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Glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists, otherwise known as GLP-1s, have quickly become one of the most popular treatment options for people with obesity or type 2 diabetes.
These medications can have a profound impact on your health, but some of their biggest effects are hard to measure. Your bathroom scale can reveal improvements in body weight, but it won’t show you changes in inflammation, heart health, or blood-sugar regulation.
So what’s the solution? One option is to combine GLP-1 therapy with advanced biomarker tracking using InsideTracker. That’s what Tara did.
Here she shares the story of her first months on a GLP-1.
At 52, my weight was weighing me down. Menopause belly was creeping up on me, and I’d been diagnosed with high blood pressure.
When I found myself growing tired trying to keep up with my grandson, I knew something had to change.
The core of the problem was my relationship with food. During my typical day, my mind would become preoccupied with meal planning. What would I snack on? What would I have for dinner? Was that healthy enough? Was it too high in calories?
That’s what led me to GLP-1s. I wanted to quiet the food noise. But more than that, I wanted better health. I wanted less stress and a lower risk of chronic disease. And I had reason to believe GLP-1s would help.
On February 1, 2024, I took my first dose, and the impact was immediate. It was as if someone flipped a switch or turned down the volume on my cravings.
My appetite dropped, and the weight started coming off immediately. It truly felt like magic—without increasing my activity level, I was losing weight.
The early days with a GLP-1
Before starting on medication, I had to get a prescription. That turned out to be the easy part. I reached out to my primary care physician, and after some consultation, I had a script in hand.
The problem was I couldn’t find anybody to fill it. Starter doses of Wegovy were sold out all over Boston, where I live. No pharmacy could even tell me when they’d be back in stock.
The news was reporting a nationwide GLP-1 shortage, so after talking to some friends in similar situations, I found a private online provider selling semaglutide, a common type of GLP-1, at a reasonable price.
During my first week, I lost 3 pounds, and I’ve been averaging 2 to 3 pounds per week since. I’ve tried diets in the past, but I’ve never had results like this.
Read more: 6 Ways To Get the Most out of Your GLP-1 Medication
The weight loss is motivating, but my biggest change has been mental. Now that I’m on a GLP-1, I no longer hear the food noise or its related effects. The bad thoughts, guilt, and shame about what I eat and drink are gone. The negativity no longer swirls around in my head.
I used to need wine at the end of each day, but now I don’t. The craving just isn’t there. And my whole life I’ve felt anxious about grocery shopping, but that passed too. Food choices and meal planning just don’t stress me out like they used to.
After 2 months on medication, I could walk through Whole Foods without any anxiety. The noise was gone.
I’m aware that some people suffer extreme symptoms, and I’ve certainly experienced some nausea. But it’s been mild, and it’s usually limited to a day or two after my weekly injection. For me, the benefits have been far greater than the side effects.
Using InsideTracker to monitor my GLP-1 changes
I’m super lucky to work for InsideTracker. Because of that, I already understand the value of regular blood testing. And when I started on GLP-1s, I knew I’d be looking at more than just my body weight. I’d also be paying close attention to my blood biomarkers.
I’m still early in my GLP-1 journey, and it’s still too soon to expect big changes. But I know what to look for.
Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, has always been a problem for me. I’ve seen this in my past InsideTracker test results. My levels are consistently high, and I suspect that’s how I wound up with high blood pressure.
At the same time, I’m closely watching my hsCRP, a marker for inflammation, and glucose, a measure of metabolic health.
I’ve made a lot of health improvements with InsideTracker, but these markers have always been tricky. They’ve been elevated many times, so I’m looking forward to finally tamping them down for good. And the research tells me that GLP-1s have a high probability of doing just that.
As I go through my personal experience with InsideTracker, I’m also advocating internally for other GLP-1 users. InsideTracker is currently looking at more ways to support people as they go through dramatic health changes with these drugs.
We’ll soon begin asking InsideTracker members to tell us if they use GLP-1s, so we can use that to potentially develop new products that help with weight loss and metabolic improvement. As we learn more about how these medications impact health and lifespan, we’ll be able to make sure more people get the help they need.
But even for now, there’s a huge opportunity for GLP-1 users who want to track their health during treatment.
I’d encourage anyone considering a GLP-1 journey to start by testing with InsideTracker. Find your baseline for cardiovascular and metabolic health before you begin treatment. Then, once you start on medication, you can retest every 3 months to see how your health is changing.
Medical providers aren’t generally looking at your blood work for GLP-1s. They’re just watching for known side effects. By testing with InsideTracker, you’ll learn what’s working and what’s not. You can turn up potential problems early, and you’ll get meaningful blood data to share with your doctor.
Plus, it can help with motivation. As with seeing a change on the scale, seeing an improvement in biomarkers lets you know your efforts are paying off.
I know I’m biased, but InsideTracker has been invaluable for me in tracking my health over the years. My next test is in a few weeks and I can’t wait. I’ll be following my recommendations, focusing my Action Plan on stress reduction, and working with my physician to get the most out of my GLP-1 treatment.
