Optimizing GLP-1 Outcomes: Starting, Managing & Discontinuing Therapy

Well, it brings me to, like, a place of real excitement to talk about today's topic, which is GLP-1s and metabolic dysfunction and weight, because I think when we look at it through this lens that you and I are looking through and speaking from of whole person medicine and prevention, I think there is a risk inherent with GLP-1 use that it becomes, like, the hammer for all nails, and it becomes something that's, like, given to patients without a lot of thought or management about how and why and how long and how you're getting it off, and we're gonna get to talk about all that today.

Yeah, for sure.

So in your view, I wanna start by talking about just metabolic dysfunction for women specifically.

What is, like, the single most unappreciated driver of why metabolic dysfunction happens specifically for women?

You know, we are very complicated.

[chuckles]

We sure are.

We have a lot of hormones, and this is the, probably the biggest thing that makes it harder for a woman to either maintain weight or lose weight, and especially as we go through the perimenopause, menopause years.

So, um, unlike men, you know, we're dealing with estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, along with cortisol.

You know, a lot of us are mothers.

We're always-- We're-- I keep saying we're in the sandwich generation.

We're taking care of our older parents, and we're taking care of our kids.

So we also have a lot more on our plates, um, along with taking care of ourselves somewhere [chuckles] in the mix, right?

Yeah.

It's a good time.

Yeah.

So our hormones are fluctuating, um, literally from the time we start having a period when we're, what, 12, 13, whatever, whatever age that is.

And then, you know, we go through having babies and going through, um, the, the years where we're super fertile, and we go from having babies straight to, like, what we call perimenopause.

And, and again, it's all the hormone fluctuation and changing it and the rapid changes of the hormone fluctuation-

Mm

... um, and how that really impacts your metabolism.

Um, but stress is, is a really big one, um, because I feel like, you know, women are dealing with chronic stress probably, um, even maybe before they're trying to conceive, right? So, um, all these hormones are talking to each other, working with each other, and then also impacting our metabolism, and this is probably why, um, women struggle more than men.

Mm.

Definitely.

Uh, now, before we get into the nitty-gritty science, like, I hear you talk a lot about insulin resistance.

Well, it brings me to, like, a place of real excitement to talk about today's topic, which is GLP-1s and metabolic dysfunction and weight, because I think when we look at it through this lens that you and I are looking through and speaking from of whole person medicine and prevention, I think there is a risk inherent with GLP-1 use that it becomes, like, the hammer for all nails, and it becomes something that's, like, given to patients without a lot of thought or management about how and why and how long and how you're getting it off, and we're gonna get to talk about all that today.

Yeah, for sure.

So in your view, I wanna start by talking about just metabolic dysfunction for women specifically.

What is, like, the single most unappreciated driver of why metabolic dysfunction happens specifically for women?

You know, we are very complicated.

[chuckles]

We sure are.

We have a lot of hormones, and this is the, probably the biggest thing that makes it harder for a woman to either maintain weight or lose weight, and especially as we go through the perimenopause, menopause years.

So, um, unlike men, you know, we're dealing with estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, along with cortisol.

You know, a lot of us are mothers.

We're always-- We're-- I keep saying we're in the sandwich generation.

We're taking care of our older parents, and we're taking care of our kids.

So we also have a lot more on our plates, um, along with taking care of ourselves somewhere [chuckles] in the mix, right?

Yeah.

It's a good time.

Yeah.

So our hormones are fluctuating, um, literally from the time we start having a period when we're, what, 12, 13, whatever, whatever age that is.

And then, you know, we go through having babies and going through, um, the, the years where we're super fertile, and we go from having babies straight to, like, what we call perimenopause.

And, and again, it's all the hormone fluctuation and changing it and the rapid changes of the hormone fluctuation-

Mm

... um, and how that really impacts your metabolism.

Um, but stress is, is a really big one, um, because I feel like, you know, women are dealing with chronic stress probably, um, even maybe before they're trying to conceive, right? So, um, all these hormones are talking to each other, working with each other, and then also impacting our metabolism, and this is probably why, um, women struggle more than men.

Mm.

Definitely.

Uh, now, before we get into the nitty-gritty science, like, I hear you talk a lot about insulin resistance.