The One Strong Mother Podcast

Demystifying "Ozempic Face": The Truth About GLP-1s

• Ashley Mussyal

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The "Ozempic face" phenomenon causing concern isn't actually caused by GLP-1 medications, but rather by malnourishment from losing weight too rapidly without proper nutritional support. Understanding how to use these powerful tools properly can help prevent this gaunt, aged appearance while still achieving sustainable weight loss results.

• GLP-1 medications (Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound) work by suppressing appetite and increasing satiety
• The hollow-faced appearance some experience is from malnourishment, not a medication side effect
• Many doctors fail to provide adequate nutrition education when prescribing these medications
• Protein must be prioritized first at meals to preserve lean muscle during weight loss
• Muscle preservation is crucial for both appearance and metabolic health
• Losing weight too quickly guarantees muscle loss alongside fat loss
• A realistic weight loss timeline should be at least 12 months for significant results
• Having proper support and accountability is essential when using GLP-1s
• Hydration and mineral balance are important for flushing toxins released during fat loss

To learn more about our program that provides medical supervision, prescriptions, and coaching support for your weight loss journey, click the link in the show notes to book a free consultation with the Design to Last program.

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Speaker 1:

Hey there, welcome to the One Strong Mother podcast, the space where empowering and inspiring moms unite to embrace strength, balance and well-being amidst the beautiful chaos of motherhood. I'm your host, ashley, a military spouse and mom of five walking this incredible path beside you. In each episode, I'll bring you candid conversations, expert insights and heartfelt stories that touch on every facet of modern motherhood. Whether you're sneaking in a listen during a quick coffee break or savoring those rare moments of quiet, together we'll tackle the hurdles, boost each other up and cement our place as the strong, resilient women we are designed to be. Thanks for tuning in and let's dive into today's episode, shall we?

Speaker 2:

designed to be. Thanks for tuning in and let's dive into today's episode. Shall we? Hello and welcome back to another episode of the One Strong Mother podcast. Today I want to talk about a topic that I feel like I have been on repeat answering questions and I thought it would be fun to just bring it to a podcast episode so I could one have it as reference for future conversations. But two, it's clearly a topic that people are concerned about, curious about and asking all the questions, so let's dive into it.

Speaker 2:

I have been asked so many times about GLP-1s and the dreaded what people are going to call ozempic face. This goes along with the fear of you're not only losing fat but you're also losing muscle and you just, if you get too small, you look like a bag of bones. And while this result may not be false people, there are people out there who do legit look like a bag of bones on, who have been on Ozempic or GLP-1s. If you hear me say GLP-1s, that is what I'm talking about Ozempic, wegovi, monjoro, zepbound those are all GLP-1s, just different companies. So anywho, moving forward, I will just call them GLP-1s. So let's talk about this whole Ozempic face. It's been deemed that it's not from Ozempic. So let's break that down in what Ozempic face is and what it is not.

Speaker 2:

What is ozempic face? I've kind of already described it it's. It's somebody who looks like a bag of bones. Their face kind of looks hollow. They look lifeless a little bit. Um, they're probably going to have some dark circles around their eyes, lots of just. They just look drained, they look tired, they you could, I don't know you just kind of look at that person and you kind of wonder, like what is what is going on? What's wrong with that person? That is the best way I think I can describe a Zempic face without being able to provide a visual demonstration what. What causes it. Let's break that down a little bit. It is definitely not going to be from the actual GLP-1 itself.

Speaker 2:

The media loves to blame GLP-1s for doing this when in reality that is just not true and it comes from the lack of education. And one, the lack of understanding actual GLP-1s and what they're doing. But two, on the person who is experiencing this this clearly there could have been a couple different things going on Lack of education on how to build a foundation around being on GLP-1s, or potentially a little bit of laziness and they were leaning on this tool a little too excessively and they chose not to do the, not to build the foundation. So we're going to break down both versions of those. But I kind of wanted to cover what it is, what it's not first and kind of set the scene before I go into too many details. So again, what it is is. You know, I've kind of already described the visual representation and it is not caused from the actual GLP-1 itself.

Speaker 2:

So what is what is actually happening? Let's break it down. When you see someone who, who is on GLP-1s and they look this way, you need to understand that that is not the look of a GLP-1 side effect, that is the look of malnourishment, of quote-unquote. I don't like to say this. But starvation right, I'm not one that talks a lot about starvation mode because I just don't like that. I think it's a flashy thing to say, but it's not. But it is a sign of malnourishment and lack of providing the body what it actually needs to sustainably lose weight, and it is a sign of losing weight way too quickly. So what happened? How did they get there? Odds are they are on probably a pretty high dose of the GLP-1, which, hardcore, suppressed their appetite, which they used to a beyond their advantage, and they just simply were not eating. And so what happens? When you don't eat, guess what? You're going to lose weight. You're in a calorie deficit. That's literally what the GLP-1 is designed to do, but what it's not supposed to be doing is suppressing your appetite so much that you are not able to give yourself the proper nutrients. So, again, this is where it could come down to the lack of education or using this tool in a negative way and leaning on it excessively and just simply not feeding yourself because you don't feel hungry. So we now have a suppressed appetite from being on, maybe potentially a higher dose or too high for that particular body, and this person has gone majorly into appetite suppression.

Speaker 2:

And let's take the scenario of the person who has not been educated by a doctor. I want to be clear when I say that not all doctors are bad. I think that it is very wonderful that doctors are starting to prescribe GLP-1s. It is a life-changing peptide that has been made available to the public, with or without insurance. That's really cool. However, comma, some doctors are really really really great at providing a program, at least a bare minimum education on what needs to be done.

Speaker 2:

Then you have the category of doctors who maybe they know these things, but they are too busy, they are overbooked, they are overscheduled and they don't necessarily take the time to educate their patients. They do care about you losing weight, they do want to see your markers get better, they do want to see your labs get better, but they just you know, I hate to put it negatively, but the healthcare system is so very broken where they overschedule Doctors are trained to see patients for five minutes and then get the next one going, because that's how they make their money. It's a money machine and that's how it operates. So you're kind of set up for failure before you even start. When you are going into a traditional clinic, who typically only spend maybe 15 minutes with you, the odds of you getting educated on what nutrition and what foundations you actually need are not very likely. And then there's doctors who just flat out don't care.

Speaker 2:

So you kind of have a category of three. You're going to pay more to go to the doctor who does care, who does provide the time. Most likely they probably don't take insurance. Then you have the doctor that does care but doesn't have the time. And then you have the doctor that just doesn't give a rat's crap you know what I mean about the outcome of your journey. He gave you what you wanted, you're happy and you're going to go on your way, and then you're going to come back and you're going to need it some more, and you know, anyways, the cycle continues. So not all doctors are bad, not all doctors do not care. I think that there are tons and tons and tons of doctors who genuinely care about your health, but the system is broken and working against them. So maybe they just haven't educated. So you have that category and let's let so maybe let's dive into the education of of what actually needs to be happening while you're on these GLP-1s.

Speaker 2:

To prevent this quote, unquote, ozempic face right, you just got put on a JLP1, whether that is a compounded version or the preloaded pins, there are different brands, there's different kinds. You know they provide different outcomes in different pathways, but at the end of the day, they're still going to suppress your appetite, so you're not going to feel hungry. You are going to feel full quicker. So you are going to feel hungry eventually, but then when you start eating, you're going to feel full quicker. What is happening is your hormones are kicking in leptin and ghrelin, and those are controlling your hunger cues and your satiety markers and feeling full and satisfied. So those are starting to ramp back up and your hunger cues are starting to change, and so you really need to understand that the amount of food that you were eating and what you're now going to be capable of eating are going to maybe potentially be drastically different, depending on your dose and how strong your body is affected by it, and also depending on how large your body is, what your body fat percentage is.

Speaker 2:

These all come into play in how your body feels when you are on these peptides, and so, if you don't understand how to prioritize protein, let protein be what you consume first and then build your meals around that protein. This is really going to help you preserve as much muscle as humanly possible while you are in a larger calorie deficit, which is what the GLP-1 is pushing you in, which is what causes your body to lose the weight If you do not prioritize protein. So let's break down protein, fats and carbs. And why protein first? And what does this mean? Why are we choosing that? If you're anything like me, I'm a big proponent of asking why? I like to know why. So I'm going to break it down super quick and very basic for you to understand. Fats and carbs are energy sources, whereas protein is going to be your building blocks.

Speaker 2:

This is your rebuild. This is what preserves that lean muscle, and why we care about that is you're on a weight loss journey. Most likely, that is why you're choosing to get on this GLP-1. You're probably having problems losing weight and then now you're on it and you're suddenly losing weight, which is fantastic. But the thing is is you want to hold on to as much lean muscle as humanly possible, because one, that's what provides the aesthetic look that we're all going after, but two, metabolically and and um, you know your BMR, your um. This is what dictates how your body burns through calories, and so as you lower your how do I want to break this down as you lower your percentages, your body is getting smaller. If you have more lean muscle, your body is going to run hotter.

Speaker 2:

Your thermo, like your thermometer. I'm trying to put it in ways that are not so like. I hate listening to a podcast when something, or to a YouTuber, it doesn't matter. I hate listening to any type of content and something is. So they're using language that is so far over my head that I don't understand really. Like that's cool. I know all these fancy words, but now I just genuinely don't really understand what's happening, and so I've learned to try to break this down in as as lower level understanding as humanly possible, because I get really excited and I explain things in the scientific forms, and even my husband kind of looks at me and he's like I don't, I don't really know what you just said, so so.

Speaker 2:

So back to what I was saying if you have more lean muscle, your body thermometer is going to burn hotter, and so you are going to be able to burn more calories without having to expend more energy, which then, in return, over time, as you have more muscle and less fat on your body, you're going to be able to maintain eating more calories versus continuously having to decline in calorie consumption, which is ultimately the goal, is to be able to eat a good, substantial amount of calories without, you know, feeling like you're starving or without gaining weight. That really should be the goal of everyone, and that only happens when you have more lean mass versus fat on your body, and so, as you're on this GLP-1 journey, that is why it is so important to prioritize protein is protein is quite literally the markers that build back and rebuild and maintain and hold on to that lean muscle, whereas fats and carbs can kind of in um kind of you can kind of like interchange as fuel sources. At the end of the day they your body, taps into them a little bit different, but at the end of the day they still both translate as fuel sources versus protein is more of your rebuilder and and kind of putting you back together and holding on to that lean mass. So if you are someone who is not prioritizing protein and really just not prioritizing nutrition at all and the foundation of nutrition, and you're going to lose weight regardless because you've pushed yourself into appetite suppress oh my gosh, I cannot think of my words. You've pushed yourself into appetite suppressant oh my gosh, I cannot think of my words. You've pushed yourself into appetite suppressants so you're not eating and so you are 100% going to lose weight and that's all fun and games. But that is truly what results in that quote unquote ozempic phase and the reason I know I will die on this hill that it's not the GLP-1, and I know there's studies out there that prove this, but I've watched it firsthand.

Speaker 2:

I've had a family member who fell victim to that stupid Optivia I think that's how you say it diet. Say it diet where she. I like it. It broke my heart whenever I saw how many calories she was actually consuming and it was down near like it was less than a thousand calories a day for a grown woman, and that is insane to me. And it was the same thing every time. I would see a picture on Facebook. And she lost weight. Don't you worry, she lost weight. It wasn't with a GLP-1. She wasn't on any kind of peptides, it was just a calorie deficit, right. But and this forced her body, she lost so much weight so quickly and she was so proud of that weight loss and everything was great and fine and dandy.

Speaker 2:

But the thing is is when I would see pictures of I would, I would tell another family member and then we were both kind of concerned. Like she doesn't look good, her skin doesn't look healthy, her like she just she's almost aged 10 years just by losing weight, when really losing weight should be about getting healthier. It should be about getting your body back, not about shrinking so quickly that you just kind of look like a bag of bones, you look lifeless. So that's why I think it's really important to drill home the fact that it is not the peptides that are giving what people are calling the ozempic face. It is the problem of the lack of guidance, the lack of coaching, the lack of education and teaching women and I say women, I mean everyone, women and men. I work solely with women, and so I just catch myself saying women, but teaching people the foundations that is actually needed and how to prioritize those foundations to protect your body from adapting in a very harmful way.

Speaker 2:

Because let me be the first to say that if you lose weight too fast, too quickly, you're not doing yourself any favors. There's no way you can preserve lean muscle. When you lose weight that fast, you're losing lean muscle and fat, and honestly, you probably might be losing more lean muscle than fat if it happens too quickly. And so then what happens is quite literally the opposite of what you want to happen, and you are then left in a body that, on the inside, is fatter than what you were when you started, and that's going to be a hard pill to swallow, because on the outside you might be smaller, but you shrank so quickly that your body could not preserve that lean muscle, and so you lost more lean muscle than you did fat. And so and your fat? Your body's going to preserve that fat because, again remember it's an energy source, and so your body is shedding that lean muscle and now you're left. You're in a smaller body but more fat metabolically on the inside than you were when you started. So you were better off doing it naturally.

Speaker 2:

And I am not here to tell you that GLP-1s and peptides are not a tool to be used, because I myself am on them and I coach other women, I guide other women to be on them and use them and optimize them in their life. But if you are going to be in the mindset of wanting to lose weight quickly, you are way better off doing it the natural way and making sure that it happens at a slower rate so you are able to preserve that lean muscle. It can do so much damage if you lose weight too quickly. It should never be the goal. It is so important to set realistic goals when it comes to weight loss and getting smaller. You should plan on this being at minimum, a year long journey. Maybe you don't have to be on the peptides for a year, but you should understand that probably it's most likely going to be a year. I really would be happy with losing, you know, 25, maybe 30 pounds 30 pounds at the most on my body, but 25 pounds I have. I have set the timeline for 12 months for myself. That is incredibly slow weight loss. That is incredibly slow weight loss for myself and I am 100% okay with it because I'm very adamant about wanting to preserve as much of that lean muscle as I possibly can.

Speaker 2:

So I want to tie this back in to understand that it is genuinely not the peptide. It is and GLP-1s are peptides. It is not the peptide that is doing that to you. It is not. I don't want you to be afraid of GLP-1s. They are not. What is actually giving you the, the, what the media is calling and what everybody is calling ozempic face? Do not blame the peptide. Blame the lack of education, potentially a little bit of laziness and not doing what they knew they needed to do in order to lose the weight properly, or the fact that they just, they just really just genuinely didn't know it. It is a combination of a couple of different things that got them there and losing weight too quickly. But I can 100% assure you that it is not the GLP-1 itself. So if, if, if this is a fear that you have had, that has held you back and and you know that you're you're very interested in it and and you feel like maybe it could do some good. And you've been curious and you see, you see the the social media posts on both ends of the spectrum and and you're a little bit curious, I will, I will encourage you.

Speaker 2:

Find someone to work with, whether that's a doctor or a coach or both. There are. There are doctor's offices that have coaches that do have the time to walk you through. Find someone. Find a doctor's office odds are you through. Find someone. Find a doctor's office. Odds are you're probably not going to find a doctor's office that accepts insurance, that's going to be willing to take the time to educate you. That's the reality. Find a coach that you can work with who is very, very educated on this topic.

Speaker 2:

It's very important to have a support team. Your family members should know what is necessary. Have a support group around you that's going to hold you accountable for doing the things that need to be done not just watching you and celebrating with you but holding you accountable. Hey, have you hit your protein goals today? Have you drank plenty of water? Are you getting your minerals in? Are you flushing of water? Are you getting your minerals in? Are you flushing out those toxins as you lose weight? These are all things that go into that quote-unquote ozempic phase. Make sure you have that support system. So I'm I don't necessarily I'm not the only one that can provide these services, but if this is something that you're interested in and you want to work with a hell of a team, that is exactly what we've built. I've been able to build and implement GLP-1s and peptides into my business, with a medical director over and supervising and with us every step of the way. It does cover all of your prescriptions and you have guidance and a support system and a community of other women who are using this and who are guided and who can help, encourage and also hold you accountable.

Speaker 2:

There's so many aspects to the Design to Last community. So if this is something that you are interested in, please, please, reach out. Click the link in the show notes that takes you to the Design to Last program. I invite you to book a free consultation. We do one-on-one. We do your first coaching session free, to see if peptides are a good fit for you. How committed are you going to be, you know, are you ready for a program like this? We have a very intense not on your part, but there's a lot of consideration that goes into the application process of being able to join the Design to Last program. Because I do.

Speaker 2:

It's very important to me to make sure that you are ready and very willing to be committed, because it is a commitment to make these changes, both psychologically, physically, emotionally, spiritually. All these things go into being on a GLP-1 and a health journey in general. So if that is something that you're interested in, please, please. I encourage you, I invite you to schedule that free one-on-one coaching session. Get the first one out of the way and we would love to welcome you into the Design to Last community. Until then, I hope this information resonated with you. I hope that this helped you. I hope that this at least, at the very least, broke the barrier and encourage you to dive deeper into this topic and be curious. I love curious minds, I'm a curious mind, I love learning information like this. So until then, until the next episode, don't forget to go out and be one strong mother.