GLP-1’s : The magic drug we were waiting for or a problem waiting to happen?

GLP-1s: A Powerful Tool — and a Missing Lesson

GLP-1 medications have become one of the biggest stories in health and weight loss. Drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro are helping millions of people lose weight, control blood sugar, and reduce health risks that once felt impossible to manage.

For many, they feel like a miracle.

But miracles can come with blind spots—and the biggest one with GLP-1s is this: they don’t teach healthy habits.

What GLP-1s Actually Do

GLP-1 medications work by mimicking a hormone that regulates appetite and blood sugar. They slow digestion, reduce hunger, and increase feelings of fullness. In simple terms, they make it easier to eat less without constantly fighting cravings.

That’s incredibly valuable—especially for people who’ve spent years battling biology, not willpower.

But here’s the catch: the medication is doing the work, not the person.

Weight Loss Without Skill-Building

Traditional lifestyle changes—imperfect as they are—force people to learn things:

• How to recognize hunger vs. boredom

• How to build balanced meals

• How to cope with stress without food

• How to move their bodies consistently

GLP-1s bypass much of that learning curve. Appetite drops, portions shrink, weight comes off. The result? Progress without practice.

And when the medication stops—or becomes unavailable, unaffordable, or intolerable—many people are left without the skills needed to maintain the results.

The “What Happens When I Stop?” Problem

This isn’t hypothetical. We’re already seeing it.

When people discontinue GLP-1s, weight regain is common. Not because they’re “failing,” but because:

• Hunger signals return

• Old habits were never rebuilt

• Emotional eating patterns were never addressed

• Food environments haven’t changed

The medication managed the symptoms, but the root behaviors stayed untouched.

When the Reward Truly Outweighs the Risk?

There is a legitimate place for GLP-1 medications—and it matters to say that clearly.

For people facing severe obesity, uncontrolled diabetes, or serious cardiovascular risk, the equation changes. If someone’s health outlook includes shortened life expectancy, organ damage, or a very real risk of early death, then a powerful medical intervention makes sense. In those cases, GLP-1s aren’t about aesthetics or convenience—they’re about survival and harm reduction.

When the alternative is continued decline, the reward outweighs the risk.

But that’s very different from using these drugs to lose “a bit of weight.”

The Problem With Using Medical Sledgehammers for Small Goals

For individuals who are generally healthy and simply want to drop 10–20 pounds, GLP-1s introduce a disproportionate trade-off:

• Long-term medication dependence

• Potential side effects (digestive issues, muscle loss, nutrient deficiencies)

• High financial cost

• And again—the absence of sustainable habit formation

Using a powerful medical tool for a relatively modest goal can short-circuit the exact behaviors that actually protect health long term: nutrition literacy, movement, stress management, and self-regulation.

In those cases, the medication may deliver short-term results—but at the cost of long-term resilience.

Matching the Tool to the Problem

The real issue isn’t whether GLP-1s are “good” or “bad.” It’s whether they’re appropriate.

When used thoughtfully, alongside education, behavior change, and medical supervision, they can be life-changing. When used as a shortcut for small weight loss goals, they risk becoming a crutch—one that disappears the moment the prescription ends.

Because lasting health doesn’t come from appetite suppression alone.

It comes from skills you can carry with you—even when the medication is gone.