GLP-1 medications significantly reduce food intake. While that's excellent for calorie balance, it also means reduced intake of essential micronutrients — vitamins and minerals your body cannot produce on its own.
Micronutrient deficiencies develop slowly and silently. By the time symptoms appear, the deficiency is often significant. Deficiencies in iron, B12, vitamin D, or magnesium can cause fatigue, hair loss, depression, immune dysfunction, and bone loss — symptoms that are easy to misattribute to the medication itself.
Telogen effluvium — the hair shedding common at 3–6 months on GLP-1 — is primarily caused by the stress of rapid weight loss, but iron deficiency and protein insufficiency significantly worsen it. Optimizing both gives hair the best chance to recover.
Getting 100g+ of protein daily on a reduced appetite is hard. Strategic timing makes it more achievable — and more effective for muscle preservation.
Medication helps with appetite. But the mental skills for sustainable weight management — resilience, flexibility, self-compassion — must be built intentionally.
People who share their journey with a community — online or in person — consistently achieve better outcomes. Here's why, and where to find yours.