Is a GLP-1 Right for You? What a Physician-Led Weight Loss Program Actually Looks Like
GLP-1 medications have changed the conversation around weight loss. Ozempic and Wegovy, both semaglutide, and Mounjaro and Zepbound, both tirzepatide, work in a way that earlier weight loss drugs did not. The results are real. And there are more coming, including retatrutide, which is still in trials but has produced some of the most striking results reported so far.
What concerns me is not the medications. It is how casually they are being handed out. Here is what a responsible approach looks like and why it matters.
What these medications do
GLP-1 stands for glucagon-like peptide-1, a hormone your gut releases after you eat. It signals fullness to your brain, slows how quickly your stomach empties, and helps regulate blood sugar. These medications mimic that hormone, which is why appetite drops and people eat less without white-knuckling through it.
Semaglutide came first and got the most attention. Tirzepatide acts on a second hormone receptor as well, called GIP, and has produced stronger results in trials. Retatrutide targets a third and is still in development, though the early data has been notable.
These are not the appetite suppressants of twenty years ago. They work on the hormonal machinery that governs hunger and metabolism, which is why the effect holds up in a way older drugs did not.
The problem with how they are prescribed
Demand has produced a whole industry of telehealth services and med spas offering these prescriptions with almost no evaluation. Fill out a form, pay, get a prescription. No metabolic workup. No conversation about whether it is the right choice for you specifically. No monitoring of how you are responding.
That is not how a medication with real effects should be handled. These drugs have meaningful side effects, real contraindications, and interactions with other conditions. Muscle loss during rapid weight loss is a real concern that goes unaddressed in most of these setups. Some muscle loss happens with any significant weight loss, but how much you lose depends a lot on protein intake, resistance training, and how quickly the weight comes off. Those are all things worth managing rather than leaving to chance.
They also work best as part of a broader plan. Prescribing without support is a big reason people stop taking them and regain the weight. The medication creates an opening. What you do with that opening determines whether the change lasts
What a proper evaluation involves
We start with a real metabolic workup. Body composition through DEXA, so we know your starting muscle mass and can track whether you are holding onto it. Metabolic markers including fasting insulin and glucose. Thyroid and hormone testing, because sometimes what looks like a weight problem is a hormone problem. Cardiovascular risk factors. And an honest conversation about what you have tried before and what happened.
Then we talk about whether a GLP-1 makes sense for you. Sometimes it clearly does. Sometimes there is an underlying issue working against you that should be addressed first. Sometimes the right answer is medication alongside significant changes to how you eat and train from day one.
If we prescribe, we start low, go up slowly, monitor with follow-up labs, and adjust. We pay close attention to protein intake and resistance training throughout, because protecting muscle during weight loss is not optional.
Who is a good candidate
Current FDA criteria point to adults with a BMI of thirty or above, or twenty-seven or above with a related condition like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, or sleep apnea. But BMI is a blunt tool and clinical judgment matters more than a single number.
The other thing that predicts success is readiness to change how you eat and move. The medication makes those changes far easier to sustain. It does not replace them.
We see weight management patients in Heber City, American Fork, and by telehealth across Utah.
Feel better today. Live better tomorrow.
Learn more at impact.care or book a free consultation, (435) 200-5000 for Heber City, (385) 449-4555 for American Fork.
