Most of the GLP-1 conversation is about the number on the scale. Lately, it’s also been about what that number leaves behind—lost muscle, deflated volume and the “Ozempic face” that’s sending patients to injectors. New research presented this week makes a simple point: What you do while you’re on the medication may shape what that weight loss looks like.
Omada Health, a virtual care company, presented the findings on October 20 at the World Obesity and Weight Management Congress in Boston. The study, published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, followed 245 adults with obesity who had started a GLP-1 medication within the previous eight weeks. Of those, 151 joined Omada’s GLP-1 Care Track, and 94 got usual care. (About 26 percent of the usual-care group said they were using some other lifestyle or wellness program, so they weren’t entirely on their own.) The study was not randomized, and it was run by the company that sells the program.
After 12 weeks, the gap was hard to ignore. The program group lost 6 percent of their starting body weight, compared with 3.3 percent for usual care. Their body fat percentage dropped by about 3.3 percentage points, versus 1.6. Their muscle mass percentage rose by 0.6 percentage points, versus 0.2.
That last number is the one to watch, though the differences are small. Muscle loss is one of the main concerns with fast GLP-1 weight loss, because muscle is what helps keep the body looking toned rather than just smaller. Holding on to more of it may be the difference between losing weight and losing shape.
The program itself isn’t a magic add-on so much as an organized plan. Participants got a dedicated health coach, peer support groups, digital meal and behavior tracking, AI-powered nutrition support and an exercise specialist who delivered a plan developed by a physical therapist. They also measured their body composition at home on bioelectrical impedance scales.
And the benefits weren’t only physical. The program group reported bigger improvements in well-being, physical functioning and confidence about their weight loss. Their depression and anxiety symptoms dropped by roughly 30 percent, a bigger drop than in the usual-care group.
“GLP-1 care is about more than how much weight you lose,” says Thomas Tsang, MD, MPH, chief medical officer at Omada Health.
A few more caveats: This is a 12-week study, and body composition was measured with at-home scales, not clinical scans. Still, the takeaway lines up with what doctors have been saying for a while: Protein, strength training and support aren’t optional extras on a GLP-1. They’re how you protect the results.
