Semaglutide is 95% similar to the naturally occurring human hormone, GLP-1, and works in a similar way in the body. Therefore, it has similar effects including:
- Increased release of insulin when blood sugar is elevated.
- Less glucose released from liver stores into circulation.
- Decreased appetite and cravings.
While semaglutide is indicated for weight loss, it is also a powerful behavioral change tool. In order to understand this point, let’s dive a bit deeper.
Two Types of Eating Behavior
While human eating behavior is complex, we can think of eating in two general categories:
We Eat For Sustenance
We need to eat and so we are equipped with an intricate system of hormones and signaling molecules that tell us when we are hungry. We call this ‘physiologic hunger’, also known as ‘everyday’ hunger. This is the hunger that tells us it’s time for lunch, or we’re getting close to dinner time.
We Eat For Pleasure
The other system that drives eating behavior is known as the ‘reward-reinforcement’ system, also known as the ‘dopamine’ system. It is through this system that we develop food cravings, stress eating, boredom eating, binge eating and so on.
Semaglutide appears to affect both of these systems. So, people are generally less hungry, and have reduced ‘food noise’.
This is important because these properties will allow you to change your eating behavior with less need for willpower and self control.
It’s About Behavioral Change
Be warned. if you eat poor quality food–but just eat less of it, you will lose weight, but also be at high risk for regaining the weight that you lose (as well as improvements to your metabolic health).
So, work with your health coach and provider to change your eating behavior. This means a transition to a whole food diet, prepared in a healthy way. It means changing your eating environment so that you don’t need to rely on willpower once you are off of the medication. It means developing new eating habits such as meal planning and prepping.
Semaglutide is an incredibly powerful tool. Use it in addition to the other tools that you will learn in order to build healthy eating habits that will stick for the long term.
