Navigating GLP-1 Medications and Building a Healthier You: A Fork U Guide
Welcome to Fork University, where science meets sarcasm, and healthy eating gets a reality check. Today, we’re diving into the world of GLP-1 medications, like Ozempic and Zepbound—those little injections making waves in the weight loss and metabolic health scene. Spoiler alert: Even if needles aren’t your thing, this advice is gold for anyone looking to improve their relationship with food (yes, even you, cereal-at-midnight enthusiasts). So, grab a cup of tea (ginger if you’re nauseous), and let’s get started.
Ah, diet culture. That pesky little voice whispering, “Carbs are evil,” or “You’re only worthy if you can squeeze into those jeans from 2012.” Here’s the deal: Diet culture sucks, and it’s time to boot it out of your life. Here’s how:
GLP-1 medications are game-changers, but they come with their quirks. Here’s how to navigate the rocky road of side effects:
Fun fact: Only 10% of Americans eat enough fiber. No wonder our colons are grumpy. Fix that with:
Not all hydration packets are created equal. Skip the sugar-free gimmicks and opt for options like Pedialyte. Bonus points if you grab the popsicles—because who doesn’t love reliving childhood?
High-fat foods + GLP-1 = a stomach rebellion. Swap fried chicken for grilled and save yourself the bloat. Greek yogurt and peppermint tea are your new besties.
Forget the “eat less, move more” mantra. Here’s what actually works:
GLP-1 medications are tools, not magic wands. They’re here to help you build a healthier relationship with food, not to police your every bite. Remember:
GLP-1 medications are here to support you, not define you. Focus on health, ditch the guilt, and enjoy the journey. And don’t forget: Consult a real, western-trained physician and a dietitian. Chiropractors and green juice influencers don’t count. Ok, I sometimes drink some green juice.
>> Dr. Terry Simpson: Hey. Today's podcast is about navigating the
Speaker:GLP1 medications. But it turns
Speaker:out a lot of this advice is for anyone in the
Speaker:new year who wants to develop better eating and a
Speaker:better relationship with food. So even if you aren't
Speaker:on these medications but want to eat a little better,
Speaker:maybe give a listen. All right, on to the show.
Speaker:M
Speaker:Today we're digging into GLP1
Speaker:medications like Ozempic, Zepbound and
Speaker:others. They're revolutionary, but
Speaker:even the best tools need proper
Speaker:handling. As a weight loss surgeon,
Speaker:I've spent years teaching people how to eat better
Speaker:after surgery. Surprisingly,
Speaker:the common things we teach people after surgery who have a
Speaker:smaller stomach is the same thing
Speaker:we teach people after GLP1 medications
Speaker:begin. We also know things that
Speaker:don't work well. What we know doesn't work well
Speaker:is telling people to eat less and move more.
Speaker:Another bit of advice that doesn't work well is telling people
Speaker:to just eat less than what you've been doing.
Speaker:The most important advice enabled
Speaker:by surgery or weight loss GLP medications is
Speaker:the opportunity to repair the relationship
Speaker:with food and repair the trauma
Speaker:from years of diet culture. And
Speaker:while these drugs curb that relentless
Speaker:food noise in your brain that tells you to eat even when you're not
Speaker:hungry, these drugs do have common side
Speaker:effects. So on today's pod, we'll go through some
Speaker:of those side effects and teach you how to navigate this
Speaker:incredible journey.
Speaker:I'm Dr. Terry Simpson, your chief medical
Speaker:explanationist and this is Fork
Speaker:U Fork University, where we make sense of
Speaker:the madness, bust a few myths, and teach you a little bit
Speaker:about food and medicine.
Speaker:Let's start with diet culture.
Speaker:Diet culture refers to those societal norms and
Speaker:beliefs that value thinness, appearance and weight
Speaker:over health and well being. It often promotes
Speaker:restrictive eating, obsessive exercise and
Speaker:guilt around food choices, perpetuating
Speaker:harmful body image, weird
Speaker:ideals and disordered eating habits.
Speaker:For someone using GLP1 receptor agonists like
Speaker:Ozempic or Zeppbound for weight management and other health
Speaker:concerns, addressing diet culture
Speaker:is critical for fostering a healthy relationship with food
Speaker:and body. So here's how we want to remove some of those
Speaker:diet culture elements.
Speaker:First, shift the focus to health
Speaker:and functionality. Meaning we want you to emphasize
Speaker:overall health, energy levels, metabolic improvements rather
Speaker:than weight or appearance. Celebrate non scale
Speaker:victories such as better blood sugar control, improved
Speaker:mobility, reduce blood pressure, maybe make your
Speaker:goal this year doing the splits. Okay, maybe not the splits. I
Speaker:did them when I was 10 years old. I've never done them since. But maybe
Speaker:this year I'll do some better yoga moves. We want you to
Speaker:redefine the idea of good and bad foods, removing
Speaker:those moral labels from foods. Because all foods can fit into
Speaker:a balanced diet in moderation. Except death cap
Speaker:mushrooms. A uh, gram of them will kill you faster than almost
Speaker:anything. But encouraging mindful eating to recognize
Speaker:hunger and fullness cues without judgment. Let me give
Speaker:you an example. The power you have
Speaker:over food with the GLP1 medications
Speaker:is can eat a small amount of
Speaker:food, sense the feeling of fullness
Speaker:and walk away. You will
Speaker:notice you don't need to get it again.
Speaker:You now have power over the food. Where before
Speaker:you'd have that sense of fullness walk away, but you'd be
Speaker:back or you'd eat more later. Now you
Speaker:have a tool that will help you that, that
Speaker:encourages more mindful eating, slowing
Speaker:down, taking your time, sensing
Speaker:fullness so you don't get overstuffed.
Speaker:Setting individual goals beyond weight loss is important
Speaker:too. So we want you to focus on
Speaker:sustainable habits like eating nutrient
Speaker:dense meals, regular physical activity, stress
Speaker:management that doesn't involve alcohol or drugs,
Speaker:and personalized goals to align with those intrinsic
Speaker:measurements like feeling stronger or improving
Speaker:sleep quality. For God's sake, buy a new
Speaker:mattress. Maybe I'm talking to me.
Speaker:It's really hard to unlearn
Speaker:harmful messaging that has been placed by diet
Speaker:culture. Especially this time of year when you will
Speaker:see supermodels who are anorectic
Speaker:going on bikini clad or
Speaker:whatever clad as an ideal body image.
Speaker:They're not understanding that
Speaker:medication as a tool for health management rather than purely for
Speaker:weight loss is key and
Speaker:reinforcing that. Its purpose is to support overall
Speaker:metabolic health, meaning your body's metabolism, its
Speaker:health not confined to societal pressure.
Speaker:But as anyone who's been on any weight loss journey might have a
Speaker:bit of trauma from the absolutes of the diet. These
Speaker:new medications will help you get that better
Speaker:relationship with food. But we have to
Speaker:balance that with this caveat.
Speaker:There are some foods you may need to be careful about on these
Speaker:medications. You've probably all heard about the side
Speaker:effects of GLP1 medications. Nausea, vomiting,
Speaker:reflux, constipation. They're pretty common. So let's start
Speaker:from the bottom up.
Speaker:Constipation. Typically it's a lack
Speaker:of water and a lack of fiber.
Speaker:Fiber is a key ingredient. It's even considered
Speaker:an essential nutrient for your gut. It feeds the healthy
Speaker:bacteria in your gut or the microbiome and they produce a
Speaker:lot of incredible things to thank you. Everything from
Speaker:dopamine to your own endogenous
Speaker:GLP1. Yep, you make it in your gut. And
Speaker:some anti cancer agents that keep your colon happy and
Speaker:healthy and keeps things moving along.
Speaker:It's astonishing that only 10% of Americans get the fiber
Speaker:they need from their diet. And if you find yourself consuming
Speaker:less fiber because you're consuming less food, you
Speaker:might develop constipation. Now some
Speaker:of this can be helped with fiber supplements like citrusyl
Speaker:metamucil, etc. But those are a supplement, they
Speaker:are not a solution.
Speaker:Instead focus on finding and
Speaker:incorporating fiber rich foods and
Speaker:making them a part of your routine. You want some example
Speaker:fiber rich foods? Whole grains like
Speaker:whole grain bread and whole grain pasta.
Speaker:Another one are legumes, beans,
Speaker:lentils, chickpeas, tofu, etc. Most
Speaker:people when they think of fiber, think about fruits and vegetables. And while
Speaker:those should be a part of your diet,
Speaker:they're not a big source of fiber like the powerhouses of
Speaker:whole grains and legumes. Now
Speaker:there are plenty of you who've been indoctrinated into that low
Speaker:carb mantra of all grains are evil.
Speaker:Lets be clear, from a scientific point of view,
Speaker:grains are not evil. People
Speaker:who consume whole grains, not refined grains,
Speaker:have less obesity, less heart disease, less
Speaker:cancer, live longer. Not bad, huh?
Speaker:Uh, nothing like whole grains or brown rice,
Speaker:quinoa or even oats. Adding them to your diet
Speaker:to not only get fiber, but a lot of other benefits of whole
Speaker:grains. Legumes are another great source of
Speaker:fiber. Legumes are things like beans, chickpeas,
Speaker:lentils, even peanuts. Let me give you an
Speaker:example. Beans are great for
Speaker:breakfast. One of my favorite breakfasts when
Speaker:I go to breakfast houses is getting
Speaker:huevos rancheros. But I'm not such a huevo
Speaker:fan. But I like the beans and having those
Speaker:beans with a little bit of hot sauce is great.
Speaker:Soups you can add beans to, you can add chickpeas
Speaker:to, you can have hummus as a dip. You can add
Speaker:beans to salads, they're delicious.
Speaker:And lentils the same way. I have a great recipe for
Speaker:dal in my website. Beans are not
Speaker:only fiber rich, but a great source of
Speaker:protein and low in fat.
Speaker:Fiber is just one half of the equation for constipation. The
Speaker:other half is hydration. And hydration is something if you're
Speaker:on a GLP1 or if you've had weight loss surgery you hear a
Speaker:lot about. Let me help you to avoid a
Speaker:scam. There are lots of
Speaker:hydration packs or IV hydration packs
Speaker:for sale and most of them aren't
Speaker:terribly useful. Why? Because Many of them
Speaker:advertise themselves as sugar free, part of diet
Speaker:culture. You want to be sugar free, but here's the
Speaker:need glucose in those hydration packs, otherwise you don't get
Speaker:the full benefits of the hydration of the salts in
Speaker:that pack, including magnesium, potassium and sodium.
Speaker:Without glucose, you lose the best
Speaker:way to get electrolytes in your
Speaker:body. How do I know? Did you know
Speaker:there are 92 million kids today who are
Speaker:alive because of a simple hydration formula
Speaker:involving a 6 to 1 ratio of glucose to salt in
Speaker:a liter of water? 92
Speaker:million kids. They didn't just give them salt and
Speaker:water, they didn't just give them water. But
Speaker:true dehydration from diarrheal viruses,
Speaker:cholera, rotaviruses, et cetera. You
Speaker:need true hydration uses that formula. So what
Speaker:do I recommend? In almost any pharmacy, you can get
Speaker:what's called Pedialyte packages. These are the things we give to kids
Speaker:who are dehydrated, but they're fine for adults.
Speaker:They're available in every pharmacy. They're easy to carry with you.
Speaker:And the Pedialyte even has popsicles, so you can make them up.
Speaker:So if you're feeling nauseous, licking
Speaker:a popsicle is one of the great things you can do to get some good
Speaker:rehydration. And here's a tip.
Speaker:If you are taking a GLP1 medication and you
Speaker:notice that after you get the shot,
Speaker:you have some nausea, we think
Speaker:you should take a full packet of hydration
Speaker:about an hour before you take your GLP1
Speaker:medication. Why? Because that way we know you're
Speaker:going to be pretty well hydrated before going in it. So if
Speaker:you have any adverse reactions, at least you've got that
Speaker:down. And finally, let's talk about this.
Speaker:If you're eating less, you're going to have fewer trips to
Speaker:the bathroom. That's normal. That
Speaker:is not constipation. Let's talk about
Speaker:nausea and reflux. High
Speaker:fat foods delay digestion
Speaker:in normal people, in everybody, and
Speaker:they worsen nausea. And if you're on a
Speaker:GLP1 medication, like Ozempic or
Speaker:Mounjaro, your stomach is not going to
Speaker:empty as fast as it normally does. Things will
Speaker:sit in there. So that means that,
Speaker:I mean, I love Popeye's chicken. Who doesn't?
Speaker:But if you have too much of that delicious crust that
Speaker:will sit in your stomach, delay emptying. Your stomach
Speaker:will get more and more gastric juices become more and more
Speaker:bloated, and you won't like the result. Greasy
Speaker:and fatty Foods delay stomach emptying. The technical reasons,
Speaker:fat in food stimulates the release of a hormone called
Speaker:cholecystokinin, which releases in the duodenum
Speaker:and that inhibits distal stomach motility.
Speaker:That's our way of saying the food stays in your stomach longer. And that,
Speaker:combined with the medications GLP1s means the food's gonna
Speaker:sit there for a while. It also stimulates
Speaker:pyloric tone. Alright, what is that? At the end of your stomach is a
Speaker:sphincter called the pylorus that opens to empty
Speaker:the stomach. But
Speaker:greasy foods and GLP1s
Speaker:cause that sphincter, uh, to be
Speaker:tight. If food sits in the
Speaker:stomach longer, you get bloating,
Speaker:distension, reflux, nausea,
Speaker:and even vomiting. Have you ever had food poisoning?
Speaker:Food poisoning is when your body keeps food in your stomach
Speaker:longer until you get bloated, nausea and you vomit. It's trying to keep
Speaker:the bacteria from entering into your gut.
Speaker:That's why it's not a bad thing to vomit if you have food
Speaker:poisoning. Well, GLP1
Speaker:medicines are sort of like that. They keep food in your stomach
Speaker:longer. Now, if you eat too much or if you
Speaker:eat on top of being full, you're going to have more
Speaker:nausea. But grease isn't the only
Speaker:thing that causes food to sit in your stomach
Speaker:longer. Here's a few other things. Foods with a lot of
Speaker:added sugar, sugar sits in your stomach, breaks
Speaker:down, causing more acid to hit the stomach, leading to more bloating,
Speaker:more discomfort. Typically, these are high
Speaker:sugary drinks like fruit juice, southern
Speaker:sweet tea, soda. So instead those are
Speaker:things to be minimized. Alcohol with
Speaker:GLP1 drugs presents its own unique
Speaker:set of issues. Now, in general,
Speaker:we are working hard to tell America and the
Speaker:world that there isn't a safe level of
Speaker:alcohol. And if you can stop consuming it, you will have better
Speaker:health for it. This is in contrast to what we
Speaker:believe for many years, science advances. Sorry to take
Speaker:away your favorite afternoon drink, but alcohol
Speaker:is not good. And a combination of dehydration and
Speaker:increased alcohol can lead to pancreatitis in some
Speaker:people. So if you're dehydrated and are drinking alcohol, which
Speaker:leads to more dehydration, you can develop
Speaker:pancreatitis. So best to avoid alcohol on
Speaker:GLP1 medications or limit it to one
Speaker:glass. Many people actually find when they
Speaker:start GLP1 medications, they lose their taste for alcohol
Speaker:altogether. It might be a social thing. They're used to grabbing a beer or
Speaker:glass of wine, but. But otherwise, when they start tasting it, it just
Speaker:doesn't taste the same. It's
Speaker:okay. Remember the other thing. Because you're not eating
Speaker:that much, you don't have food quantity which absorbs some of the
Speaker:alcohol. So you're going to get a little bit tipsy a little
Speaker:bit faster. Here's a tip for restaurant
Speaker:use. When you go to a restaurant,
Speaker:if you're like the rest of us, you want to finish what's on your
Speaker:plate. Get a To go box immediately.
Speaker:We use this tip all the time for our weight loss surgery patients who have
Speaker:smaller stomachs. But think take
Speaker:that immediately. Get the to go box. Put the food in
Speaker:there. And if you don't want your friends to know that you're eating less
Speaker:quizzes of GLP1. They don't care. Really, they
Speaker:don't care. You can tell them you had a late lunch. You can tell them
Speaker:you want to save some for your friends. You can tell them you want some for
Speaker:tomorrow for breakfast. Doesn't matter. Make whatever excuse you
Speaker:want. But it's a great tip for eating less, even for your
Speaker:friends who are going out and want to lose a little weight, which most
Speaker:of America does. How about fast
Speaker:food? Well, aside from avoiding greasy things, the kid's
Speaker:menu is going to be your best friend. And
Speaker:hey, you might even get a toy with your meal.
Speaker:I mean, who doesn't want a toy? So, like, if you go to Chick Fil a, get
Speaker:the grilled chicken, please. Your stomach will thank you for it.
Speaker:But most nausea happens when people overeat,
Speaker:right? Overeating feels like
Speaker:overstuffing a suitcase. Just because you can zip it closed
Speaker:doesn't mean it won't burst open later. So for nausea,
Speaker:take a walk, take some ginger or peppermint
Speaker:tea, and if it's overdone, you start feeling the
Speaker:reflux but have to go to bed. A wedge pillow will help
Speaker:a lot. Here's another one. You're going to hear a
Speaker:lot of people who've had GLP1 say, oh, you got to have a lot of
Speaker:protein. Well, protein is a key, but don't overdo
Speaker:it. Beans, Greek yogurt, simple shakes
Speaker:can keep you balanced. There's no need to overthink it.
Speaker:We want habits that last a lifetime. And
Speaker:eating more protein can lead to people eating more
Speaker:greasy things like steaks or sausages, which we
Speaker:don't think are great overall nutrient
Speaker:balances in a healthy diet. More
Speaker:importantly, adding too much protein at the expense of
Speaker:other parts of your diet can lead to more constipation and other
Speaker:issues. Finally, be patient with
Speaker:yourself okay. Initial weight loss
Speaker:is often due to water and glycogen. So what's that? It's
Speaker:dramatic but temporary weight loss. Glycogen is how
Speaker:your body stores extra glucose. It's stored in your muscle.
Speaker:You need it for times when you're exercising, sleeping, fasting,
Speaker:just in everyday life. Many people who are overweight have a
Speaker:lot of excess glycogen stored in their muscles and they lose
Speaker:the glycogen as they burn through it when they go through eating
Speaker:less. And for every pound of glycogen you
Speaker:burn, you will lose 2 pounds of water.
Speaker:Hence, early weight loss is often rapid.
Speaker:Sometimes people even think they're losing muscle because they'll see muscle go down
Speaker:on some of these fancy scales. But you're actually losing glycogen from
Speaker:muscle. You are going to lose fat in the
Speaker:background and you will see fat loss
Speaker:come, but in a far more stepwise fashion. But here's
Speaker:the other thing. You need to liberate your scale.
Speaker:If your day is going to be ruined by a number on a scale, it's time
Speaker:to let it go. You don't need it. The
Speaker:medication allows you to listen to your body, to eat smaller
Speaker:portions. That will take care of the weight loss.
Speaker:And isn't it a great feeling to know that you can have a smaller
Speaker:portion? Feel satisfied. Walk away
Speaker:knowing you're not going to be starving later. Knowing you're not going to be called back to the
Speaker:refrigerator. Taking time
Speaker:to learn about good things to eat, learning
Speaker:new recipes for the new year, that should be your
Speaker:goal. So you can forget the scale.
Speaker:You can celebrate wins, like fitting into old
Speaker:clothes that were too tight or treating yourself to new ones.
Speaker:You deserve it. But there are plenty of you
Speaker:out there who really like to track your weight. And that's great. Just
Speaker:don't let those few pounds here or there ruin your
Speaker:day.
Speaker:And trust in in the process,
Speaker:you are going to need a daily vitamin. And there are a lot
Speaker:of choices out there. Oh my gosh. So before you buy
Speaker:the fancy AG1 for 80 to 100 bucks a
Speaker:month, try a few different vitamins. See how they settle on your
Speaker:stomach. You might find that children's chewable
Speaker:a couple a day work just as well. And they're pretty
Speaker:inexpensive. But if you want to be a little
Speaker:bourgeois and like the expensive vitamins,
Speaker:that's fine. I have a simple key for
Speaker:you. Your body doesn't care how much the vitamin
Speaker:costs. Your vitamin comes from whether
Speaker:it's a rose hip or a synthesized in a lab. Your body doesn't care.
Speaker:It will utilize them. And when you see
Speaker:all this extra stuff on the label, like I take
Speaker:a little AG1 and it has all this extra stuff.
Speaker:But the key on the label is the
Speaker:little disclaimer where it says, the FDA has not verified
Speaker:these claims. Meaning,
Speaker:don't listen to what we're saying. Prenatal
Speaker:vitamins are great too, by the way. If you want to buy the expensive
Speaker:juices, go ahead and buy it. So I want you to think
Speaker:about this. GLP1s are a lifelong medication to treat
Speaker:the disease of obesity. They give you
Speaker:the tool, you'll be able to use it. Your
Speaker:goal is to eat better and not get trapped
Speaker:into absolutisms. The ice cream you
Speaker:ate won't ruin you. You can enjoy
Speaker:it. You can enjoy a little bit of everything.
Speaker:You truly can moderate and eat
Speaker:almost anything and enjoy it. So listen to your
Speaker:stomach, mostly eat well, mostly
Speaker:plants. And yep, new medicines are coming.
Speaker:You may be transitioning to one of the new medications that are in pill
Speaker:form later on, but until then,
Speaker:your goal is great food, delicious food,
Speaker:healthy and enjoyable food.
Speaker:Well, that's a wrap. Remember, GLP1
Speaker:medications are tools, not magic. But
Speaker:I would always recommend that you go with an obesity
Speaker:specialist who are trained in GLP1s and know how
Speaker:to help and walk you through and guide the process.
Speaker:Not a, uh, coach, not a life
Speaker:coach, not a gym bro. This
Speaker:podcast was written and researched by me, Dr. Terry Simpson. And while I
Speaker:am a doctor, I am not you your doctor.
Speaker:I do want you to consult a real western trained
Speaker:physician and a good registered
Speaker:dietitian. Not some alternative medicine practitioner,
Speaker:eastern thing, chiropractor. They don't know about GLP1
Speaker:medications. Do check out the blog associated with the
Speaker:podcast at YourDoctorsOrders.com and 4Q.com
Speaker:4Q is distributed by our friends at Simpler
Speaker:Media who also help with the editing of the
Speaker:sound and make me sound better than I am.
Speaker:Special thanks to the pod God, Mr. Evotera.
Speaker:And until next time, keep your fork
Speaker:on the road to health.
Speaker:Hey EVO, these new GLP1
Speaker:medications are frigging amazing.
Speaker:They have actually flattened the obesity curve in the United
Speaker:States for the first time in 30 years.
Speaker:I am thinking that there are going to be a large population
Speaker:of America that's going to be using them. Maybe they'll even listen to
Speaker:this podcast.
Speaker:>> Speaker B: You totally missed a great opportunity for a
Speaker:much less large population.
Speaker:Choke. But no.
Speaker:Still good tips. I could use
Speaker:them. Cheers. Oh, and uh, happy New Year.