Get Fit in Your 40s

GLP-1 Medications: The Truth About Ozempic, Wegovy & Weight Loss for Women Over 40

• Become Fit Forever • Season 2 • Episode 2

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In this episode of Get Fit in Your 40s, Kausar sits down with obesity specialist and medical doctor Dr. Ehab Ibrahim to break down the facts about GLP-1 weight loss medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro.

These medications are trending everywhere—but what do they really do? Are they safe? And should you consider them? Whether you’re on your own weight loss journey or just curious about these new options, this episode is your crash course in understanding how GLP-1s work and how to use them responsibly—without losing sight of the bigger picture: your long-term health.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
✨ What GLP-1s are and how they work in your body
✨Who can take these meds
✨ Why lifestyle changes (like nutrition and exercise) still matter—even on meds for women over 40
✨ The risks of off-label use and unrealistic expectations

Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode:
📞 Book a free call with me to create your personalized fat loss plan →
📥 Download your FREE guide: How to Optimize Hormones & Lose Body Fat in Perimenopause →
📲 Follow me on Instagram for daily tips and real talk → 

Here is Dr Ehab Ibrahim information 

ADVANCE MEDICAL GROUP

advancemedgroup.com

92 Summit ave, Hackensack NJ 07601

Tel: (201)342-0066

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Let’s Connect:
Got questions about GLP-1s, hormones, or weight loss over 40? DM us on Instagram or book a call—I’d love to support you.

Disclaimer:
This podcast is based on personal experience and is for educational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before starting any new medication or health program.

Kausar:

Welcome back to another episode of Get Fit in Your forties, the podcast where we talk about all the real and sustainable ways to lose weight for women over 40, especially if you're someone who's struggling with hormonal shifts and wondering. Why, what worked for you in your twenties is no longer working I'm your host Kaar. certified Nutrition coach and the founder of BFF. Before we get into this juicy topic today with our special guest, I want to invite you to head on over to our website BFF zone. We have opened enrollment for our new program fitting Your forties. It's a four week weight loss program. Our clients not only lose five to 10 pounds, but They're able to balance their hormones and keep their weight off. so make sure to check out Today we're gonna be diving into one of the hottest, most talked about topics in the weight loss industry, the GLP one medication, or the weight loss medication such as Ozempic, wegovy, and Manjaro. These drugs have been taken. Up a storm and people are seeing amazing results with that. GLP one stands for glucagon-like peptide. It's basically a hormone that your body actually produces. It helps with balancing insulin levels, curb your hunger and balance your blood sugar. but with such fame also comes a lot of confusion, Because a lot of women are trying this medication and they're seeing tremendous results. And so some of us are wondering because we have spent. Years of research, years of working with women in weight loss industry, trying to help them lose weight, navigating through hormonal shifts, and now they're seeing this result with the little pill. So we're going to dive deep into understanding why and how you can use this medication safely, what are the side effects and how can women in their forties take this medication safely. to help us with this topic, we have an expert. our guest is Dr. Ihab Ibrahim. He is the president and founder of Advanced Medical Group. Dr. Ibrahim is a board certified physician in internal medicine and a diplomat of the American Board of Obesity Medicine bringing over. 20 years of dedicated service to patient and their families throughout Northern New Jersey in primary care and weight management. The coolest thing about today's interview is that he carved out time from his busy schedule to come We were gonna offer to do this virtually, but he was gracious enough to come on here, in the studio. So if you are a visual learner like me, head on over to our YouTube so you could watch this episode live. Welcome, Dr. Rahi.

Dr Ibrahim:

Thank you so much Khar. Thank you for the introduction I appreciate you hosting me today. It's a pleasure.

Kausar:

Oh, thank you so much for coming. We're so excited to have you because this is literally one of the questions that I'm asked every single day on our social media platforms, even our clients are curious to know. But before we go much deeper into this topic, I would like to know a little bit about you. How did you. Enter this field of weed management?

Dr Ibrahim:

So after graduating residency from, NASA University Medical Center in 2004, I started, my primary care practice. one of the most interesting things I noticed was a lot of these disease and conditions that were managing are related to, obesity and I start really helping a lot of patients, with their, weight goals. And that actually lead to an amazing results. So there is a lot of conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis, and many more. were improving just by, getting the patients to an ideal, weight. Goal. so that's got me, very excited. It was very rewarding. My patients were achieving their goals in a very healthy way, and were able to use less and less medication doing this. So I wanted to advance more my education and experience. I enrolled obesity medicine and got certified with obesity medicine. And, throughout these years I've been managing hundreds and thousands of patients, with medical weight loss.

Kausar:

That is incredible. you got inspired because just by losing weight, you were seeing your patients see results. That's exactly what I see in my career, we've been doing this for almost 10 years, and I've seen my clients reverse diabetes. Literally, we had a client who wasn't able to get pregnant. She lost 35 pounds, and then she naturally became pregnant.

Dr Ibrahim:

correct.

Kausar:

It's pretty profound.

Dr Ibrahim:

unfortunately, obesity has been, booming in the last 20, 25 years in the us. Yes. Over 40% of Americans are considered obese. Oh my gosh. that means BMI 30 or more. We have another 30% of Americans considered overweight. with BMI 27 or more. So if you add the top, that's over 70% of American, either overweight or obese, and that's a very, very high number. And it's very alarming. obviously there is a lot of factors that, lead to this, obesity and overweight in the us but, everyone is trying to work together trying to reverse these numbers because, We became one of the most obese nations in the.

Kausar:

Wow. So you are saying that weight loss medication was a miracle for Americans.

Dr Ibrahim:

So the weight loss medication, when they were first introduced a long time ago, they were helping a lot of patients achieve their goal and helping them through healthy lifestyle. To get where they want to. But in the last few years after the introduction of the GLP one, that became a powerful tool that would be able to use and help the loss. Again, there is no medicals. It's still the patient. They have to understand that there is a lot of work that needs to be done on their behalf in order to achieve these goals.

Kausar:

So let's go back to basics. what exactly is GLP one medication and how does it work in our body?

Dr Ibrahim:

Sure. so the GLP one medication were investigated in the mid eighties and the nineties. the first medication was introduced to the market in 2005, since 2005 until now, there was a lot of developments. They made these medications more convenient, less side effects. And, more effective, in, in, in, in weight loss. The way this medication work basically the, GLP one agonist, in other words, they go to the receptor of the GLP one enzyme, which is naturally secreted by the body. So they go to the receptor. And, by, simulating the same action of the enzyme that will, cause many effects. For example, increasing the insulin when it's needed, will lead to lowering the blood sugar to, is the lower, the motility or the stomaching time to the food sits longer in the stomach. We do also have other effect on the brain where the suppressed appetite center causing less hunger and less craving. And recently we have more benefits, this medication where they help the heart and the blood vessels. Mm-hmm. So that's, that's actually, having more cardiovascular benefits causing lower blood pressure and even improving cholesterol as well.

Kausar:

Oh, wow. So it is basically, We all produce GLP one, right? it's a natural hormone that every human being produces. And so this, when you call it the receptor agonist, that means it's mimicking.

Dr Ibrahim:

It's mimicking

Kausar:

actual enzyme. Yes. That's great.

Dr Ibrahim:

That was actually the first generation the GLP one. And then we have a newer generation, which we call the dual peptide or the double peptide because they not only work on the GLP one, they work on another enzymes called GIP.

Kausar:

And

Dr Ibrahim:

this is, the medication eptide market under the name of Majaro. And so obviously when we have this new medication that works on both enzymes, we have a better result, we have list side effects. We have more convenience, administering this medication as well.

Kausar:

That's a huge innovation. who do you think is a good candidate for this medication?

Dr Ibrahim:

the guidelines, outlines the candidates as anyone with, obesity, which is BMI 30 or more, or, any individual overweight with BMI 27 or more, would, at least one medical condition like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or sleep apnea. So just to sum it up, either 30 or more, or 27 or more plus one medical condition.

Kausar:

Okay, so the medical condition has to be one of the criteria because now I'm seeing celebrities on this medication. It's pretty abused, I feel

Dr Ibrahim:

when we talk about guidelines, these are the, this are basically the, The rules or something to guide us, prescribing this medication. But of course there is off label use. I've seen people, their BMI is 23 and 24, they're coming to the practice and asking for this medication. it's not really the proper practice. But we should really, for again, just for 30 or more, even if they don't have a medical condition they are eligible to be on this medic or candidate to be on this medication. if there are 27 or more and they have at least one medical condition, then they are good candidate for it.

Kausar:

So how effective are GLP one medication for long-term use? is there like a guideline on how long you can use this medication?

Dr Ibrahim:

that's a very important question. they are approved for long term use because again, like I mentioned before, this medication, they've been around since 2005 and these patients who are on this medication for almost 20 years now. Wow. So you, they approved for long term, but it's very important if we're talking about the weight management here, we're not gonna talk about diabetes. The weight management is, the patient also has. Be aware of this, the effectiveness in medication and how do you work and not totally depend on the medication. You still have to work on their lifestyle, on their nutrition, on their exercise in order to achieve long-term results.

Kausar:

So that's a very good, Point, right? when my clients come to me and ask what are your thoughts about medication, I always guide them onto, okay, so we have to make some of the lifelong changes in habits before you tap into medication, or maybe you start medication and make lifestyle changes, what are your suggestions on how to make the necessary changes in order to lose weight, and how does it play out? for example, if someone's going on medication for three months and they're pretty awful eating habits, what's gonna happen when they. Get off the medication.

Dr Ibrahim:

So I always like to use this analogy of when I have a patient and trying to get from point A to point B. Which is the weight they are at right now, and their goal weight. It's if the patient is a driver. you always need guidance like GPS. that guidance is basically the right nutrition, the right exercise, the right healthy lifestyle, including, sleeping well, stress and everything. And that's when we use experts like yourself and Doki, to guide the patient through this process. Now you need an engine for this. Car in order for the driver to get from point A and B and the engine is the hardest medication because it's really enables the patient to control the rapid high to control their craving. They are more control to what they are really, consuming food wise.

Kausar:

women over the age of 35, when we are entering the gates of perimenopause If you have those crazy cravings it's not your willpower. It is a chemical imbalance in your body. That's the drop in estrogen and progesterone that causes you to have those insane cravings. What are the things that you suggest for women to know before starting the GLP one medication, especially if they're insulin resistant due to the drop in the estrogen, What do you suggest?

Dr Ibrahim:

So the first thing is, to get, a basic, comprehensive metabolic, and hormonal, panel. That includes, hormones like, the sex hormones, sugar, insulin, thyroid function, cortisone level, and also vitamins B12, folic acid and vitamin D. second thing is it's It's important. This applies their clot sugar. And that can happen through consume, less carbohydrate, more proteins, exercise, another factor as they need also to balance their hormones. And that can be done through cutting down stress, getting enough sleep and staying away from processed food. And, the last thing is of course, all this means they fail, and then the resorting to medication. That doesn't mean that there's something wrong with the patient No, it's absolutely fine. You're just asking for extra help, which we all need sometimes.

Kausar:

And we mentioned before, when you have those hormonal shifts and those crazy cravings, it is not your fault. So having that medication can actually help with those cravings. So going back to your point, if you are a woman considering a GLP one medication and you are in perimenopause, you are a good candidate.

Dr Ibrahim:

before considering the medication, Which, I always advise patients do not jump into medication right away. I see. It's like any other medical condition. It's not always the easy solution. It's not. the magic, key to all our problems. The first thing you have to do, concerted effort first on your behalf, trying to live your life the healthiest you can be, which again, like we mentioned before, about balancing your diet, about exercising, about sleep, about cutting the stress. that's before you consider medication. Another thing also, before even you go, into this medication, which it should be done, but by your healthcare, provider is checking certain hormones and metabolic panels to make sure there is nothing wrong. With your hormones that's causing this problem. For example, sometimes we have patients that we check their thyroid and we find out they have underactive thyroid causing the weight gain Wow. And causing many other problems. And by just simply treating this condition, we were able to get them to help them lose weight and achieve healthy weight.

Kausar:

So like the first step is not to jump on the medication? No, not to jump on the trend, no. I honestly feel like it's becoming a business or a trend because now I see ads popping on my page on Instagram Unfortunately in this country, whatever hype anything gets, it becomes a form of business and money for whatever reason. So all my best days, friends out there, clients out there make sure that, as our doctor mentioned before, getting into the wagon with the whole GP one medication and ordering supplies. You have to do the internal check. Make sure that you are doing your walks, you are eating your protein, you are eating your fiber. And I'm sure if you're listening to this, you are following us on Instagram and you see how much we advocate for all of those things before you start the medication. Again, talking hormones, What if a client is on HRT? They're doing hormonal replacement therapy, they're getting patches for estrogen and progesterone or testosterone. Can they still be a good candidate for GLP one?

Dr Ibrahim:

Absolutely. Yeah. There is no interaction between the GLP one medication and the hormone replacement therapy. they're absolutely fine if both are being administered at the same time.

Kausar:

can Lifestyle alone help achieve similar benefits or are medication necessary? If you are an obese person,

Dr Ibrahim:

lifestyle is the most important thing. Correct. And even when we use this medication, we're using some medication to enable the patient and help them given this extra boost to achieve a healthy lifestyle. There is no medicine where patients can eat whatever they want and need an exercise. And you take the medicine that the fat is melting away and everybody looks like a celebrity. No. It doesn't exist. Yeah. This medication, he basically, it's one of the elements that would, or one of the tools that help the patient follow a healthy lifestyle. I had, a lot of patients come to see me for the first time and I ask have you tried? a serious concerted effort to lose weight in your own? And I just go down the list with them. And a lot of them actually, they were not aware that by changing their lifestyle, they can achieve the same goals. I don't start from the first visit unless I make sure that the patient already have tried enough on their own. Yeah. And then now they need this help. But, many times I ask the patient, give them, some guidance about diet, about, lifestyle. And I seem to come back in a couple of months and then we'll see what the result is. And a lot of times they surprise me. They do very well on their own.

Kausar:

Wow. That is so powerful. Okay, so I have seen both. I've seen people go into the medication wagon and they're still eating Burger King, McDonald's. they're pretty sedentary. They got the medication because again. The doctor prescribed'cause they have diabetes. But then I don't see the lifestyle changes. And then I've also seen clients that I work with and it's pretty heartbreaking. And I know if you are watching or listening to this, you can relate You are working so hard. you're doing your workouts, you're doing your walks, you're eating your fiber, you're tracking your macros. You're lifting weights four times a week. You're doing everything BFF is telling you, and literally nothing is happening. And again, it's not to blame your body, not to shame yourself. Not to have that negative mindset, but more of okay, your body is changing. You're perimenopause, Your body's going through these hormonal changes and that weight loss becomes really hard.

Dr Ibrahim:

Correct. Um, and that's why we see a very wide range of results with the patients because it depends how much they adhere to the lifestyle. that's, that's the key point here. again, there is patients who pretty much lose nothing. You have patients, you won't believe it. They actually gain weight while they are on this medication. And then I have patients who, lose weight, but it's unhealthy weight loss. because they lose muscle. my best patients always are the ones who, really adhere to the plan, who use the guidance, like your group And, with the help of the medication, they are able to change their life. They change their life 180 degrees. They're exercising. So you lose fat, you keep the muscle, they feel much, much better than before.

Kausar:

Wow. So guys, if you think that just by taking medication, it's not like Tylenol and it's gonna fix your headache, there's a lot that goes into it. Your lifestyle, your mindset. First thing first, we always talk about mindset. You have to understand that if I'm making this shift. Medicine is just a little patch. It's gonna help you get to that next level, but it's not gonna do all the work for you. So you have to make some necessary changes in your lifestyle.

Dr Ibrahim:

Absolutely. I agree a hundred percent.

Kausar:

great. So what are some of the criteria you must meet in order to be eligible for this medication?

Dr Ibrahim:

So we start with the age, 12 and older. The other criteria, is the body mass index, which is basically it. it's a calculation tax and consideration the weight and the height. for BMI of 30 or more, the you are eligible, or as I mentioned before, 27 or more. Plus we have to have another medical condition. for example, high blood pressure, diabetes. High cholesterol, sleep apnea, then they are a candidate to be on this medication,

Kausar:

and that's correct for women over 40.

Dr Ibrahim:

it applies for everyone. Yes. Including women over 40. Great.

Kausar:

So the thing with body mass index, what if you're a bodybuilder and you're body mass index is off the charts because you carry so much muscle mass.

Dr Ibrahim:

Correct. Yeah. that's always, an interesting point, because BMI is, we use it a lot because it's basically just very, easy to use, convenient. It's easy to get the height and the weight, and. we have a number. but if you really, we are talking about like more accurate and more reliable method, and then we have to, check the fat muscle ratio. In the body. and that can be a little bit challenging because the best way to do it is through the bone density or the DEXA scan.

Kausar:

DEXA scan.

Dr Ibrahim:

Yeah. insurance is not gonna pay for it. If you are doing this just to check for how much. You know that your body fat percentage, and that's something range between one 50 to$300. Not everyone can afford this. and then, obviously once you start losing weight, you need to repeat this and monitor I'm not sure if people are willing every couple of months or every six months, they're willing to be, this amount of money just to check their fat percentage. There is other methods, like the pance, skills, they are not as accurate, as the PON density, but we can use that. We have actually, we use it in the office for these patients who are, like you mentioned yourself, who are not really sure this weight, because of bend fat or muscle. The reality is patients with high BMI, if someone really BMI is 3, 6, 3 7. Definitely there is, there's enough fat here to lose. but I get your point about patients who are like borderline. They're like the BMI is 30, 31, 3 2 or is it really much? Is it fat, is it muscle? And that's become sometimes challenging.

Kausar:

So the area where we work, which is women over 40, and I see one of the biggest struggle they have is taking in enough protein. Correct. if you're not eating enough protein and you're now lifting weights, not building muscle mass, and guys, we talk about this all the time. You are sarcopenic after the age of 35, you are losing. A lot of muscle mass. lifting weights and eating one gram of protein per body weight, that's necessary. That's non-negotiable. And I know for a fact I struggle with taking in a lot of proteins. So if we're not doing all those necessary steps, does that mean that medication is actually. making you lose muscle mass rather than body fat.

Dr Ibrahim:

naturally all humans will start losing muscle mass from the age 30.

Kausar:

Yes.

Dr Ibrahim:

it's about three to 8% of, total body muscle. every decade. by the age of 70, most of the people deal lose between 15 to 30 of their muscle mass by that age. and there is a wide range here, as you notice, 15 to 30. And it depends on the lifestyle, depends on the genetics, depends on their exercise, depends on their nutrition. So one of the, if we're focusing about women over 40, of course with the, with the hormonal changes, and the menopause period there is accelerated, loss of muscle mass. Yes. that's why one of the very important elements we focus on when the patient go through the journey for weight loss is strength exercise and eating enough protein. Because that's the key here, to maintain and actually grow muscle mass. And that's a very common complaint I get from patients who are like, I'm 40, 50 pounds lighter. I look great. but the problem is I'm feeling weak. And the first question I ask them is how much exercise you do. For the most part, the patients, they just, no, I don't exercise. I'm just happy on the scale. The numbers are coming down, but I tell them no. My goal is not just weight loss. My goal is to get you healthy. we're not treating the number. I want you to be healthy. that's very important. question you said about muscle mass, it's not just seeing the number drop. Yes. It's just dropping any healthy way.

Kausar:

Did you guys hear that muscle mass is your. key to longevity, If you wanna live longer, you need to have muscle mass that's gonna support your joints.'cause at some point you're gonna fall and get injured. that's why we have so many injuries after the age of 60, 70 and the repair is even harder. So if you are considering medication and you haven't really tackled how to build. Proper muscle and we're talking muscle, but they not just holding a little five pound dumbbell and going for a walk. we're talking proper hypertrophy, which means you have to do a proper strength training. plan three days a week, upper body, lower body, and full body, something like that, so What are the side effects and how long are we going to need to be on these medication to see results?

Dr Ibrahim:

Okay. That's a very, interesting question. I wanna make it clear from the beginning, everything alive, not just medication, there is a possible side effect. When we go swimming there is a possible side effect when we go driving our car and go to supermarket there is a possible side effect. this medication, obviously the, they come with this possible side effect. And I'm gonna want mention first what are the common ones and then the other side effects that's less common. So the common ones, because they work on the stomach, so we expect some nausea. Some heartburn, some abdominal discomfort. Some patients need complain of constipation, sometimes diarrhea. these side effects are usually, even if they having, most of the time they are mild. And the patients, as when they stay on the medication longer, they get used to the medication and they experience less side effects. couple of more side effects. We see them less common. One of them is pancreatitis, which is inflammation of the pancreas. luckily it's not really common and in my practice I have seen. Just a handful of patient that we have experienced this and was never severe enough that require admission just by stopping the medication, they were able to get their, pancreas back to normal. another side effect is gall bladder disease and gall bladder stones, which does not only happen with the, GLP one medication, but happens with the sudden weight loss. there is a plaque box warning for this medication. it's important to clarify why there is a plaque box warning, and that's regarding thyroid cancer. There was increased incidence of thyroid cancer during the studies in animal studies in rats. that kind of thyroid cancer is called Met Thyroid Cancer. and in humans so far, since we start using this medication in the last two decades, we haven't seen really increased incidence of the thyroid cancer, but because it happened in the animal studies. the FDA required, the black box warning on all the GLP one medication, and that's also another, important point when you, before we start this medication, we'll make sure there is no, family history of this certain, thyroid cancer. There is another condition called men or multiple endocrine neoplasia. which again, if, if the patient, they have this condition or. Close family member, we cannot start this medication because of the risk. Just to be overly cautious with that.

Kausar:

And how long do patient need to be on the weight loss medication to see results and then they can stop.

Dr Ibrahim:

So this question has took parts, how long, before this year results. And that's very valuable from one patient to another. these patients will start losing weight right away from the first month, and there is some patients take them a couple of months and get to, until they get to a higher dose of the medication to see the full effect of the medication. It also depends on the patient, how motivated they are, how much effort, how much they are aware of the change in their lifestyle, and, how serious they gonna take this journey. the second part is how long they need to be on it? What we do in practice is initially start treating the patient from the lower dose and go, to the most tolerated dose with the, medication. once we get to the goal weight with the patient, we start tapering off this medication sometimes we space them out more. instead of injection once a week, we can make it every 10 days or two weeks. And we see how it works. Some patients are successful enough to get over the medication because right now they got, they are very motivated. They see the weight loss, they see how well they are, they adapted this lifestyle. the reality is this is about 20 to 25% of the patient. But the majority of the patients do still need this medication on the long term, which is absolutely fine if we can give them small dose, like I mentioned, or at, longer interval. that's okay. and it's not something harmful because the way we look at obesity, overweight right now is different from before. It's like a chronic condition. Now this is not something, some, it's not like it's common cold. You get some medication over the counter couple of days and then you are done. This is a lifetime struggle and, being on a low dose medication for long term, that's absolutely acceptable as long as they are being monitored by healthcare Pro profess. And make sure there's no side effects or complication from this medication.

Kausar:

And once they get off with no necessary lifestyle changes, the whole thing could be reversed. Right?

Dr Ibrahim:

Absolutely. and that's why I mentioned, before, it's not the magic, the ultimate, uh, magic pill. Magic pill or the magic injection, you know, that we are dreaming of Oh my God, I get this injection. I eat everything I want and I'm not gonna exercise and I'm gonna get amazing result. No, it's not gonna happen. Again, I can't stress enough. It's the lifestyle is the most important thing and when we use this medication, it's something to help you to achieve this healthy lifestyle. It's not to replace this lifestyle. You have to pick the right provider. You have to get someone who's really certified to do this kind of work. your health is the most important thing and you need to invest, in it. And if you put your trust in someone, you really need to make sure they're the right person.

Kausar:

Yes. that's a great point. To close off this beautiful conversation and this podcast segment, What is the advice you would give to women over 40 who are struggling in their journey and they are considering weight loss medication?

Dr Ibrahim:

My advice is do not jump. On this medication right away. There is other things that you can do first before considering the medication. first for things you have to, as I mentioned before, you need to get comprehensive hormone and metabolic panel. Make sure that your hormones, your blood work, your sugar, your cortisone level, your vitamins are in check two is you need to, stabilize your sugar level. And by lowering your carp intake, increasing the, protein and exercising, that can help a lot. important also is balancing your hormonal health. we talked about this by, having more rest by having, cutting down the stress by living health lifestyle. And if all this is not working, it's fine to find the right provider, whether a physician, nurse practitioner, or any provider, but someone who is trustworthy you can start the medication because you need to make sure you are the right candidate for this medication and make sure there is no harm effect. the first rule in medicine we always learn is do not harm. And that's why a lot of people are very cautious prescribing this medication'cause we need to make sure you are the right candidate. We need to make sure you are in safe hands.

Kausar:

Has anyone tried to trick the system to get the medication? Do you see a lot of those cases?

Dr Ibrahim:

unfortunately, as you mentioned before, they are very popular now. They are the blockbuster in the market. Yeah. It's a easy solution, everyone is talking about. yeah, so I get a lot of these patients who are trying, and I had a vision her, everybody, my index was 21 and she was coming for this medication and I told her, it's very unethical for me to prescribe it to you. if you really need to do something about it because you are not happy with yourself, you need to focus more on nutrition, on increasing good exercise on cutting down the processed food. And ended up not prescribing the medication for her. She wasn't happy, but I had to do what? She just

Kausar:

wanted to cut some body fat. some of the celebrities are

Dr Ibrahim:

some people didn't actually need to cut down the fat. They just need more to build a muscle.

Kausar:

Yes. what happens to the woman's skin? I know we care a lot about our skin. Correct. is there any changes, when they're on the GLP one medication? Yeah.

Dr Ibrahim:

so I'm sure everyone heard about those zabi fi before, and that's when women, when they are on this medication, they start having more wrinkles and get a lot of complaints. In any weight loss there is a chance of, having wrinkles. but there is some steps that you can take to prevent or, reduce the amount of skin wrinkles. One of them is you have to have a moderate weight loss. the southern weight loss or the severe weight loss doesn't give the skin the chance to adjust to the new weight. another thing people can do is, drink a lot of fluids. Make sure you exercise because building the muscles under the skin will be able to hold the skin and you avoid or reduce the wrinkles.

Kausar:

Right? So the final thoughts based on what our experts mentioned, plus what my expertise, is that please be sure to focus on lifestyle changes Before you jump on the wagon with medication, you have to do a little checklist. Have you been eating enough? Protein? How do you know how much protein you need? You take your goal weight, you multiply it by one. That's the amount of grams you should be consuming per day. Are you exercising? Hmm. Exercise is one thing, but lifting weights is another thing. You should really be focusing on lifting heavier every week. That's how you build muscles and focusing on proper nutrition walking and stress management like he mentioned. And then if none of this is working, you are welcome to explore the options with the professional, with the right type of practice. Thank you so much for. Accepting our invite and coming all the way here to attend us in person. We are so appreciative of you

Dr Ibrahim:

Thank you so much for hosting me today. It was a pleasure. I always love to talk about this topic. It's my passion to help patients lose weight and become healthier.

Kausar:

Please make sure to check out the show notes. I have put the link where you can find our expert doctor and where we have also added a bunch of freebies for you to download and start your journey right away.

Dr Ibrahim:

Thank you

People on this episode

Head Shot

Kausar

Host
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Doucky

Co-host