• New generation rapid weight loss treatments strip away not just fat, but also precious muscle mass.
• New Jerseyans rank 10th in search interest for weight loss drugs.
• 7 tips on how best to prepare your body and retain muscle when taking weight loss drugs.

Thousands of New Jerseyans risk muscle mass loss when taking the new generation of weight loss drugs. That is, according to experts at FeastGood.com.

A concerning issue with some new generation rapid weight loss treatments which have made headlines recently is their tendency to strip away not just fat, but also precious muscle mass. This isn’t just about losing strength; when muscle mass diminishes quickly, it can disrupt your metabolism, weaken your body’s support system, and potentially lead to a decline in overall health. Muscles play a vital role in everything from maintaining metabolic rates to ensuring mobility and stability. Therefore, the pronounced muscle loss that can accompany these drugs isn’t a side effect to take lightly, as it can have profound and lasting impacts on your physical wellbeing.

These muscle mass effects are likely to impact thousands of New Jerseyans – an analysis by FeastGood.com, utilizing Google Trends data, reveals a surge in curiosity across the state. Interest in these new generation weight loss drugs is among the highest in New Jersey – in tenth place nationally.

Here’s the ranking of top states by their search interest scores:

1. Delaware: 100
2. North Dakota:  96
3. West Virginia:  95
4. Mississippi:  92
5. Rhode Island: 90
6. Arkansas: 90
7. Alabama: 85
8. Missouri: 82
9. Michigan: 81
1o. New Jersey: 79

Despite the buzz, obtaining these medications can be challenging. Stories from those seeking the drugs often highlight a series of obstacles—from high demand sparked by social media and celebrity endorsements to the practicalities of supply and cost.

Limited manufacturing capabilities mean that these injectable drugs, which are more complex to produce than pills, are in short supply. Manufacturers are working to produce various dosages to meet demand, but the limited number of facilities equipped for production is a bottleneck.

The cost is another significant barrier. With many insurance plans, including Medicare, not covering obesity medications, patients are frequently required to cover the full cost out-of-pocket, which can be prohibitively expensive.

Furthermore, the drugs are not commonly stocked in pharmacies. Patients prescribed weight loss treatments often have to contact numerous pharmacies before finding one that can order the medication for them. For pharmacists, the financial risk of unsold inventory outweighs the potential benefits of stocking these drugs regularly.

Even when insurance coverage is available, accessing the medications remains difficult. Insurers may be persuaded by evidence suggesting the drugs can prevent costly health issues, yet they often implement strict usage restrictions. Obtaining approval can be a tedious process involving extensive paperwork and participation in educational programs, causing further delays.

In summary, for those eager to start using these new weight loss drugs, it may take several months before they can begin treatment.

FeastGood.com has come up with 7 tips on how best to prepare your body and retain muscle when taking weight loss drugs:

1. Align Meals With Your Circadian Rhythm

Aligning your meals with your body’s internal clock in mind can be beneficial because your circadian rhythm impacts digestion, metabolism, energy expenditure, and appetite.

Research suggests that early time-restricted feeding (eTRF), which means eating most of your calories early in the day (say, from 7 AM to 4 PM), is more beneficial as it better aligns food intake with your metabolism.

Human research also suggests that ETRF is more beneficial for weight loss than traditional caloric restriction.

2. Pair Thermogenic Foods

Capsaicin (primarily found in different types of peppers), catechins (commonly found in black grapes, strawberries, and green tea leaves), and protein (found in many foods, such as meat, fish, and egg whites) all have one thing in common:

They are linked to fat loss thanks to their ability to boost metabolic rate or support the process of breaking down fat.

Combining them can help prime your body for weight loss.

3. Eat Polyphenol-Rich Foods

Polyphenols are a diverse group of plant compounds linked to better health outcomes. Recent research also explores their potential benefits for reducing the risk of obesity.

Specifically, these compounds are involved in metabolic functions and fat breakdown, and their regular consumption can support weight loss and prevent weight regain.

Polyphenol-rich foods include berries (most varieties), plums, apples, cherries, dark chocolate (70+ % cocoa), pecans, hazelnuts, and black olives.

4. Get Eight Hours of Sleep

Getting eight hours of sleep is a great way to prime your body for weight loss because it helps regulate ghrelin and leptin––hormones involved in metabolic rate and hunger.

Good sleep reduces the risk of excessive hunger or cravings (which are typically directed toward high-calorie, processed foods). It also makes you better at controlling impulses (the desire for instant gratification) and can directly improve your body’s ability to burn fat instead of muscle for energy.

5. Eat a Diverse Range of Foods

Eating diverse foods (e.g., fruits, veggies, grains, nuts, seeds, fish, meat, dairy, fermented foods, avocado, and olive oil) contributes to a healthier and more diverse gut microbiota.

Research suggests that a more diverse gut microbiota supports metabolic health and weight loss in overweight individuals. In contrast, a less diverse microbiota is linked to obesity.

6. Optimize Your Environment

Your surroundings influence your behaviors even if you don’t realize it. By creating an environment that supports healthier behaviors and makes bad habits more challenging, you prime your body for weight loss and reduce the need to rely on willpower.

Some environmental changes you could make include stocking healthier foods, getting rid of processed junk, and clearing some room for exercise at home.

7. Habit Stack For Success

Stacking weight-loss-friendly behaviors with established habits is an effective strategy for making lasting changes and priming your body for a transformation. Let’s review some examples of habit ⇒ new behavior:

Brushing teeth ⇒ Immediately drink a glass of water
Morning coffee ⇒ Low-calorie, high-protein breakfast (e.g., two hard-boiled eggs)
While heating your lunch ⇒ Prepare a quick salad
When packing lunch ⇒ Prepare a container of chopped veggies