Being an EP Navigating the Rise of Medical Weight Loss
Understanding the Science to Break Down the Barriers
GLP-1 receptor agonists are medications that mimic glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1, a hormone our body naturally produces in the gut in response to food intake.
GLP-1 plays several important roles:
It stimulates insulin secretion when blood glucose rises
It suppresses glucagon release, which would otherwise increase blood glucose
It slows gastric emptying
It sends satiety signals to the brain, reducing appetite
The result is improved blood glucose regulation and reduced energy intake.
Some GLP-1 receptor agonists have also demonstrated cardiovascular benefits in people with type 2 diabetes and obesity, including reductions in major adverse cardiac events in large clinical trials. The exact cellular mechanisms continue to be explored, but the cardiometabolic impact is clinically meaningful.
The overall effect is a coordinated, multi-organ response that supports glucose control, appetite regulation and cardiometabolic health.
Not Just “Discovered” 12 Months Ago
GLP-1 was first identified in the 1980s as part of the incretin hormone system. Researchers observed that oral glucose stimulated a greater insulin response than intravenous glucose, which led to the discovery of gut hormones such as GLP-1.
Decades of research followed.
By the early 2000s, the first GLP-1 receptor agonist, Exenatide, received regulatory approval for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Since then, additional agents including Liraglutide and Semaglutide have undergone extensive phase I to phase III clinical trials evaluating safety, efficacy and long-term outcomes.
These medications were not rushed into use. They were developed through decades of molecular research, animal studies and large-scale randomised controlled trials before being approved for medical treatment.
What has changed recently is not the science, but the visibility.
With expanded indications for obesity management and widespread media coverage, GLP-1 receptor agonists have moved from endocrinology clinics into mainstream conversation. With visibility comes opinion.
How This Affects the Fitness and Allied Health Space
As a coach working with the general population, a practitioner in the clinical space, and someone who is growing up in the digital era, I have seen GLP-1 use more in socially driven ones than appropriate medical contexts.
In many social circles, medical weight loss is discussed more frequently than it is in clinical meetings. It has become both normalised and heavily criticised at the same time. Regardless of personal bias, dismissing GLP-1 use as “cheating” oversimplifies a complex physiological issue.
Before effective pharmacological options were available, there was a subset of individuals who struggled with weight management despite structured nutrition, consistent exercise and professional support. That did not make them lazy. It often left them discouraged. Obesity is not solely a matter of willpower. It is influenced by hormonal regulation, appetite signalling, genetics, environment, socioeconomic access, mental health, and many other factors that play into your quality of life.
As an Exercise Physiologist, my scope focuses on movement, functional capacity and physiological adaptation. That does not mean other domains such as nutrition, mental health and access to care are unimportant. It simply means they start to sit outside my professional scope.
When appropriate and medically supervised, GLP-1 therapy can remove a barrier that once prevented some individuals from progressing, both physically and psychologically. And that was once a cohort of people I couldn’t help, that I now can.
What Do I Think About GLP-1 Medication?
Professionally, my role is not to impose personal opinion.
My responsibility is to provide evidence-based guidance, collaborate within a multidisciplinary team and support clients in achieving sustainable health outcomes, whether or not medication forms part of their plan. On a human level, I believe people deserve access to interventions that reduce their risk of chronic disease and improve how they feel in their body.
I am encouraged by a shift away from extreme approaches such as unsupervised fasting protocols, elimination of entire food groups or chronic overtraining as a response to food intake. GLP-1 medications are not a replacement for lifestyle foundations. Movement, resistance training, nutrition quality, sleep and psychological health remain essential.
It is not my job to tell someone what they should or should not do. It is my job to help them navigate information without judgement in what is now a GLP-1 era of healthcare.