What Real Health Actually Requires: Our Stance on GLP-1s

Over the past year, medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro have moved into everyday conversation. They are being talked about on news networks, recommended by primary care providers, and positioned as a breakthrough treatment for weight loss and metabolic health.

There is no denying that these medications can help. They can reduce appetite, improve blood sugar control, and support meaningful weight loss. For someone struggling with obesity or Type 2 diabetes, this can lower health risks and improve daily life in a very real way.

While GLP-1s may help the number on the scale go down, there are certain aspects of health that they don't improve.

In fact, they may even make certain aspects worse.

That is where our stance becomes clear.

Key Takeaways

• GLP-1 medications can help reduce appetite and support weight loss, but they do not build muscle, bone, strength, or cardiovascular fitness.

  
  

• When GLP-1s are used without a plan for training, nutrition, and habit development, weight loss often comes with muscle loss, decreased resilience, and a higher risk of regaining weight.

  
  

• The medication is not the issue. The issue is when it is prescribed as the entire solution, without guidance, support, or a path to transition off.

  
  

• Long-term health is built through consistency, strength training, movement, nutrition habits, and support. GLP-1s may help someone begin, but the work of becoming healthier happens in the plan that follows.

What GLP-1s Actually Do

GLP-1 medications work by influencing hunger and insulin response. They reduce appetite, slow stomach emptying, and help regulate blood sugar. People generally feel less drawn to food and eat less without feeling like they are fighting cravings every minute of the day. This can feel like relief for someone who has struggled with cycles of dieting.

However, weight loss that happens quickly does not discriminate between fat, muscle, and bone. When calories decrease sharply, the body may also break down muscle tissue and reduce bone density. These changes matter because muscle and bone are two of the strongest predictors of long-term health and independence as we age. They affect how we move, how we balance, how we get up off the floor, and how resistant our bodies are to injury and overall decline in function.

Weight may come down, but the body becomes more fragile.

And that is where the conversation needs to shift.

If Health Is the Goal, Weight Alone Is Not the Answer

If improved health is the goal, the number on the scale is only one small part of the picture.

Because health is not just about body weight.

It is about capacity.

The capacity to move, lift, climb stairs, carry groceries, play with children, walk long distances, get up from the floor, and enjoy the physical parts of life without hesitation.

Those abilities come from physical qualities like mobility, balance, coordination, strength, and cardiovascular fitness.

These are qualities that medication cannot create.

They are not prescribable.

They are trainable.

Losing weight may make some of these qualities easier to develop. It may reduce joint stress, improve energy, and create momentum. But losing weight does not automatically build strength, improve mobility, or increase cardiovascular capacity.

Those changes require practice, training, and consistency.

These qualities are built gradually through intentional movement over time. There is no pill or shortcut that can install them for you.

They must be earned.

But more importantly, in earning them, a person becomes more capable, more resilient, and more confident in their own body.

The Problem Is Not the Medication

Right now, many people are being prescribed GLP-1s with no plan for what comes next.

There’s no guidance on how to maintain muscle while losing weight, no strategy to support bone density, no coaching to build healthier habits around food, and no roadmap for transitioning off the medication.

The medication itself is not the problem.

The problem is that it’s being prescribed as the entire solution with no end date, no plan, and no structure to support the person taking it.

People are being given a tool without being taught how to use it. And because making long-term changes can feel overwhelming, the medication can start to feel like the “answer,” instead of one piece of a much larger picture.

It’s not that people believe a pill will fix everything. It’s that most people already know they need to make changes, but don’t feel confident in how to do that consistently while managing real life. Work, family, stress, fatigue, and a body that may not feel good to move in right now can make the idea of doing it alone feel impossible. So the medication becomes the path that feels doable.

The challenge isn’t necessarily knowledge.

Most people know what they should be doing.

The real challenge is having the structure, support, and accountability to actually live those habits in a sustainable way.

People don’t need more information.

They need a plan that feels manageable, guidance that meets them where they are, and someone walking beside them while they build strength, capacity, and confidence over time.

Where EVO Stands

We are not against GLP-1 medications.

We are against GLP-1 medications being used as the entire solution.

There are situations where these medications can be appropriate and genuinely helpful. For many people, they can create an opening. They can reduce the intensity of hunger, lower immediate health risks, and make it easier to begin moving in a healthier direction. When used thoughtfully, GLP-1s can give someone enough breathing room to take the first step.

But a GLP-1 should not be the whole plan.

It should be one small part of a larger, more comprehensive approach.

When the medication is the only strategy, essential aspects of health are lost. Without a supportive training plan, weight loss often includes a loss of muscle and bone density. These are the qualities that determine how we move, how strong we feel, how well our bodies tolerate stress, and how independent we remain as we age.

Without coaching, structure, and support, eating patterns do not actually change.

And without a plan for eventually transitioning off the medication, old habits and weight often return.

So while the medication may change the number on the scale, it does not build the physical or behavioral qualities that support long-term health.

This is why we take the stance we do.

When they are prescribed, the plan should also include:

• Rebuilding strength, muscle, cardiovascular fitness, balance, and mobility.

• Improving how your body moves and recovers.

• Learning how to fuel your body and trust it again.

• Consistency, guidance, and skill-building, not shortcuts.

We do not believe in approaches that promise change without growth.

We do not believe in shrinking bodies while leaving people weaker or more dependent on a prescription to maintain progress.

Instead, we believe in helping people become more capable.

Our work is to help you build the qualities that medication cannot create.

And those are the qualities that protect your health for the decades ahead.

If You’re Considering a GLP-1, Already Using One, or Thinking About Transitioning Off

You do not need to navigate this alone.

You do not need to overhaul your life in one massive leap.

And you do not need to choose between medication and effort.

We will meet you where you are, help you build strength and confidence gradually, and guide you toward a body that feels capable, stable, and dependable.

If you want a path that actually lasts, we’re here.

Book a Discovery Call and we’ll take this one step at a time.