I’ve been hyper aware of the muscle loss caveats and I think it’s the most important thing to know when starting the drug.
You really need to prioritize protein intake and make sure your calorie deficit isn’t extreme.
Losing too much weight too quickly, with or without the help of a drug, can be very unhealthy.
I drink 4 protein shakes a day (160g total) in addition to regular food. If it weren’t for the protein shakes I definitely would be protein deficient.
You’re 100% spot on with decreased energy at the gym. I’ve had to pull back 4x weekly cardio to 1-2x weekly. Then again, anyone who’s in a calorie deficit has lower energy. It’s not a unique phenomenon of the drug, just a side effect of weight loss.
> Then again, anyone who’s in a calorie deficit has lower energy.
Presumably if you're trying to lose weight, you have energy to burn you carry around with you. A calorie deficit doesn't imply lack of calories to burn. Presumably you're trying to trigger ketogenesis.
Granted, this is a lot less easy to access than simply eating simple carbs right before a workout and likely a lot less comfortable.
> Presumably you're trying to trigger ketogenesis.
Only if you're actually on a keto diet; most weight loss routines run a calorie deficit without triggering ketogenesis.
Also there's this whole thing about set points - you probably got to your weight somehow, and if it wasn't through consistently making stupid choices over many years, chances are this is what the body learned to consider an equilibrium state. Which means that, if you start running a calorie deficit, it's going to fight you every step of the way. It will happily scale down performance to conserve energy instead of burning the accumulated fat, so you'll just be slow and groggy but not lose weight. There's been reported cases where people got mental illness-level obsessive thoughts about food, which appeared when they were hungry, and stopped when they ate enough.
The degree of this problem varies between people, but it's generally not that easy to effectively lose weight, and some people simply lost the genetic/environmental lottery on this.
> The degree of this problem varies between people, but it's generally not that easy to effectively lose weight, and some people simply lost the genetic/environmental lottery on this.
Yea, I think your eating and food habits you learn as a child and teenager tend to shape you for life. I was malnourished as a child (I was considered a picky eater) but as an adult I've found it quite easy to keep within the caloric bounds a doctor told me to keep to. One thing I've noticed is that hunger just doesn't bother me the way it does with people who struggle to lose weight or with binge eating—mostly a pain in the ass (I need to remind and force myself to eat), but occasionally something I'm grateful for as I watch the people around me struggle on an existential level with their cravings and bodies.
I also don't have a sweet tooth, and I put that on not being allowed sweets as a child except under very exceptional circumstances. I'm also a (thankfully recovering) alcoholic, so don't mistake this for being generally good at avoiding cravings.
> Also there's this whole thing about set points - you probably got to your weight somehow, and if it wasn't through consistently making stupid choices over many years, chances are this is what the body learned to consider an equilibrium state.
The idea of set points is controversial and not necessarily the accepted scientific consensus.
> Losing too much weight too quickly, with or without the help of a drug, can be very unhealthy.
Is there evidence to back this up? It sounds reasonable, especially without a limit on "too quickly" but (anecdata incoming) I'm curious because:
- When I first tried a low-carb diet (for non-weight reasons) I lost about thirty pounds in under three months without really trying, and hit something like 12% bodyfat
- When I started intermittent fasting (mostly unrelated to weight) I again lost about thirty pounds, this time in a little over three months, and probably ended up around 15% bodyfat
- Since then I found that neither low-carb nor intermittent fasting had a significant effect on my weight, so:
- When my doctor suggested I lose some weight I pretty forcibly calorie restricted, and lost about thirty pounds over four months (only down to about 20-something % that time)
- And just recently, for cholesterol, I've done it again and lost 25 pounds so far in something under three months.
...and as far as I know I haven't suffered any ill effects. I have a concept 2 rowing machine, and I just rowed my slowest 10K ever :-/ but I did row a 10K, and I am in significant calorie deficit, and I probably have lost a fair bit of muscle along with fat, and I have been away from the rower for several months, so all up ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
All of which to ask, what evidence do you have, and what's "too quickly"?
Anecdotally (but in line with what I read about this), I got gallstones after getting rid of 30 kgs in about 6 months, which is too fast for losing a third of your body weight. Since I had a scan before starting the diet for unrelated reasons, I'm sure they weren't there before.
1. I can't speak to that, no analysis here and the time frame (the low carb thing was back around 2008) is too long for meaningful comparison.
2. Maybe? For normal things, not really, but when I try to row for an hour I feel it. I definitely get cold more easily.
3. I'm not built that way. The low carb thing was completely annoyance-free. As I said, the goal there wasn't weight loss, but raising my HDL; the weight literally came off by accident. Intermittent fasting doesn't bother me at all. Calorie restriction, which I generally do by A. going longer without food -- up to 2+ days; and B. eating less/less carb-rich/processed foods; can be somewhat unpleasant if I push it too hard, but I generally don't. Some days I'm feeling it (in a good way) so I go longer without food, some days I'm not, and I don't sweat which is which much.
4. Generally not a factor for me.
4.1. Definitely not a factor. Two times like I said, weight loss wasn't really the goal, so not relevant; and two times I hit the goal I set (last time), or went further (this time).
4.2 Doesn't really apply, since I've never been visibly overweight? Like, my waist has never been close to half my height. I'm tall, so the large numbers aren't as much of a factor. Regaining weight has never happened to me faster than about 10 pounds/year (just a guesstimate).
The interesting thing will be once I stop losing weight and start rowing again seriously, can I get back to a reasonable performance level. Fingers crossed...
You really need to prioritize protein intake and make sure your calorie deficit isn’t extreme.
Losing too much weight too quickly, with or without the help of a drug, can be very unhealthy.
I drink 4 protein shakes a day (160g total) in addition to regular food. If it weren’t for the protein shakes I definitely would be protein deficient.
You’re 100% spot on with decreased energy at the gym. I’ve had to pull back 4x weekly cardio to 1-2x weekly. Then again, anyone who’s in a calorie deficit has lower energy. It’s not a unique phenomenon of the drug, just a side effect of weight loss.