Better Me with BodyByBree
Better Me with BodyByBree
The Real Story Behind GLP-1: Exploring Wellness, Weight Loss, and Muscle Health with Melissa Musso
In this first episode of a 3-part series on GLP-1 therapies, host BreeAnna Cox explores the pros and cons of medications like semaglutide and tirzepatide with nurse practitioner Melissa Musso. The discussion dives into how GLP-1 therapies work, the differences between semaglutide and tirzepatide, and the impact these medications can have on weight loss, muscle preservation, and overall wellness. Bree addresses common concerns, such as how to maintain progress after stopping the medication, the importance of preserving muscle mass through strength training, and why mental and emotional wellness are crucial components of long-term success. With insights from practitioners and real-life users, this episode offers a balanced view on the benefits and challenges of GLP-1 therapy for those seeking sustainable, holistic health outcomes.
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Speaker 2:Listen, melissa. I've been against GLP-1s since I heard about them only because what I saw throwing up, losing too much weight and losing all their muscle and feeling sick and their hair falling out.
Speaker 3:There's a difference between weight loss and malnourishment.
Speaker 2:But I started researching. I went on this little journey and talking to some of my friends that actually look really good, feel amazing, they've seen some awesome benefits and I was like, okay, there's got to be something to this that I'm missing. So let's start with the difference between semiglutide and trisepatide.
Speaker 3:So both semiglutide and trisepatide are part of a class of medications called GLP-1 agonists. Glp is the hormone that your brain produces after you've eaten a meal. That tells your brain your full, stop eating. They work directly on your liver and pancreas to affect your insulin and your glucagon production. So both semaglutide and trisepatide do both of those things. The differences come in that trisepatide is the second generation of the GLP agonist and it works on both that GLP hormone axis as well as another hormone axis called GIP, g-i-p, and that the two hormone axes results in fewer side effects and more weight loss. So if you look at the original studies of Ozempic, which is semaglutide, people lost 10 to 15 percent of their total body weight, and on Manjuro, which is trizepatide, it was 15 to 20. So more effective, fewer side effects.
Speaker 2:So all of the questions when I asked, when I pulled my audience, every single question that I got I would say maybe 80% was well, what do you do when you're off? Like, let's say, you take the drugs, you hit your goal weight, then do all the cravings just come back. Do you gain the weight back, Like, how do you control that?
Speaker 3:So nobody really starts on a GLP and is like, yeah, I'm going to go on this and I'm going to stay on it forever. Nobody wants to do that. That's not what anybody wants to hear, and I think that's a lot of people's hesitation is because there is that narrative out there of you just go on it and you stay on it. So there's three options. Option number one go on the medication, slowly come off, try to maintain, but be aware that if we go back to our baseline lifestyle, we will return there. Option number two go on it and stay on it, whether that looks like a micro dose or a maintenance dose. The other option is you come off of it, knowing that it's possible that you're going to slowly gain that weight back, and then you just have a threshold in your head of I don't want to get, however, far away from my goal, and then we can do it again Now. Is that the healthiest way to do weight loss? No, of course not. We can do it again Now. Is that the healthiest way to do?
Speaker 2:weight loss? No, of course not, but it is. It is an option you do have to take into consideration. There's risks with any medication that you take, correct? So you have to think is this worth the risk of the medication to lose the 30 pounds? Or, you know, can I do it on my own or do I feel like I do need a little bit of help?
Speaker 2:So if a client comes in and they tell us that they are on GLP-1 medication, first we will calculate their base metabolic rate. So we know we want you to hit at least this base metabolic rate so that you're not losing muscle and so that you feel your best. So once they have that You're not malnourished. And so you're not malnourished exactly. And once they have that, we'll then give them their target protein goal, and it's usually a range because, as you know, some days you feel better than others. So we'll give them a target protein goal and we talk about fiber to try to help your digestive system. So, and then what we'll do is put them on a very structured lifting program where it's very minimal cardio, we focus on one body, one to two body parts a day, so their muscle splits so that they actually have time to tone and develop those muscles. So, instead of doing full body hit car, like hit workouts or like an orange theory, like that is not what they want to do, not an F 45 workout, we don't want to be doing those workouts we would love to have you doing, to be doing muscle splits, where you're doing legs one day, shoulders one day, back and bys one day, and you're doing super sets and there's a very specific way that we can help you not lose the muscle, so that you're actually being able to tone instead of just get skinnier. Right, we don't want to trade. We don't want to be skinny fat. That's what we're trying to avoid.
Speaker 2:There is a huge mental component to all of this. Like if you have a very unhealthy relationship with food, if you're not doing the mental side that's where we come in as well is we actually have habit coaching and mental exercises and we're doing mindfulness and meditations and meditations to help you heal your relationship with your body and teaching you how to get rid of the all or nothing mentality and getting rid of that restriction and how you speak to yourself and all. If you're not doing that the biggest piece then you will never overcome your weight loss Like that is so big. And so I do feel like that mental piece, along with the lifting, along with the trisepatite, it could be like a killer combo if people are willing to do it. Yep.
Speaker 3:I will say about the mental piece. I agree with you. I want my patients to have the skill sets of knowing what to eat, what to ratio, how to get nutrients Like. We need those foundational bricks. My patients who have struggled with being overweight and being obese their entire lives that mental noise for them is just so loud and always has been.
Speaker 2:Once you do get your dream body and you feel amazing. Some people, if they haven't done the mental work, they're never happy. It doesn't matter how good they look, they keep going and they keep going. And so it's like let's work on the mental, the physical, the emotional altogether.
Speaker 3:Two things that the medication can't do for you it can't build lean muscle mass and it can't provide you adequate nutrition. I tell them to drink a protein shake. I tell them to go get the Fairlife chocolate milk at Costco. I'm like body by body protein. I'm just kidding.
Speaker 2:I don't see a ton of practitioners doing right now is marrying the two is being like, okay, here's the trizepatide and then here's a lifting program and a nutrition program. I don't see that.
Speaker 3:I have looked at dozens and dozens and dozens of different companies that are prescribing GLP medications, and there's a lot of them out there that are doing it poorly. They're not guiding their patients, they're not guiding them on dose, they're not helping them understand the importance of protein and muscle mass, and you know, and it's just kind of a cash grab, and you know, you fill out this form and we'll mail you medication. I need your help. Yeah, I will. I would love to help you. So I I I have said this before, I've been very vocal about this, but I am not a weight training specialist. I need help. So I've actually recently started your program. I'm so excited for you. I bought it a few nights ago. I bought some dumbbells on Amazon, so we're going to. I'm going to go on a journey the same way you've gone on a journey.
Speaker 2:Perfect, I'm so excited. You're going to love it. You're going to kill it, thank you.
Speaker 1:Love it? I hope so. Thank you for joining us in today's episode. If you liked the content and want to hear more, remember to hit that subscribe button and write a review. As a small business owner, I appreciate it more than you know. If you are looking for a program to help with self-confidence to lose weight, get in shape and work on your mental, physical and emotional health, check out my training programs on wwwbodybybreecom. My team and I help to hold you accountable through the Body by Bree app, where you log in to see all your workouts, custom meal plan made specifically for you and your needs, and communication through the messenger. You are never alone when you're on the Body by Bree training program. Click the link in the show notes to get more information on how to transform your life from the inside out.