The GLP-1 Diet: Two Things You MUST Do If You’re on the Ozempic Pen
- Dr. Zachary Laboube
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
For months now, I’ve been sounding the alarm on GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro. Not because they don’t produce weight loss—they do. The problem is how much of that weight loss comes from lean muscle rather than unwanted fat.
That said, I understand the appeal.
Americans are desperate to lose weight, and despite the high cost and relatively slow progression of GLP-1 weight loss, the numbers on the scale are moving. Millions are already on the pen, and millions more will be joining soon.
So instead of pretending this trend is going away, I’d rather help people do it smarter.
Because I’ve always believed there’s a right way and a wrong way to do drugs—even GLP-1s.
If you’re on the Wegovy pen, there are two things you absolutely MUST do:
Target your weight loss so you preserve muscle while losing only unwanted fat
Develop an exit strategy by learning how to replace empty calories with real nutrition
"My biggest concern with GLP-1 use is that too many people are taking a pharmaceutical shortcut while continuing to eat the exact same ultra-processed, nutrient-empty Standard American Diet (SAD) that created the problem in the first place. If you're eating less shit, you're still eating shit, right?" ~Dr. Zach
I’ve said for years that successful weight loss is 50% calorie reduction and 50% calorie replacement. The same goes for GLP-1 weight loss. The GLP-1s solve the calorie reduction half, but you (the GLP-1 users) are responsible for the other half.
What do I mean by calorie replacement?
Remove the empty calories and replace them with the protein, healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients the body actually needs. When you give your body proper nutrition, it rewards you with something the Standard American Diet rarely provides naturally: satiety.
In other words, there’s a major difference between:
eating until your stomach is stretched
and eating until your body is actually nourished
In this blog, we’re going to address both sides of the equation:
how to target weight loss more intelligently with HCG
and how to build a long-term exit strategy by learning how to eat
The Real Danger of GLP-1 Weight Loss - No Exit Strategy
The danger isn’t simply the medication itself. The danger is becoming smaller while simultaneously becoming more malnourished.
Many overweight Americans are already undernourished before they ever start a GLP-1 drugs. They consume excessive "empty" calories while lacking the things the human body actually needs to function properly:
Adequate protein
Healthy fats
Plant-based phytonutrition
Micronutrients
Fiber
Mineral balance
Then appetite gets chemically suppressed. Now they’re eating 800–1200 calories a day… but still living on protein bars, crackers, drive-thru food, sweet coffee drinks, ultra-processed “health foods,” and convenience snacks. That is not health. That is nutritional downsizing.
If You’re Eating Less, Eat Better
This is exactly why we’re launching our new 15-Day GLP-1 Friendly Meal Plan Series. Not because I believe GLP-1s are the future of health. But because if people are going to use them, they need a strategy for getting in, losing weight responsibly, and then getting out. That means using this period of appetite suppression as an opportunity to completely retrain your relationship with food.
Most Americans have more of a preparation problem than weight problem. Let me do the prep work for you. The 15-Day GLP-1 Meal Plan will mimic our 30 Days of Simple and Sustainable Meals that we launched in April. It will show you exactly what to buy and eat and how to prepare it. The best part is that our meals include a "family-friendly" version so you and the kids can eat the same food.
Priority #1: Adequate Protein
The human body is protective of stored fat. From a primitive survival standpoint, body fat represents stored energy. When calories drop aggressively, the body often steals energy from muscle tissue first because muscle is metabolically expensive to maintain.
That’s why so many GLP-1 users lose muscle tone alongside body fat. Protein matters. Especially for women. Especially during rapid weight loss. Especially as we age.
Your meals should revolve around quality protein sources first:
Eggs
Fish
Shrimp
Chicken
Turkey
Lean beef
Greek yogurt (if tolerated)
Protein-rich whole foods
Muscle is not the enemy. Muscle is metabolic currency.
Priority #2: Balance Your Fats
For years, Americans were taught to fear fat while simultaneously drowning themselves in ultra-processed seed oils and sugar. Your body needs healthy fats.
The goal is balance:
Better Omega-3 intake
Reduced inflammatory oils
Smarter fat choices overall
We emphasize a more balanced ratio of good fats to bad fats while avoiding the processed food overload that dominates the Standard American Diet.
Think:
Salmon
Avocado
Olive oil
Nuts and seeds
Cleaner cooking oils
Less fried food
Less processed junk
Fat is not the problem. Processed food is.
Priority #3: Phytonutrition… and More Phytonutrition
The more colorful your plate is, the better. Most people dramatically under-consume plant-based nutrition while over-consuming empty carbohydrates.
Your body needs:
Greens
Cruciferous vegetables
Peppers
Berries
Herbs
Fiber-rich vegetables
Antioxidants
Natural micronutrients
Phytonutrients support satiety, digestion, inflammation control, energy production, and overall health. And unlike processed snack foods, they actually communicate nutrition to the body.
Why We Limit Carbs?
This part upsets people, but it’s biologically simple: If you have excess body fat, you already have stored energy. A lot of it.
The goal is teaching your body to access that stored fuel instead of constantly demanding quick-burning carbohydrates every few hours. That’s why our meal plans limit carbohydrates aggressively — especially refined carbs and sugar. Less insulin fluctuation. Less crashing. Less hunger. Better fat utilization. More stable energy. The body becomes far more efficient when it stops riding the blood sugar roller coaster all day long.
Where HCG Fits Into This
This is where people often misunderstand HCG. HCG itself is not magically “burning fat.”
Weight loss always comes from a calorie deficit. The role of HCG has always been about helping target weight loss while preserving lean tissue and mobilizing stored fat more efficiently during low-calorie dieting. That distinction matters. Because many GLP-1 users are currently losing:
Fat
Muscle
Strength
Tone
Energy
All at the same time.
Our philosophy is different:
Target the weight loss. Protect the muscle. Improve nutrition. Learn how to eat. Create an exit strategy.
Because eventually, most people come off GLP-1 drugs. And when they do, the old habits are usually waiting for them.
Get In. Lose Weight. Get Out.
That’s the real goal. Not dependency. Not lifetime injections. Not chemically suppressing appetite forever. Use the window wisely. Use the reduced appetite as an opportunity to:
Learn preparation
Learn meal structure
Learn portion awareness
Learn proper nutrition
Learn how to feed your family better
Learn how to sustain results after the medication ends
Because lasting weight loss doesn’t happen when you simply eat less. It happens when you finally learn to eat right.
Coming Next: Target Your GLP-1 Weight Loss with HCG
In the final blog of this series, we’ll explain exactly how HCG can complement GLP-1 weight loss by helping support lean muscle retention, fat targeting, and smarter nutritional structure during rapid weight loss.
The goal isn’t starvation. The goal is strategic weight loss with a long-term plan.
Eat less. But eat right.
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