Your GLP-1 Questions Answered by Telezen MD

When I asked you to share your most puzzling questions about GLP-1 medications, you sent in the things that have been on your minds—and perhaps on your minds at two in the morning!

Some of you wondered what to eat. Others asked about thinning hair, losing muscle, unpleasant side effects, or whether the weight comes back when the injections stop.

As promised, I shared your questions with the medical team at Telezen MD for free expert answers. I’ve put their responses into our everyday grandma language while keeping their medical information and recommendations intact.

There’s plenty here, so settle in. You might even want to save this for your next appointment.

These answers are for general education. Your own clinician should guide decisions about your medication and individual health needs. The quizzes linked throughout can help you explore options, but they don’t replace a medical assessment.

1. Do GLP-1s cause muscle loss, and how much protein do I need?

We want to feel healthier and keep our strength for everyday life—groceries, gardening, and those grandchildren who still request a lift!

The Telezen MD team explains that any significant weight loss can include some loss of lean mass. Protecting muscle should therefore be part of the plan from the beginning.

Their general protein target is 0.7 to 1 gram of protein per pound of goal body weight each day, individualized when appropriate.

For example, if your goal weight is 150 pounds, that would work out to approximately 105 to 150 grams of protein daily under their approach. Your clinician can help determine an appropriate target for you.

Try starting meals with protein and spreading it throughout the day. Dinner shouldn’t have to carry the whole load.

Options include eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, chicken, turkey, fish, and lean meats. When your appetite is especially small, a protein shake containing approximately 20 to 30 grams of protein may help.

Telezen MD also teaches a “1-to-10 rule” for packaged foods. If you’re counting something as a meaningful protein source, look for about 1 gram of protein for every 10 calories. A 150-calorie food marketed as “high protein,” for example, would ideally provide around 15 grams.

Protein is only part of the picture. Your muscles also need to be used. The team recommends resistance training about two to three times a week, when medically appropriate.

For suitable patients, creatine monohydrate, commonly 3 to 5 grams daily, may complement adequate protein and resistance training. Discuss whether it’s appropriate with your clinician.

The goal is to lose unwanted body fat while preserving as much strength and lean mass as reasonably possible. Telezen MD says its GLP-1 Nutrition Protocol™, included with its program, helps patients nourish themselves while their appetite is reduced.

2. What should I eat during treatment and after stopping the shots?

When you’re eating less food, the nourishment in that food becomes especially important.

The Telezen MD team recommends focusing on these basics:

• Protein: Start meals with protein and work toward your individualized daily target.
• Fiber: A practical target for many adults is approximately 25 to 30 grams or more daily, increasing gradually. Sources include vegetables, berries, beans, lentils, chia, flax, avocado, and whole grains.
• Quality carbohydrates: Potatoes, oats, rice, quinoa, beans, fruit, and whole grains can all belong in a healthy GLP-1 eating plan.
• Healthy fats: Olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish are useful options.
• Hydration: Drink consistently throughout the day.

Telezen MD also recommends electrolytes as part of its patients’ hydration routine when medically appropriate.

A smaller appetite can sometimes mean eating and drinking less overall. Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea can add to fluid and electrolyte losses.

However, people with kidney disease, heart conditions, high blood pressure, or medications that affect sodium or potassium should discuss their individual fluid and electrolyte needs with their clinician.

And please don’t let “I’m not hungry” turn into regularly missing the nutrition your body needs. Smaller, nutrient-dense meals may help when a full plate feels overwhelming. Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, chicken, fish, or a protein shake can make eating adequately easier.

Telezen MD’s GLP-1 Nutrition Protocol™ covers protein, meal structure, fiber, hydration, practical meal templates, and strategies for eating throughout treatment.

These habits also belong in your longer-term maintenance plan, although they cannot guarantee that weight won’t return after stopping medication.

Not sure where to begin? Take Telezen MD’s quiz to explore treatment options you can discuss with a clinician.

3. My weight loss has stalled. Should I keep increasing my dose?

Not necessarily, and don’t increase your dose yourself.

Weight loss rarely follows a perfectly straight line. A week or two without a change on the scale doesn’t automatically mean your medication has stopped working.

Water retention, salt intake, constipation, hormonal changes, sleep, carbohydrate intake, and even when you weigh yourself can affect the number.

The team recommends looking at the trend over several weeks. Also consider waist measurements, how your clothes fit, appetite, strength, and “food noise”—those persistent thoughts about food.

Before assuming you need more medication, review the basics:

• Are you meeting your protein target?
• Are you getting approximately 25 to 30 grams or more of fiber, as appropriate for you?
• Are you adequately hydrated and using electrolytes appropriately?
• Are you resistance training and moving throughout the day?
• Are you eating enough nutrient-dense food despite your reduced appetite?
• Could constipation or other digestive issues be affecting the scale?

As Telezen MD puts it, “The goal isn’t the highest dose. It’s the effective dose.”

If you’ve had little or no response over an appropriate period, or you’ve been stalled for several months, your prescriber should review your treatment, nutrition, dose, how consistently you’re taking it, and other possible factors.

4. My hair is falling out. Will it grow back?

Finding extra hair in your brush can feel unsettling.

Hair shedding can occur during significant or rapid weight loss, and it has also been reported during GLP-1 treatment.

One possible contributor is telogen effluvium, a temporary type of shedding that can follow physical stress on the body, including significant weight loss. Reduced intake of calories, protein, and certain nutrients may also contribute.

The team starts by looking at whether you’re consistently getting enough protein and overall nutrition.

Depending on your circumstances, a clinician may also check for deficiencies or other issues involving iron or ferritin, vitamin B12, vitamin D, zinc, or thyroid function.

That isn’t an invitation to fill your shopping basket with supplements. Telezen MD advises against taking high doses of iron, zinc, or other supplements without knowing whether you need them.

If the shedding is telogen effluvium, it is often temporary once the underlying trigger resolves. Hair grows slowly, though, so improvement won’t be immediate.

Significant or persistent hair loss should be evaluated by a healthcare professional. Not all hair loss that occurs during treatment is necessarily caused by the medication or weight loss.

A little information can help you prepare for a more personal conversation. Start with the Telezen MD quiz and see which treatment options you’d like to ask about.

5. Are GLP-1 medications dangerous?

It’s reasonable to want to understand the risks before starting a prescription.

GLP-1-based medications have been extensively studied, but they have potential side effects, serious risks, and medical reasons why some people shouldn’t take them. They aren’t appropriate for everyone.

Common side effects involve the digestive system and can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal discomfort.

More serious problems can occur, which is why medical screening and ongoing oversight matter.

The Telezen MD team emphasizes reviewing your medical history and current medications, using appropriate doses and dose increases, staying nourished and hydrated, and reporting significant side effects.

Don’t change the dose or frequency without your prescribing clinician’s guidance.

Severe or persistent abdominal pain, repeated vomiting, inability to keep fluids down, significant dehydration, or other concerning symptoms should be evaluated promptly.

Questions involving kidney disease, previous gastrointestinal surgery, significant liver abnormalities, a recent ruptured appendix, or other complex conditions require an individual physician assessment.

6. The nausea and vomiting leave me bedridden. Must I stop treatment?

Symptoms this severe are not something you should simply push through. Contact your prescribing provider promptly.

Your clinician may need to assess your dose, how quickly it was increased, hydration, nutrition, other medications, or whether another medical issue is contributing.

There may be options between continuing exactly as you are and stopping treatment entirely. That decision should be made with your clinician.

For milder nausea, smaller meals, eating slowly, stopping when comfortably full, and avoiding very large or high-fat meals may help.

Hydration and electrolytes deserve particular attention when vomiting or diarrhea occurs because you’re losing both fluids and electrolytes.

But repeated vomiting, inability to keep fluids down, significant dehydration, or severe or persistent abdominal pain require medical care. Don’t try to manage those symptoms with electrolytes alone.

For readers considering treatment, Telezen MD’s quiz is one way to begin exploring the choices. Already struggling with severe symptoms? Please contact your provider promptly rather than waiting on a quiz.

7. My injection leaves an itchy, quarter-sized rash for three or four days. What can I do?

Localized injection-site reactions can happen.

The team recommends rotating injection sites consistently, following the instructions for your specific medication, and making sure you’re using the correct injection technique.

Avoid injecting into skin that is irritated, bruised, scarred, or damaged.

If the reaction happens repeatedly, grows larger, lasts longer, or becomes progressively worse, discuss it with your provider rather than continuing to inject through it.

Widespread hives, swelling of the face or throat, difficulty breathing, or other signs of a serious allergic reaction require urgent medical attention.

8. Can I take a GLP-1 every other day?

For commonly used injectable semaglutide and tirzepatide, the standard schedule is once weekly.

Taking a weekly medication every other day is not a standard dosing schedule.

Don’t change the dose or frequency yourself to try to get faster results or reduce side effects.

If the prescribed schedule isn’t working for you, speak with your prescribing clinician.

You don’t need to have all the answers before asking for guidance. Visit the Telezen MD quiz to learn about possible treatment paths and what to discuss with a clinician.

9. Do “GLP-1 supplements,” such as Bioma, work? Are they safe?

The important distinction is that supplements marketed as “GLP-1 boosters” are not the same as prescription medications such as semaglutide or tirzepatide.

A supplement containing probiotics, fiber, or plant extracts may have nutritional or digestive effects, depending on its ingredients. That doesn’t mean it reproduces the drug effects or clinical weight-loss results of prescription medications.

Telezen MD advises caution around products marketed as “natural Ozempic” or an equivalent replacement for prescription treatment.

And remember, “natural” doesn’t automatically mean appropriate for you or free from interactions.

Always tell your provider which supplements you take. This general explanation does not confirm that Bioma—or any particular product—is effective or safe for you.

10. Will I have to take a GLP-1 forever to keep the weight off?

There isn’t one answer for everyone, but weight regain after stopping treatment is common.

The research shared by Telezen MD helps explain why maintenance deserves attention:

• In the STEP 1 extension, participants who stopped semaglutide regained approximately two-thirds of their previous weight loss within one year.
• In a follow-up analysis of SURMOUNT-4, 82.5% of participants who discontinued tirzepatide regained at least 25% of the weight they had lost within one year. That means a portion of their weight loss—not 25% of their total body weight.

This doesn’t mean everyone will regain everything, or that every patient needs the same medication or dose forever.

It means maintenance should be part of the plan from the beginning.

GLP-1 medications can reduce hunger, increase fullness, and quiet food noise. Telezen MD encourages patients to use that period of support to build habits for the longer term.

Those habits include adequate protein, strength training, balanced meals, appropriate portions and meal structure, activity, hydration and appropriate electrolyte use, and better sleep.

They also include addressing emotional eating, recognizing food triggers and old patterns, and learning strategies for managing hunger or food noise if they return.

Telezen MD says its Lose It for Life™ program supports this behavioral work while patients are losing weight.

The practice also offers what it calls a physician-guided GLP-1 microdosing maintenance program for appropriate patients who reach their goal but aren’t ready to discontinue treatment completely.

It describes this as a fixed lower-dose approach intended for maintenance and habit support, rather than the stronger appetite suppression and active weight-loss goals of traditional treatment. This is the practice’s description of its program, not a dosing instruction for readers.

Whether continued standard treatment, a maintenance approach, or stopping medication is appropriate should be decided individually with your prescriber.

Thinking beyond the first few pounds? Explore your options through Telezen MD’s quiz, and bring your questions about long-term care to the conversation.

11. What can I do about loose skin on my arms and face? Do I need collagen?

Loose skin can occur after significant weight loss, particularly when weight comes off very quickly.

Telezen MD generally favors gradual, steady weight loss. For many people, approximately 1 to 2 pounds per week is considered a gradual rate, although the appropriate pace should always be individualized.

A more gradual approach gives the body and skin more time to adjust, but it cannot guarantee that loose skin will be prevented.

Age, genetics, how much weight you lose, how long you carried it, and your skin’s natural elasticity all play a role.

The team recommends:

• Losing weight gradually.
• Getting adequate protein to support lean mass and overall nutrition.
• Resistance training to preserve or build the muscle beneath the skin.
• Staying consistently hydrated, including electrolytes when appropriate.
• Avoiding extreme calorie restriction that makes it difficult to meet nutritional needs.

Collagen supplements may offer modest benefits for certain measures of skin health, but they aren’t a guaranteed solution for significant loose skin. They shouldn’t replace adequate total protein.

For substantial loose skin on the face or body, a dermatologist or another qualified clinician can discuss additional treatment options.

12. If I don’t have diabetes, could my blood sugar go too low?

GLP-1-based medications affect blood sugar regulation. However, clinically significant low blood sugar is generally a greater concern when they’re combined with certain other glucose-lowering medicines, particularly insulin or sulfonylureas.

That’s one reason your provider needs to know all the medications you take, even if your GLP-1 is prescribed for weight management rather than diabetes.

If you experience symptoms that might represent low blood sugar, discuss them with your clinician. Don’t assume they’re simply a normal part of treatment.

Your health story deserves a say in your treatment plan. Take the Telezen MD quiz as a starting point for exploring options, with a clinician helping determine what’s suitable for you.

13. Is a GLP-1 worth considering if I only want to lose 20 pounds?

The number of pounds you want to lose doesn’t tell the whole story.

For someone with overweight or obesity, even a relatively modest reduction in body weight can be associated with improvements in certain metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors.

The team also considers waist measurements, blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and other blood fats, strength, mobility, energy, and overall quality of life.

Whether a GLP-1 is appropriate for you, however, is a separate medical question.

It depends on whether you meet treatment criteria, your health history, and whether your clinician determines that the potential benefits outweigh the risks.

Wanting to lose 20 pounds, by itself, doesn’t answer that question.

14. I have one kidney or kidney disease. Can I take Mounjaro or Zepbound?

This is a question that deserves an individual medical review.

Having one kidney isn’t the same as having impaired kidney function, and chronic kidney disease varies considerably in severity.

Your clinician needs to consider kidney function, other medical conditions, medications, hydration, and your complete health history.

One particularly important issue is dehydration. Significant vomiting or diarrhea can cause fluid depletion and put additional stress on the kidneys.

Someone with one kidney, stage 3 kidney disease, or abnormal kidney or liver test results should have their medical history reviewed by a qualified clinician before starting or changing treatment.

The same applies to readers who asked about a LINX device, previous gastrointestinal surgery, a recent ruptured appendix, or other complex medical histories.

Your circumstances deserve more than a general yes-or-no answer.

Ready to turn your questions into a conversation? Click here to begin with Telezen MD’s treatment quiz, then discuss your health history and possible next steps with a qualified clinician.

A Little More Support Than a Prescription

One point the Telezen MD team kept returning to was the importance of what happens after the prescription is written.

Are you eating well when your appetite is smaller? Getting enough protein to help preserve muscle? Enough fiber, fluids, and electrolytes as appropriate? Are you moving, strength training, sleeping enough, and getting help with nutritional gaps?

And what will help you maintain your progress later?

Medication can reduce hunger, increase fullness, and quiet food noise. It cannot do your strength exercises, choose your meals, get you to bed, or automatically change years of habits and emotional eating patterns.

That everyday side of care deserves education, patience, and support.

Telezen MD describes its approach as combining physician-guided GLP-1 treatment, the GLP-1 Nutrition Protocol™ for practical guidance on protein, meals, fiber, hydration, electrolytes, supplementation, and muscle preservation, and Lose It for Life™ for habits, food triggers, and behavioral patterns.

The practice also emphasizes sleep, daily movement, resistance training, hydration, and routines that can continue beyond active weight loss. For appropriate patients, it offers its physician-guided microdosing maintenance program.

For us grandmas, there’s plenty to care about beyond the number on the scale. We want strength for daily life, nourishment for our bodies, and energy for the people and things we love.

Thank you to everyone who shared a question, and to the Telezen MD medical team for providing these answers. You deserve to understand your treatment and feel supported along the way.