Creatine kinase elevations on GLP-1 — what worked for you?

HPLC_Greg said:

The intervention that works is boring and well evidenced: resistance training two to three times a week at a genuine effort, protein at 1.4 to 2.0…

This is where I part company with the consensus forming above. I think this board over-worries about lean mass. Some lean loss is obligatory — you need less muscle to move a smaller body, and preserving mass you no longer need is not a health outcome. The question is whether strength and function held, and mine did.

A1cHero_PHX said:

Two DEXA scans eleven months apart: down 24kg total, of which the scan says 6kg was lean.

Regarding lean mass: I accidentally injected my dose intramuscularly instead of subcutaneously last week (went in at wrong angle, too deep). Called my pharmacist — they said it's not dangerous but may absorb faster, potentially causing more GI effects.

Sure enough, had worse nausea that day. Lesson learned: pinch the skin properly and use the right needle length for your body composition.

BenResearch_OR said:

I think this board over-worries about lean mass.

Back pain as a lean mass side effect: not from the medication itself, but from rapid body composition changes. Losing 57 lbs shifts your center of gravity and your core muscles need time to adjust.

Physical therapy has been essential. Core strengthening exercises (planks, dead bugs, bird dogs) daily for 10 minutes have eliminated my lower back pain. Your body is literally relearning how to carry itself.

Following on from oliver_london — and this may be the naive question:

Whether resistance training and protein change the ratio or only the absolute amount?

Reporting back.

Second scan under matched conditions, six months apart, same time of day: the lean number came back nearly a kilo higher than the panic scan. Strength was up throughout.