, my sleep was terrible. I just had to do something. But I ultimately um I didn't have insurance coverage from, you know, the GLP1 standpoint. So I went to try compounding medications, um, went on that journey and it kind of just kickstarted things. And two and a half years later, I'm still on the medication. I am almost 90 pounds down. Um I'm just still like maintaining it and I'm loving the way that I feel on the medication. I feel like a different person. So I will be on this for the rest of my life and I'm okay with that.

SPEAKER_02 3:19

That is an incredible testimonial. 90 pounds is like a huge accomplishment. It's a human. It is a human. I think my my child weighs 80. So yeah, yeah. Great. That's that's great, and that's wonderful that you can speak to the patients from a personal point of view. I think that that makes a big difference.

SPEAKER_01 3:40

It does. And I always I'm open, I'm an open book about that. I always tell patients, you know, when they're in the middle of telling me about their journey and their loss, I always say, You're not talking to a stick figure. I'm someone who's lived the plateaus, I've gone through all the side effects, I've been on both Wagovi and Zeppound. I can talk about both of those, you know. So I think it also makes a difference that I can resonate with these patients a little bit more and just provide my own personal experience and triumphs through it.

SPEAKER_02 4:05

Yeah, I think that, you know, for me too, with with my audience, that makes a really big difference since I'm a deal user too, and like just they can understand, you know, that comes with some criticism as well. A hundred percent. But all right, so let's we're gonna talk today about myths because you're working directly with patients and you're a uh patient yourself, and there's still a lot of misinformation, things people don't understand about these medications and that kind of stuff. So you brought some of the most common myths that we hear. So, what are we gonna start with? What is the thing you you think you hear the most?

SPEAKER_01 4:39

Recently, it's definitely been that this is the easy way out. And I, you know, initially start to talk to patients about when I'm doing the intakes, you know, they always say, I'm not trying to look for a shortcut or anything. And when I always open the conversation with, tell me about your journey. What does it look like? And again, that's what it is. It's a journey. We need to remember that obesity is a chronic medical condition and it needs to be treated the same way we would treat hypertension and hyperlipidemia. And it's not often looked that way. So I always tell patients, you know, you need to understand that this is like a long-term thing. And we're not asking you to take a shortcut. The medication is not a shortcut. You still need to do the work, you still need to put the exercise in, you still need to have behavioral changes, you still need to improve your sleep, you need to look at your stress and you need to look at your nutrition. And, you know, at Tide, we really like focus on that whole supportive aspect of things. Right.

SPEAKER_02 5:29

So, do you think that why do you think that people are so resistant to this idea? Because obesity being classified as like a disease, that's relatively recent. When I started working as a dietitian, that was not the case. Right. I will be honest, 20 years ago when I started, I told people, like, either you're lying on your food record, not in those words. Yeah. Or, you know, something is wrong. Like, why are you not losing weight and eating this way? You know, and so I think that the study of obesity has changed so much. People are really unwilling to let go of that personal responsibility. And sometimes it is. Sometimes people are not making the best choices. I I had patients who just stop le drinking soda and they would like lose 30 pounds, you know. So it was some lifestyle stuff. So why is it that people still think that it's like a personal responsibility thing and it's like there's no other cause, like there's nothing else there? Like, what do you think?

SPEAKER_01 6:25

I think there's a giant stigma around it still. You know, I live in America and I feel like being perfect and being skinny is where everyone wants to be. So I think social media also plays a big role into that as well. That, you know, it's not every no, one size doesn't fit all. And I think that's a hard concept for a lot of people. So I think to see obesity on your chart. A lot of patients, you know, when I work in my other role, obesity, you know, when we when we I always get anxious about typing that because, you know, patients are super, super sensitive surrounding it. And I think that again, if it's classified as with hypertension and the hyperlipidemia, I think that if people really understand that it's a full-blown medical complex condition, that I think that, you know, the stigma in these will come down a little bit. But I think it's really just the world that we live in.

SPEAKER_02 7:13

Yeah, I still get a lot of like, well, you should just try harder. Or, you know, it's it's there's still a lot of that. And as a person who worked, that was where I started my career. It really was. Some people just couldn't accomplish it. Like no matter what I did, no matter what they did. And it was it was very complex. I hope that the tide is turning as we get more into these medications and and understanding, but a lot of people are really resistant to that.

SPEAKER_01 7:44

Yeah, yeah, for sure. Yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_02 7:47

All right, so what's our next myth? Uh you don't eat on a GLP one. Oh, good one. Yeah. So my whole channel is about that.

SPEAKER_01 7:54

Yeah, I um 100% not accurate. The medications don't make you stop eating necessarily. It's more to regulate your appetite. You know, the medications we always tell patients expect to feel fuller. Expect to expect to feel fuller short in a shorter amount of time. And then the food noise, you want to hear the reduction in the food noise. And that's part of the whole thing that, you know, makes these medications successful. We see more intentional eating, I guess is what I would try and say. I always tell patients too that I make the joke, I love tacos. You know, prior to being on this medication, I could eat four tacos, no problem. This medication, now I eat two tacos. I could have a third taco, but like my body's telling me that I don't need to eat that taco, and that's okay. You know, so I always tell patients that under eating actually can backfire on these medications. That's when you start to see the side effects. You start to see increased fatigue, the hair shedding. We don't want to have muscle loss, and that's like always what I stress to patients. So under eating is actually more detrimental than anything. So you do eat, it's just more mindful eating on the medication.

SPEAKER_02 8:54

Right. And I think that I see people really getting stressed out if they're ever hungry. Yeah. And you're supposed to be hungry. Like, I personally welcome being hungry because that that's my body giving me a signal that I need food. Right. Or, you know, that kind of thing. So, how do you address that when when they get very anxious about that? Oh yeah, that's never supposed to be hungry.

SPEAKER_01 9:17

I often hear that as far as like if I'm hungry, the medicine's not working. And that's another myth that we hear a lot about. You know, hunger is normal. Suppression doesn't equal no hunger. Our goal is to reduce the food noise and improve control, not just, you know, eliminating food. I would actually say that I probably eat more on these medications now than I did in the past. Um, and that's because I know that I need to hit those protein goals and I know that I need to pay attention to my fiber, or I'm gonna have side effects. You know, I don't feel like it's a really like a mind shift with these medications. So I, you know, we encourage you to eat food. We want you to eat food and we have you work with a nutritionist for that purpose. Right.

SPEAKER_02 9:53

And so I hear sometimes people saying, like, I just can't eat, or I don't feel like eating. And I I don't, based on your experience, like, is it that people are afraid? Can the is the medication just maybe like some doses too high, or they just are like, I'm not that hungry, so I'm just not gonna eat. Like what is going on with the with the eating?

SPEAKER_01 10:14

Yeah. So I think that it's a combination of things. So dosing can definitely be too high. And we want to hear from people, especially, you know, with us, we do check-ins every couple of weeks. You know, we encourage patients to talk to us about their how they're feeling because we're not gonna know if you're having any of these symptoms, or we're not gonna know if you're on too high of a dose unless you talk to us. So if you're really getting to the point where you feel like you can't even eat like a mint, because I've had people say, like, I can't even do a mint, you know, that's you're you're off way too high. We need to scale back and we need to look at things and pull back. So in the nausea, I mean, we anticipate nausea with these medications. Your body will get adjusted to it. I always tell people, you know, sometimes to expect a dose increase with, you know, in a company with nausea, but we do provide side effects support with that as well. But, you know, you shouldn't be getting symptoms to that degree that you're not eating at all or experiencing complete nausea, because that we need to look at things. And that's why it's so important, I think, to have these medications prescribed by someone who knows what they're talking about with these medications. You know, I think it's important to have that support.

SPEAKER_02 11:20

I know, I know. Just another supplement making big claims. And as a dietitian, I was skeptical about this too. But here is what's different about Folly. They're not hiding behind customer reviews. They launched a full clinical trial, triple blind, placebo put controlled with KGK Science, one of the most respected research firms out there. 60 women, three months, hard data, proving that it works to protect your hair before you even have to take their word for it. If you want to give it a try, use the code G-O-P-1Hub for 20% off at follynutrition.com. That's F-O-L-L-Y-Nutrition.com. Well, I I I worry because sometimes people get like no support at all and they just get a prescription and then they are on their own. And that's when I think that people are having some of these bad side effects. So, in a perfect world, give me like an ideal sort of eating pattern. I know it's obviously different for everybody, but of how you should eat or how you should think about your nutrition on these medications.

SPEAKER_01 12:27

Yeah. So I think that it's important to even start the day off with like a protein shake. Or, you know, I was someone who never ate breakfast. I don't have time. You know, that was my biggest thing. I don't have time to do anything. And our nutritionist, Beth, she said, you know, you know, put protein in your coffee. Start your day off instead of putting cream or milk and whatever, put a protein flavor that you like in your coffee. And you're starting the day off with 30 grams of protein right off the bat. Um, and that you already sets up, you're already set up for success, you know. And everyone is individualized, kind of like what you just said. When we look at patients, we want to make sure, you know, not one size fits all. Just because I have 140 grams of protein doesn't mean that's what you should be doing. And I think that also is important when you go on these medications to try and figure out where your sweet spot is. You know, you don't necessarily need to be hitting those and nailing them every single day, but as long as you're going on track or at least getting to that close area is when you're gonna be sustaining these weight loss, you know, effects, which is what we want. We don't want to have these yo-yos. And again, you're you're learning when you're on these medications. The medication's a tool. And I always tell people that it's part of the toolbox, it's not everything. If you eat on if you eat McDonald's on this medication, you're not gonna feel well, right? You know, and then that's not hitting adequate protein goals, that's not hitting fat goals, that's hitting the wrong goals, you know. So I think it's important to try and meal prep and have an idea of what you're gonna eat for like breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. And sometimes that's not always a hundred percent possible with everyone's lifestyles. I totally understand that. But I always tell patients, you know, if you can at least hit three to four days worth of meal prep planning, then you're gonna have a decent amount of success. And I think that even if you can't hit like these major meals throughout the day, as long as you can have snacks that again have an egg, have a rolled up piece of charky with some cheese, easy on-the-go things is what's gonna make your life a little easier too.

SPEAKER_02 14:16

I like what you just said about like trying to get three or four days worth of good meals. Yeah. Like we try to, I think sometimes people try to be perfect. Yeah. They're like and it's just not relevant. Perfection is not, then I'm failing. Then let's go eat McDonald's. But yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:33

It really is like 80-20. Yeah. And again, you're in you're, you know, you're not gonna be perfect every single time. You're human. No one's perfect. And you know, you want to go out to dinner and have that steak and have that wine and have that creamy mashed potato, you're entitled to do that. You know, we don't want to eliminate the all the food that you're eating. It's more mindful decisions, and it's not eating those poor choices every single day. And I think that's what you learn on these medications. You learn how to adapt, and that's what's gonna set you up for success.

SPEAKER_02 15:01

Right. I think that that's what I like about it is that it does give me freedom and a little bit of flexibility.

SPEAKER_01 15:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:08

That because I don't like I can do, you know, five days a week, really good, get the protein in, do all the things, and then it gives me a little bit of freedom to enjoy my life. And that's part of human. A hundred percent. Yeah. All right.

SPEAKER_01 15:21

So what is one of the next myths? Higher dose equals better results. So I think this is a really challenging one because patients off, you know, there's a lot of patients on these medications. Chances are that you have a friend or a family member who's also taking these medications and you're on one dose, someone else is on another dose, but they're they're spacing it out every 10 days versus every seven days, or they're on 10 milligrams and you're on seven point, you know, one size doesn't fit all. These these medications are very individualized. I could have great success on a 2.5 or a five milligram dose where you may be struggling at 10 milligrams. You know, as long as you're tolerating the medication well, you're seeing the appetite control and somewhat suppressed, you're making better food choices, you're not having a slew of side effects, you're maintaining your muscle mass, you're able to exercise and function, you're able to get out of bed, then you're on the right dose. You know, I always had someone yesterday say to me, I'm ready to go up to the next dose. And I said, Well, you know, on your intake form, you're losing what we like to see. And we like to see, you know, anywhere between 0.5 and two pounds. If you're losing more than two pounds, we get anxious that you start to lose muscle and and not fat. And that's not what we want. So, you know, I said to her, you know, let's let's scale back. You, you know, where are you every week? Are you losing in between that? And her answer was yes. And I said, So why do you want to move? The goal is, I think, in some people's heads to get to the max dose. And that's not what we want. We want the slowest, most effective dose. We want to make sure that this is a sustainable thing for you. And again, if you lose too quickly, that's when, you know, there's always that, and you know, we'll talk about that myth too, is that the weight's gonna come back. If you're losing it slowly and you're learning how to portion control and you're learning your behavioral changes, those are the again, the tools and the toolbox that get you set up for a success success and you'll be able to sustain it more. Um so again, higher dose doesn't equal better results. And we have patients who do beautifully on microdosing. It's just enough to control that food noise and keep the symptoms at bay, keep the inflammation down, you know. So it it's not higher does not equal better.

SPEAKER_02 17:30

Right. And then I see a lot of people on social media being like, Well, how much did you lose on five or 10 or whatever? And I'm like, what you lost and what I lost on those is like not relevant. No, not at all. Because it's not there's no like, oh, people lose 10 pounds on 7.5 or people lose three pounds on whatever. Like it's not there's no point in comparing that. No, no. Because it's like you and I are different people with different lives. And yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:59

So And I also th I also think it's important just to, you know, again, if we move you up too quickly, you know, you hear about the nausea, the GI side effects, the diarrhea. You know, if you're going up too fast, that's when you're gonna see the escalation and those side effects, um, which is what we don't want because then the next week you're saying, I can't do this medication anymore. I'm done. And then you're bowing out, and then you're back into this vicious cycle of trying to start over again. Um, you know, so I really, you know, patients get frustrated, um, but ultimately it's, you know, we're looking out for your best interest. And I always just try and tell people that I've been there.

SPEAKER_02 18:33

That happened to me. I was an early adopter of this medication, and and people weren't changing dosing. Like it was like, this is the protocol, this is what we're gonna do, right? And I got to 7.5 and I literally couldn't eat anything. And I quit because I was like, I don't want to live a life where I can only take one bite of something. Yeah, that is not the life that I want to live. No. So, and then I gained the weight back. Right. So it was like it didn't benefit me to stick with that protocol. And I'm glad that more practitioners are like understanding that it's the set protocol is not correct for everybody.

SPEAKER_01 19:08

Right. And I always tell we have a lot of patients who have, you know, come from other practices and they've been given a three-month supply. Do this for four weeks, do this for four weeks, do this for four weeks, and then check back in with us. And I just can't wrap my brain around that. As someone who is also taking this medication and who understands the clinical side of things, it, you know, you're in you're asking people to inject medication into their bodies. There's gonna be questions, they're gonna need support. And I think it's so important that you have, you know, your handheld a little bit in the beginning, especially, you know, just because like you just don't know what's gonna come down the pipeline, and it's important to have that support. So I yeah, I I I can't, I feel like this is almost like a daily, you know, when are we moving up? When are we moving up? My scale is not moving, or you know, I've only I've seen a 7.7 pound weight fluctuation, it's time to move up, and it's that's just not the case.

SPEAKER_02 20:00

No. So the other important piece, which you just kind of mentioned, is that weight loss is not linear, like it's up and down always. It's like more of a little roller coaster than it is a downward traject to trajectory. And I think that people panic now, but I'm very salt sensitive. If I go for Mexican food, like the scale goes up two pounds, just I'm not, I didn't gain weight. I just ate some chips.

SPEAKER_01 20:26

Definitely. And I always tell patients too is you know, don't every day weigh yourself, you know, look at it over, you know, a couple weeks span. And I also always tell people too in the beginning, like you may not notice the scale changing, but think about how your clothes fit. Think about how you feel. Like pay attention to those, you know, before you see the scale. Because people always just want to see that they want to go from that 20 pounds to zero pounds. And that's not realistic. You still need to go through the motions of that five, 10, 15 pounds before you get to that 20 pound loss. So I always tell patients it's a slow progress. You didn't gain the weight in 24 hours. You're not gonna lose it in 24 hours. And I think that's like really, I need you need to drive that home with some of these patients. And that's okay. Like I again, I've been there. I've wanted to wake up and not have all the weight that I've had on. But again, it took me two and a half years and a significant amount of lifestyle changes to get to the point where I am. Um, you know, and I think that's important.

SPEAKER_02 21:23

Yeah, yeah. It's hard, you know, to not to to be patient. I get it. I'm not sure. And especially if you've failed many times before, it's easy to get the like now this is gonna fail again. So it's there's a lot to unpack for sure. So, what is another myth that you are hearing? That they're dangerous.

SPEAKER_01 21:40

GLP ones are dangerous. Hmm. Okay. And so I think that, you know, people forget that medication this medication has been used for over two decades essentially, as for a sure is treating diabetes. But you know, now that we know that it has so many other benefits, and I always The harsh reality is, you know, what comes with obesity? Usually diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, sleep apnea. You know, those are dang talk about dangerous conditions. Those are dangerous conditions. That's dangerous. Untreated, those metabolic disorders are what can, you know, be fatal down the line. So I think that, you know, we know that it has so many added benefits. If you can come off blood pressure medication or go to a lower dose, if you can decrease your cholesterol, we know that the cardiovascular effects of this medication are substantial. And that's another reason why I personally take it too. I have a genitive component of my life that I can't control. My father had a heart attack at 40. Um, you know, I have high blood pressure and I have since I was 18 years old. Um, you know, so having a reduction in the cardiovascular component with using this medication is enough for me. Sign me up. You know, I would take that danger over having a heart attack in the next year of my life, you know. And again, you know, we know they're not dangerous. We know that there is so many benefits and, you know, continuous studies going on. We're now seeing that, you know, it's helping with addiction. And, you know, I think these medications are going to be evolving, and I think we're gonna see many benefits down the line. And in the US, we use things as off label, and I think it's gonna be continued to use as off label for a long time for a lot of benefit.

SPEAKER_02 23:18

Yeah, no, I I agree. It's like I think that the media has done a disservice because they love clickbait headlines. And so they're being like, man used GLP one, went deaf and blind. Like and then you read what actually happened, you know, because nobody reads the article. Yeah. And it's like this man was on all these other things and had all these other health conditions, you know, like it's more than just the one thing. So I think that people just read the headline and then they're like, oh, you know, dangerous, or this is but you're you're right, like heart attacks also dangerous. It's a harsh reality, but it's also sometimes you just gotta say, you just gotta say it, you know. Right, for sure. So another method we had talked about before is staying on it for life. So what is what are your thoughts there?

SPEAKER_01 24:05

Yeah, so again, from a personal standpoint, I think that I will be someone that continues to microdose. I'm currently coming down off of mine, um, you know, going down as the months go to try and get to just what I would like to consider like a micro dosing. Because I feel like I have like that tools in my toolbox again to sustain this. But again, you know, if people come off this cold turkey 100%, is there a possibility of regaining the weight? I would say yes. You know, again, we need to look at it as a chronic medical condition. If you come off your blood pressure medication, what's gonna happen? The chances are if you have a chronic diagnosis of hypertension, you're possibly gonna have elevated blood pressure without that medicine. So again, I think that if we kind of shift our mindset and again look at this as a chronic disease, then I think that people have a better understanding that it's okay to be on like a microdose for the rest of your life. And if that's what you have to do, that's what you have to do. And that's okay. I think there's a giant misconception with that too.

SPEAKER_02 25:02

Are you seeing that people are are able to go down or can do some just have to stay on a certain amount? Because it's yeah, people have medical conditions that make more challenging sometimes.

SPEAKER_01 25:15

Right. So we always tell people we like to at Tide say, okay, you've hit your goal weight. Let's keep you on that dose for at least another month, lock in this new weight loss. It's okay if you have a couple of pounds extra that you're gonna lose, but then we'll start to slowly titrate you down. And again, we don't like to go from, you know, you're on 12.5 to put you back on 2.5. We like to back it off slow again. So you're maintaining that loss. Your body's adjusting to that newer dose again and seeing how you feel. And then we have patients who just say, I'm I'm okay. I think I can do this. They come off of it for two months and then they call us back and they say, I really need that food noise control. Can you put me on a microdose? And no problem, you know. Again, I think that it's a personal preference. And it's always something I like to tell people when I do their initial consult. I always like to say, like, in the end, like, what would your maintenance look like? Would you be someone that wants to come off of it or would you be someone that'd be okay with staying on it long term? Because again, I think that it's a broad thing. You need to look at it as a whole. Like it, yes, you need to take it step by step. But I think what what is your ultimate goal? You know, so I always tell people, I personally feel like microdosing is a great answer and maintenance dosing is a great answer for a lot of people. Yeah, I'm for it.

SPEAKER_02 26:28

You know, I'm always talking about focusing on the fundamentals and not chasing extremes when it comes to health. This is especially important if you're navigating perimenopause, menopause, or using GLP1 medications. Because while a lot of the conversation around GLP1s focuses on weight loss, what I actually care about is protecting your muscle. Muscle is one of the most important indicators of long-term health and resilience as we age, especially for women. And muscle health is really about energy. See, inside your muscle cells are little tiny energy producers called mitochondria. They help support strength, recovery, and overall muscle function. And as we age, mitochondrial function naturally declines, and that can impact everything from energy to maintaining your strength. And that's one of the reasons that I've personally added Mitopura gummies from Timeline to my routine. Mitopure contains clinically studied Urolithin A, which helps support mitochondrial renewal, basically helping your cells produce energy more efficiently. It's not about doing more or adding something complicated to your day. It's just a simply daily habit that supports healthy aging at the cellular level. There's two sugar-free gummies a day. They're vegan and independently tested for quality. If supporting muscle health, strength, and healthy aging is important to you, especially during midlife or while using a GLP1 medication, Itopure is absolutely worth considering.com backslash GLP1 hub to get 20% off your order. Yeah, it took me a while to accept that it would probably be part of my life forever. And a conversation with a colleague who specializes in weight maintenance. And I and she's like, You're going into perimenopause and menopause, and that can get easier. Right. A hundred percent. Yeah. You know, you can either stress about this forever or just stay on this dose.

SPEAKER_01 28:33

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 28:34

Yep. Yeah. So I mean, I think it's I think the other issue is the cost, you know, and and that's getting better for sure. Because when I first started, it was like $1,300 a month and now it's not. Yeah. But for a lot of people, it's still pretty challenging to afford long term.

SPEAKER_01 28:50

Right. Yeah. No, I know. It's hopefully insurance companies will start to we've I've noticed this year specifically, they've really tightened up on things and they've become a lot stricter as far as like coverage goes and who gets it. And even if you do have the qualifying conditions, it still is challenging. So I'm hoping down the line that something shifts and they realize that again, there's been just major improvements with these medications and these uses. And yes, not only from like an anxiety standpoint and a personality standpoint, but just again, like an overall well-being is improved for a lot of people who are on these medications. And I just, I don't know. I I'm a huge advocate for them and I hope that something changes for people.

SPEAKER_02 29:33

I think that as competition increases, like with new GLP ones coming on the market, that that will help. And then this Medicare thing that's coming out in a few months will also help because then like once the government kind of pushes, puts a little pressure on them.

SPEAKER_01 29:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:49

So we'll see. I mean, it's already better. It's already better. Not great. It is.

SPEAKER_01 29:53

Yes. We're moving in the right direction.

SPEAKER_02 29:55

Yes, for sure. So, what are some uh final thoughts that you have about GLP one that you want to share or lifestyle or anything else related to uh your practice? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:06

Um, so I think that again, I think I've said it a couple times that I'm a huge advocate for it. I it's changed my life, it's changed my husband's life. It's really, you know, we did it together. So I think that also makes a difference having a little co-pilot with you through the journey. But I just would encourage patients just not to feel ashamed about it. And I would again, I can't stress enough that I would like people to really start thinking about it as a chronic medical condition and treating it the same way. You know, again, with the analogy of coming off a blood pressure medication, you would go up, you know, possibility of going back up with weight if you come off the GLP one. But there are things that we can do to fix that, you know. I just um yeah, I would say just it's okay to be on this medication and it's okay to have obesity as a listed condition. Um, but it is something that we're working for to treat it. And we I think this has gone in the great direction and showing more than enough benefit that you know things are improving.

SPEAKER_02 31:05

Yeah, yeah, I agree. And and I think it is getting better because I hear more people talking about it. About a yeah year or two ago, people would come up to me and be like, I'm on the medication too. Oh, yeah. You know, yeah. Want anybody to know. Like I had I had a few friends who I was the only person they told other than their spouse because of what I do. But like it's I think it's better now. I see people more openly talking about it. A hundred percent. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:29

And I would I was one of those patients as well. You know, I like all of a sudden I would see someone and like five months later, they're like, Oh, you're down a significant amount of weight. And I'm like, Yeah, I'm just doing that exercise and diet, you know. And then I finally, oh yeah, a hundred percent, a hundred percent. And then I finally had like a moment when I was like, I'm a practitioner, why am I lying about this? Like, it's benefiting me. I've seen all the changes in my life, like I should be promoting this. And I feel like that's kind of what shifted more in the last couple of months, to be honest with you, specifically with joining Tide. Um again, I've been on the medication for a while, but to be the one that's talking and doing these intakes with these patients and really getting like a background and seeing, you know, all that struggles that people go through. I'm like, should be, you know, I should be screaming this from the rooftops that this is the way to go right now. And, you know, this is life-changing for people.

SPEAKER_02 32:20

Yeah, I mean, I I guess I'm I've always been an early adopter of everything. Um I am. And I I I was from the beginning, and I've always encouraged people and always been truthful. I mean, people don't always ask, but like if I if they asked, you know, I'd always tell the truth about what I was doing. I don't know. But it made me seem cool. Like I was uh innovative.

SPEAKER_01 32:42

You were into it.

SPEAKER_02 32:43

Maybe I'm delusional or something. That's about it. Anyway, Christine, how can people connect with you and Tide and where can they find out more?

SPEAKER_01 32:52

Yeah, um, TideWellness.com. Um, you can see up top we have a scheduled consultation. It's a free consultation, it's a 15-minute conversation with myself, one of the other nurse practitioners, or our lead physician, Kelly. You can kind of go through what you're looking for. We like to know what your journey looks like, what you're looking to achieve. And then we kind of talk about our options, what we offer, and kind of how we can get you set up. Um, we do use insurance um if you know that if insurance will let us. Um, we do go through that. Um, we offer side effects support, we offer nutrition counseling, strength training, we have a wellness specialist. So we're a small team, but we're a team that responds really quickly. Um, you know, and I think again, uh the support aspect is what's going to make you successful on this medication. We're not just throwing you on the drug and saying good luck, we want to hear from you. And I think that sets us aside.

SPEAKER_02 33:41

Yeah, for sure. Anyway, thank you so much for all these insights and sharing your personal story as well. We really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01 33:48

Yeah, thank you so much for having me.

SPEAKER_02 33:50

It was great to meet you. Thank you so much for listening to this week's episode of the GLP1 Hub podcast. And thank you to Christine for not only sharing her professional insight, but also some of her personal story as well. I hope it helped you get a better understanding of maybe some of the myths or misunderstandings that people still have about this life-changing medication. And if you want to ensure that you are getting quality information about your GLP1 journey, make sure you check out all of our GLP1 hub resources. Not only do we have a store where you can get meal plans and recipe collections, but I also have a GLP 1 membership where I provide direct support and answer your questions. And you can find all of that down below in the show notes. And thank you again to Tide Wellness for sponsoring this episode. Make sure you check out their special offer in the show notes below. And I'll see you in the next episode.