I wanted to make a post like this for a while. Things I know now that I wish I'd known from day 1.
Seasoned GLP-1 users, feel free to add your suggestions in the comments too.
Eat enough. Not just enough protein, but eat enough calories. The old diet mentality of low fat and low calories is crippling our metabolisms. This med is a chance to let our metabolism reset and heal. Eat enough to support your body while it gets you to where you've always wanted to be. For me, that didn't mean tracking macros and agonizing over it, although for some people that feels right. Just be mindful to take care of yourself. Undereating causes stalls, then people titrate up when really, they just need to eat.
Get a Renpho scale and the app. I got it halfway through and would have loved to see my numbers when I started. It's only like $25.
The injection aspect really, really freaked me out before my first injection. I didn't know how and I had all of the worries about doing it wrong. I wish I'd known that it wouldn't be a big deal, and would come to be a weekly self-care ritual.
Some supplements I would have started early on - these are customized to me, your needs may be different. Glycine, I am learning can possibly help retain muscle. I'm taking it now. Biotin to support my hair. That's partly due to me being 44. Some others I've researched and decided not to take, but you can look them up if you like. B Complex sublingual for energy. (I tried for a while but it wasn't what I needed. A lab workup was super useful to me to show what I needed.) Mag Oxide for constipation. I have on-hand but not needed.
Hormone/thyroid/metabolic panel when energy dipped. If you are feeling off, I recommend asking your PCP for these. Weight loss, our goal (not the GLP-1 itself) can have an impact on these things and I suspect that some people taking B-complex for energy actually have underlying changes related to thyroid, hormones, and/or other vitamin imbalances. If any of these change with your weight improvement they often resolve themselves over time, but I would have liked to know what levels were to take some supplements to support my body during the temporary dip. That's just me. Reddit suggests B Complex across the board, which can help, but for true optimal energy it isn't always a B vitamin thing.
Birth control. I knew this going in, but I'll mention here for anyone not "in the know" - due to slower gastric emptying, studies show that GLP-1's can affect the efficacy of oral birth control. IUD and other methods are recommended. Most women address this with their gyno. Also, be sure to do your research before switching to hormonal IUD (Mirena). Look at reviews on drugs.com. It can impact you systemically dropping your hormone levels so if you switch to Mirena, consider getting a hormone panel to make sure you're in a good range. Mirena tanks many women's hormones and energy, and we might be quick to blame it on the GLP-1 but it's not that.
ENJOY THE RIDE!!! Don't stress about anything too much. It's a beautiful thing that these options exist. It totally changed my health and I am SO. GRATEFUL.
Let me know if you need anything -
Alison
