When you lose weight through dieting alone, your body does not just lose fat. It also loses lean mass, which includes muscle. Research consistently shows that without exercise, anywhere from 20 to 50 percent of the weight lost during a diet can come from lean mass. Even when some form of exercise is included, that number can still be around 20 percent if resistance training is not part of the plan.

There’s a lot of noise right now about GLP-1 medications. Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and most of it is either sensationalized or downright judgmental. Scroll through any comment section or talk show panel, and you’ll hear things like, “That’s the lazy way,” or “People just don’t want to do the work.” Let’s be clear: taking a medication that helps regulate your hunger, control blood sugar, or manage a chronic condition isn’t cheating. It’s not weakness. It’s a medical tool.