GLP-1s and Embodiment
GLP-1s have been gaining steam for the past couple of years, and they don’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. This is why I’ve decided to write a blog about how they may affect the healing of your relationship with food and your body.
I understand why people take these medications. They can be extremely effective for certain disease states like Diabetes and PCOS. Then, people also choose to take these prescriptions for secondary reasons, like weight loss, and I understand that as well. Given the fatphobic society we live in and the excruciating harm of weight stigma, it absolutely makes sense that people would target changing their body as a way to find the belonging and security they NEED as a human.
And then there is the issue of weight and health, a complicated issue to say the least. I see things through a Health at Every Size lens (learn more about that here), and I know not everyone does. Whatever you believe, I support you 100%. I join with you and validate your choices as wise.
That being said, as someone with experience in this field, I’d like to name my discomfort about how this GLP-1 thing is going. I’m afraid it may have some effects on our relationship with our bodies that we may not have fully considered.
We’ll start with a quick look at how these medications work and then move on to how that relates to embodiment.
GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide – 1) medications like Ozempic or Wegovy contribute to the following:
Slower digestion: delaying gastric emptying, meaning food moves more slowly from your stomach to your intestines. This increases your feeling of fullness.
Lower hunger: These medications act on the brain’s appetite centers, reducing your appetite. You no longer feel hunger in the same way.
Hunger and fullness signals, both the physical (stomach growling) and the mental/emotional (“food noise”), are important ways your body communicates its needs. GLP-1s can take you more out of your body by way of quieting these hunger cues. Gosh, for many people, these cues are already overly quiet! Many of those recovering from disordered eating don’t feel their physical hunger until it’s hitting them over the head with a metaphorical 2 x 4.
GLP-1s also claim to “quiet the food noise” and because of the way they work, I’m sure they absolutely do. Unfortunately, thinking about food is another way your body-mind tells you it’s hungry. Your body may be hungry for food or it may be hungry for something else, like companionship or autonomy or self-expression. Either way, if this noise is quieted, meeting your needs through embodied listening becomes an even harder task.
Embodiment, in simple terms, can be thought of as fully inhabiting your body. Many humans spend much of their time in a disembodied place. It can be a protective measure. Those who have experienced trauma can find their body an “unsafe” place to inhabit. Those that have grown up in codependent situations often strive to meet others’ needs and become painfully unaware of their own needs. They become less embodied. My work with folks is often about coming back to the body; its more subtle cues, its emotions, needs, and wants. For example, beginning to notice hunger and fullness cues is one of the first things we work on together as a way to approach your body and heal your relationship with it.
“ Disembodiment is the real crisis, not weight or body size.” - Sirius Bonner
I have shared my thoughts and fears on this topic and I would love to hear about your experience with GLP-1s or your thoughts on the matter. We are learning through this unprecedented time together. Please drop me a message here
As I always try to remind you, please know you are worthy, a fully whole expression of yourself, just because you breathe. You do not need to do something different (you especially don’t need to change your body) in order to be deserving of love, respect, self-worth, or care.
Maybe you’re currently taking GLP-1s and are looking for a way to maintain the best connection you can to your body. Or perhaps you’re considering a GLP-1 and would like to see what other avenues are out there for healing. Wherever you are on your embodiment path, you may want some more support and tools to help you navigate this journey in the time of GLP-1s.
We at Heart Guided Nutrition can help. Here’s more information about an upcoming 7-week Embodiment Group offering.