Why Ozempic and other peptides don't always work

Uncategorized Sep 12, 2024

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We e are always evolving our practice as holistic health coaches and have supported dozens of clients already on peptides like semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy), etc.

And here's why they still came to us for help: even while taking these peptides at higher doses, they hit a plateau with their body composition goals or never saw any results in the first place.

How can this be possible? Let's dive into what the science says AND what we've observed in practical application.

NOTE: this is a long email. It's for those rare unicorns out there who still like to read. Hop over to Instagram for quick tips or stay here to nerd out with us so you know the WHY!

To understand why peptides wouldn't work, we must first understand how they impact two important hormones - glucagon and insulin - that regulate everything form blood sugar, glucose transport and hunger to satiation (sense of fullness).

Glucagon:

Glucagon is produced by alpha cells in the pancreas and its main function is to raise blood sugar levels.

When blood sugar levels drop (e.g., between meals or during exercise), glucagon is released by the pancreas.

It signals the liver to break down stored glycogen into glucose and release it back into the bloodstream through a process called glycogenolysis.

Glucagon also stimulates the production of new glucose from non-carbohydrate sources through a process called gluconeogenesis.

Here's the ironic part: too much fasting, too much stress, and/or eating too a diet too low in carbs for too long can actually cause elevated blood sugar levels by glucagon being constantly activated.

If you've ever done keto, low carb or intermittent fasting for too long without cycling in carbohydrates strategically and eventually gained weight or became insulin resistant, now you know why.

This is why adapting your eating strategies cyclically to change with seasons, menstrual cycles (if applicable), daily, weekly, throughout certain life phases, etc. is so important.

Insulin:

Insulin is produced by beta cells in the pancreas and its main function is to lower blood sugar levels.

When you eat food, especially carbohydrates, your blood sugar levels rise. In response, the pancreas releases insulin into the bloodstream.

Insulin helps cells in your muscles, fat, and liver absorb glucose from the blood, which they use for energy.

If there is more glucose than the body needs for immediate energy, insulin signals the liver and muscles to store it as glycogen for later use.

HINT: this is why strength training for sufficient muscle mass is so essential for metabolic health. Muscles are a buffer - a glucose soaking sponge - for carbohydrates.

However, your liver and muscles can only hold so much glycogen - anywhere from 1,500–2,500 calories worth of glycogen, largely dependent on your amount of muscle mass.

If one has metabolic syndrome (insulin that doesn't function properly) or continues to overeat carbohydrates in particular at any given time or over the span of a few days, your liver and muscles max out on their ability to store glycogen and the rest starts storing as body fat.

Here's the thing... everything share above about insulin is assuming that it's functioning properly.

But only 12% of adults in the United States are metabolically healthy.

That means, if you're reading this, statistically, you may be a part of the 88% of adults who need to optimize their nutrition.

Now, how do peptides impact this delicate balance of hormones?

How Peptides Work:

GLP-1 stands for glucagon-like peptide-1 which is known as semaglutide (Ozempic) and mimics the action of the naturally occurring GLP-1 hormone in the body.

GLP-1 plays an important role in regulating blood sugar levels, appetite, and digestion.

On the other hand, GIP is a glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide.

GIP plays a key role in stimulating insulin secretion from the pancreas, but only when blood sugar is elevated.

Some medications only have GLP-1 like semaglutide (Ozempic). The most effective ones like tirzepatide have both GLP-1 and GIP that work synergistically and have way less side effects.

Here's how glucagon and insulin are affected by GLP-1 and/or GIP peptides:

1. Insulin Secretion:

GLP-1 medications stimulate the pancreas to release insulin in response to elevated blood sugar levels which helps transport glucose from the bloodstream into cells where it can be used for energy or stored.

GIP also triggers the pancreas to release insulin to help lower blood sugar after eating and when glucose levels rise.

GIP has a particularly strong influence on the initial or first-phase insulin release, which happens immediately after a meal. This quick response is critical for lowering blood glucose quickly and efficiently.

The key advantage of GIP medications is that they enhance insulin secretion without causing excessive insulin release when blood sugar is low, reducing the risk of hypoglycemia.

These peptides help one become more insulin sensitive. This can be life-changing for those who have struggled with inflammation and metabolic disease for decades.

2. Glucagon Suppression:

GLP-1 medications also suppress the secretion of glucagon, a hormone that normally raises blood sugar levels by signaling the liver to release stored glucose (glycogen) when blood sugar is low.

By reducing glucagon levels, GLP-1 medications help prevent the liver from releasing too much glucose, thereby contributing to better blood sugar control.

GIP has a dual effect on glucagon depending on the blood sugar level:

When blood sugar is high: GIP has a mild suppressive effect on glucagon secretion, helping prevent the liver from producing too much glucose (gluconeogenesis). This complements insulin's action by lowering blood sugar further.

When blood sugar is low: In contrast to GLP-1, GIP can actually increase glucagon secretion when blood sugar is low, which helps prevent hypoglycemia. By promoting glucagon release, GIP ensures that the liver releases glucose into the bloodstream to raise blood sugar levels when needed.

For people with chronic stress and inflammation, GIP medication can be much more effective by keeping glucagon from over-activating.

3. Slowed Gastric Emptying:

Besides modulating insulin and glucagon, GLP-1 medications slow down the rate at which food leaves the stomach, known as gastric emptying.

This helps prevent large spikes in blood sugar levels after meals, further supporting glucose control.

4. Additional Effects:

In addition to its effects on insulin and glucagon, GIP also influences fat storage and usage in the body.

It promotes the uptake of fatty acids into fat cells (adipocytes) and may enhance fat storage.

This is why combination peptide therapy like tirzepatide (known as Mounjaro and Zepbound) can be so effective because they utilize both GLP-1 and GIP peptides with less side effects, especially when micro-dosed.

Why Don't They Always Work?

Now, with all these positive effects in mind, why do these treatments not work for some people?

Peptides can help you get results by reducing "food noise" and slowing digestion.

But, if you're eating even when you're not physiologically hungry, these peptides probably won't help.

When the problem isn't hunger, addressing just food won't fix it.

You need to go deeper to the root cause.

Additionally, if you're not eating enough protein and not regularly strength training, you may start excessively losing muscle mass along with body fat, which lowers your metabolic rate.

Adopting optimal nutrition and training habits on this medication is actually more important than before to avoid sarcopenia (muscle loss) which is correlated with less longevity and health complications into older age.

Peptides are still a tool, just like every other fad and trend that comes and goes, albeit these seem to be more promising than most.

That means, you still have to be implementing the basic science of body composition change (i.e. not over-eating and not under-eating - especially protein), adopting a long-term mindset, making a lifestyle transformation, and building + sustaining sufficient muscle mass to keep your metabolism revved up!

In other words: you can't ever skip the basics.

The fundamentals - what we teach - and how to adapt them bio-individually to your own body's needs and preferences will always matter.

And because we live in unprecedented times as modern humans where most of us have unlimited access to highly caloric, even addictive food while moving less and expending less calories than ever before, we are finding ourselves in a predicament where being really good at storing body fat is no longer a survival trait... and we need new solutions for how to eat in moderation in modern times.

That's exactly what we teach you in Awaken Your Nutrition.

We don't guarantee you'll lose weight, although most people do when that is their primary goal for overall health.

The program is 12 weeks which is just enough time to teach you the science + experiment with what works for your body as you start to adopt new habits, but by no means will everyone reach their goals in that amount of time, especially if they are coming to us with DECADES of disease, inflammation, obesity and trauma which stores in our tissues.

You may learn what to do in 12 weeks and then take another 3 months or 9 months or 2 years to allow your body the time it needs to slowly let go.

That's exactly why we created an alumni group for a few dollars a day so you can continue the support you need.

Long-term health does not happen overnight like an Amazon delivery.

Our program is designed for those who want to know the why behind it all... for those who want to cut through all the online noise and understand nutrition science + how to adapt it to their unique needs consistently... for life.. without starting and stopping.

We will hold the highest vision of who you will become in the process but you have to do the work to meet us there.

Because ultimately, we can't eat for you. We can't exercise for you. We can't be your sole motivation to just keep going when it takes longer than you expected.

And most importantly: we will not join you in arguing for your own self-limitations.

Because there is someone out there with the same workload, responsibilities, financial situation, trauma, conditioning, etc. and they've made a conscious choice to make it work despite it all.

If you feel called and are ready to empower yourself with the knowledge and skills for how to fuel your body for LIFE in these unprecedented modern times, click reply and let's get started!