Aidan:
Hello and welcome to episode 246 of the Ideal Nutrition podcast. My name is Aidan Muir. I’m here with my co-host Torwen Eerkens. Today we’re going to be talking about GLP-1s. So Ozempic, Wegovy, and then all of the other ones we’ll talk about. One of the reasons I want to talk about this is it’s a popular topic right now. It will only be getting more popular, in my opinion. It’s something I want to create content on, but there’s two handbrakes I’ve got.
One handbrake is I feel like it’s hard to talk about on Instagram in short-form content. The other handbrake for blog content is we actually did have a really good blog written by Tyler on our website. But we had to take it down because we run Google ads. Google ads wouldn’t run if the name Ozempic was anywhere on our website.
That was to do with health advertising rules. So, I am going to podcast this one. That’s why we’re here. We’re going to do a bit of background on it. We’re going to talk about the different types of medications. We’ll cover a general philosophy on them. And then we’re going to go through the nutrition considerations.
A large portion of what I want to talk about is, if you were on this, what should you do from a nutrition perspective to make the most of it? What should you do about nutrition in general? However, to get to that, we also really want to talk about the other stuff first.
Torwen:
So what are GLP-1 medications? Essentially, they act as anti-obesity medications. They are GLP-1 receptor agonists. They mimic the hormone glucagon-like peptide-1. That hormone is naturally released in the gut after eating. The way this works is it slows gastric emptying. It increases satiety signals in the brain. It reduces appetite and your interest in food.
Also, it helps improve insulin response. And potentially reduce post-meal blood glucose. The total effect is people often eat less. They feel fuller faster. And they lose weight.
Aidan:
One reason these medications are such a breakthrough, if you want to view them that way, is this hormone naturally lasts around two minutes. The synthetic versions, like semaglutide, can last around seven days. I made an Instagram story on this the other day. There are so many people on Instagram who are saying, eat X food because it raises GLP-1 naturally. And they’re not wrong. It just isn’t moving the needle. It only lasts for two minutes.
Another angle is this whole thing that people refer to as food noise. Taking GLP-1s can reduce food noise. This relates to a reward dampening effect in the brain. It can also extend to other things. People are looking at it for ADHD as well. People are looking at it for things such as gambling and alcohol addiction. There are a few other things too. Working in practice, there are many people who say they’ve had massive changes in these behaviours. They noticed it the moment they got on these medications.
Torwen:
In terms of the type of GLP-1 medications that are available, there are a few. I’m going to list the majority. Semaglutide, which you might know as Ozempic and Wegovy, is a GLP-1 medication. Liraglutide, which is Saxenda, is also a GLP-1 medication. Tirzepatide, which is known as Mounjaro, is a GLP-1 medication.
However, it’s actually a dual agonist. It’s also a GIP agonist as well. Retatrutide is a newer triple agonist which is emerging. It is a GLP-1, GIP, and one other agonist too. The main differences are potency, dosing frequency, and the weight loss magnitude that is possible.
Aidan:
We had a system so I wouldn’t monologue here. I think I am going to monologue though. I’ve got a bit to say. I’m going to start with a bit of history. I’ll go in the order these medications came out. Liraglutide, or Saxenda, was the first one that really hit the scene. There had previously been weight loss medications. However, this one was a bit of a breakthrough. Some of the other ones had consistent downsides that almost everyone would experience. Sometimes they needed to be cycled.
People would use them for a bit, then come off. Anything that suppresses appetite, if you come off, can become a recipe for yo-yo dieting. There are ways around it. However, this was the first one that didn’t have as many of those downsides. You could also take it long term. Research typically found about a 5 to 10% extra weight loss versus placebo. That was when people were attempting to follow the same nutrition and exercise plan. This is a key point.
Everything I’m going to refer to is people attempting to follow the same exercise and nutrition plan. Emphasis on the word attempt. That doesn’t mean they’re eating the same calories and doing the same exercise. It means they’re attempting to do the same thing. And the medications could facilitate making it easier to do these things. They can also improve the odds. Then we’ve got semaglutide, Ozempic, or Wegovy. This is the most well-known GLP-1 medication. Ozempic and Wegovy are the same medication. It’s semaglutide under different brand names.
They’re also approved at different dosages. Ozempic is for type 2 diabetes. A frustrating comment I see is when people say Ozempic is for people with diabetes. Technically, that is accurate. That’s what it is approved for. We have a lot of good medications for diabetes. Up until Ozempic, we didn’t really have much good for weight loss. Semaglutide was one of the biggest breakthroughs. I don’t want to seem too pro these medications.
For a lot of reasons, I consider myself neutral. It almost feels like I have to defend them a bit. A lot of people have a negative opinion. There wasn’t much for weight loss. I don’t think we should put it all in one basket. Wegovy is also semaglutide. It is for weight loss.
Ozempic is typically a 0.25 to 1 milligram per week dosage. Wegovy is a higher dosage. It sits at 2.4 milligrams per week as a once-a-week injection. People build up to that dosage. There is a newer pill form of Wegovy now. That’s a daily 25 to 50 milligram dosage. Research has had some pretty positive findings on that for weight loss. Research often finds an extra 15% weight loss from semaglutide versus placebo. People typically maintain that while they are on the medication.
It’s a different story if people come off the medication. While they maintain it, it seems to be working well. So, we have tirzepatide, which is either Mounjaro or Zepbound. That’s the dual agonist. It’s a GLP-1 and a GIP. GIP stands for gastric inhibitory polypeptide. It has a few additional benefits. If needed, it can reduce the nausea side effect of Ozempic a little bit. It improves insulin sensitivity. And it can technically redistribute visceral fat, among a few other things.
Mounjaro is the diabetes version. Zepbound is the weight loss version. Research often finds around a 20% extra weight loss from tirzepatide versus placebo. These things are getting better and better. I said earlier on that I think these things are going to get better over time. Personally, I didn’t realise the weight loss numbers were going to improve as quickly as they have. Retatrutide is next. Fun fact, it’s not pronounced that way.
I heard a doctor on Instagram pronounce it properly. They made the point that everyone says it wrong. I’m going to call it retatrutide. In early 2026, that’s how everybody pronounces it. Fun fact, it’s not that. It is a triple agonist. It also targets glucagon as well.
One reason it stands out is it doesn’t just suppress appetite. It does have a huge benefit there. It also increases energy expenditure. That makes it even easier to get into a calorie deficit. Early data has found almost a 30% extra weight loss. However, it’s still in trials and it’s not approved yet. I have put all of the research for these numbers in the show notes. If you go digging, you’ll find the 30% number is not a published study yet. It’s an investor release.
I think it’s from Eli Lilly. I don’t know. It’s an investor release. I don’t want to stake the claim that is exactly what happens on retatrutide. In February 2026, that’s the data we have available. You can see why people are interested. That’s 30% extra weight loss while attempting to follow the same diet and exercise routine.
Torwen:
That’s a massive number in context. So 30% just by taking an additional medication is huge. It’s not available yet. It’s very likely it will be coming out and available sometime soon. In terms of our general philosophy on GLP-1 medications, I’ll give my thoughts first. Then Aidan, you add your two cents. Personally, I am not opposed to using it as a weight loss tool. This makes sense, especially if you’ve already tried weight loss for a long period.
Appetite can be a big limiting factor. Food noise can be a big aspect too. That could include emotional eating or any other form of food noise. The goal for me is supporting changes in body composition. I also want to protect lean mass, bone density, and long-term metabolic health. But I also want to make sure changes remain lifestyle changes. They need to stay maintainable after weight loss. So I really think anyone prescribed a GLP-1 should see a dietitian. We’ll talk through why. Personally, I think it almost should be part of that prescription process.
Aidan:
Yeah, I’m actually surprisingly on board with that. I’ve got bias because I run a dietitian business. However, I have seen advocacy from Dietitians Australia. Somebody gets this prescription. They should also get a dietitian referral at the same time. That would benefit my business. So I would love that. I also think it would benefit the patients as well. That’s my two cents. In terms of my general philosophy, like all medications, they have pros and cons.
They cost money. And they come with side effects in a lot of cases. Almost no medication has no side effects. These medications do have side effects. I’d rather look at the pros and cons. Then decide from there. Some people view it as a moral thing. They ask, is this good or bad? If you are aware of side effects and any risks, weigh up the pros and cons. Then you can make a fair decision. One odd thing is that some people think weight loss needs to be hard.
They think it needs to be earned. I don’t think that’s true. Many people maintain relatively lean physiques without much effort. It’s not an even playing field. Even if it was, why is it bad if someone finds something that makes it easier to achieve goals? It could improve their health. Why is that a bad thing? Some people just have a larger appetite than others. Hypothetically, if there was a breakthrough with no side effects, that reduced appetite by 20%, some people would still say that’s bad.
They wouldn’t think about it deeply. Some people do have stigma around this. Other people would say it doesn’t teach you how to eat healthy. I agree. This is part of why I advocate for dietitian involvement. It also doesn’t prevent you from learning. Everyone should know heaps about nutrition. Everyone should live a healthy lifestyle. I’m an advocate for that. That’s why I think there should be dietitian referrals. The medication also doesn’t stop that. In some cases, it could help that.
I do think I’m relatively neutral. If somebody wants to use these medications, I want to do everything I can to help them with nutrition. Torwen and I had a conversation off air. We spoke about different types of people we see on these medications. I have a skewed bias. Everybody coming to see me is paying a decent amount of money. They are very keen to work on their nutrition. In many cases, they are quite intelligent as well. So I’m seeing motivated people.
Torwen:
On the other hand, I also see people whose GP has prescribed this as a quick fix. Maybe they are not so invested in health. Maybe they are not making long-term changes. Then it becomes a band-aid. We need to increase interest in lifestyle and food. That supports the GLP-1 medication.
Aidan:
Yeah, absolutely. There’s definitely levels to this. Then there are people who get recommended to a dietitian. They choose not to see the dietitian as well. Lots to think about. So anyway, that’s kind of our stances. I do consider myself neutral. If it sounds like I’m positive, I think I have to defend it. No one else will, to a degree. Also, most people who are quote-unquote pro are looking for quick fixes. Anyway, we tried to give a nuanced take. Take from that what you will.
We are now going to talk about nutrition considerations. Earlier, we spoke about common things to help people with. A lot of people point to lean mass loss. There is one number quoted a lot. People on Ozempic or Wegovy often lose up to 40% of mass coming from lean mass.
If you look at the data, that’s not even a true claim. One portion of a study showed around 40% of mass came from lean mass. If you look at people on Ozempic or Wegovy in general, it’s better than that. It’s not good though. This is one of my biggest priorities. And if people lose a lot of lean mass, the medication isn’t causing it directly.
It happens indirectly. If you lose a lot of weight, and you don’t exercise, and you don’t have good protein intake, you’re guaranteed to lose lean mass. How do we solve this? Everyone should be doing exercise. Everyone should do resistance training. Ideally, that massively helps. Since we’re here to talk about nutrition, keep a relatively high protein intake.
Nausea can make this difficult. And lack of appetite can also make it difficult. You can address that with smaller, frequent meals. You can prioritise protein as a larger percentage of intake. That helps even if overall intake is smaller. Liquid options can help too. A whey protein is one option. Rokeby Farms protein drinks are another option. Protein water can work too. It helps if it isn’t just collagen-based. It helps if it includes whey as well.
Torwen:
Also, emphasise a high biological value of protein. Appetite is suppressed, so this matters. Animal sources help here. Whey-based proteins also help. They have a complete amino acid profile. Lentils or beans have more fibre and more volume. You need more volume for the same protein. So that makes sense. Also, prioritise eating protein first at a meal.
Aidan:
And you mentioned fibre.
Torwen:
Yes! Fibre is important for gut health. Fibre supports micronutrient intake too. It’s more nuanced due to appetite suppression. Fibre adds extra volume to the meal. My thoughts are adding smaller amounts across the day. That will help. Liquid options are also easy. If you add things into a smoothie, you can add frozen berries, spinach, and seeds. Those are less likely to affect appetite in that moment. You can still take them in. You can also consider supplementation to help with side effects.
Aidan:
One of the most common side effects is constipation. It often stops people taking the supplement. Food moves through slower. You also have less total food and lower fibre intake. If I was going to use a fibre supplement, I would go with psyllium husk. I almost add it proactively before issues start. It’s one of the first things I’d consider.
Torwen:
So do I. Look at what day they take it. Symptoms often get worse around injection day. They can also worsen the day after. Sometimes it worsens the day after that. So stay on top of it all the time. Be extra on top of it around then too.
Aidan:
I’ve got a spiel on meal timing and volume. We’ve talked about spreading things across the day. We’ve mentioned small, frequent meals. There is a problem here. It comes from bariatric surgery work. Bariatric surgery is a more extreme version. People have limited capacity to eat food. There’s a saying. Show me where I’m going to die so I never go there.
It’s relevant here. If you look at people who regain weight post bariatric surgery, not 100% but almost 100% get there through liquid calories or frequent meals. The logic is capacity is limited. So getting into a calorie surplus becomes hard. Frequent eating occasions can get around that. Liquid calories can also get around that.
Often people eat 10 plus times a day. Liquids also play a role. It creates a tricky situation. If someone eats very few meals, they can’t hit protein. They can’t hit micronutrients. So I set an informal cap at around six eating occasions a day. It can make targets harder. Yet it avoids the pathway that leads to regain. It also allows you to use the appetite suppression effect.
Torwen:
I’m with you on that one. Three meals and three snacks often works really well. It helps avoid constant grazing. Grazing can reduce the effects you want from the medication. Should we chat about supplements then?
Aidan:
I’ve got one more before that. Other gastro stuff includes reflux and nausea. Nausea is interesting. Mounjaro or tirzepatide equivalents can reduce it a bit. Retatrutide should do that as well. However, nausea is one of the most common things that pops up. Constipation is also common. People point out delayed gastric emptying.
That could drive nausea. On the other hand, a massive calorie deficit can also cause nausea. You can see nausea without these medications. So, to get around that, avoid massive meals. Chew food really well. A lot of people don’t naturally do that. The medication can be an incentive to do it. Medication is an option too.
Some people view that negatively. Ondansetron is an example. It helps with nausea. That raises the question of adding another medication. People will have different views. Sometimes people suffer horrific nausea. This could be a simple solution. Ginger is another option. Ginger is well-documented for helping with nausea. I would look at that first.
Torwen:
That makes sense. Another priority is maintaining bone mineral density. Rapid weight loss increases the risk of bone loss. This matters in postmenopausal women. It also matters in perimenopausal women. For people not doing resistance training. And those with low protein intake. Strength training helps because it provides a stimulus. It supports preserving bone mass. Adequate protein matters too.
And adequate calcium matters as well. Get enough calcium across the day. A thousand to 1300 milligrams a day is a good guide. That applies for males and females. That can be a lot. It gets harder if overall intake drops. So I would consider supplementing if there are gaps.
Aidan:
Yeah. I’ve got a skewed sample size. 100% of people I’ve worked with on these medications have had DEXA scans. 100% of them have gained bone mineral density. That’s skewed by my sample. 100% of them lift weights. 100% prioritise protein. They also prioritise calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. It’s food for thought. Most people in their 30s and 40s are not gaining bone mineral density.
They’re losing. So, prioritising these things can go far. The medication doesn’t cause that loss. It typically comes alongside low exercise and low nutrients. On that topic, I would also consider a multivitamin. Micronutrient intake might drop. A multivitamin is a no-brainer. I would consider it in a lot of cases.
Torwen:
Also, for bone mineral density, check vitamin D sufficiency. Get a blood test. Supplement if needed. In terms of other supplements, should we run it through? Any others worth taking? Or anything else to add?
Aidan:
I don’t have anything too interesting. I’m obviously not a creative genius for most people. Lifting and that matters most. Nothing too specific for this.
Torwen:
Yeah, there were a few others. Omega-3s can drop quickly when food intake drops. It can drop especially if you don’t eat much fatty fish. Consider taking it in the morning, not at night. That can help with reflux. Also, don’t lie down after taking omega-3 or fish oil tablets. And convenience matters too. Protein powder helps you get protein without big meal volume.
Aidan:
Cool. Alright, we’ll wrap up there. Hopefully people have gotten value from this. If you are on GLP-1s, you’ve got the vibe already. We really encourage working with a dietitian as well. There’s so much value to be had. Hopefully, some of this was interesting. If you’ve learned anything, we’d appreciate a rating and review. Thank you.