GLP Plateaus

Happy Friday!

Before getting into today’s email, I want to correct a typo from yesterday’s email.

I misspoke on the math regarding the mixing of Thymosin Alpha 1.

The correct instructions should have read like the following:

1. Reconstitution: Take your 10mg vial of Thymosin Alpha 1 and add 2ml of bacteriostatic water (always use a sterile syringe).

2. Mix gently by swirling (don’t shake aggressively).

3. Dosing: Each 10-unit mark on a standard 1ml insulin syringe (U-100) now equals 0.5 mg of Thymosin Alpha 1. So if you want a 1mg dose, draw up to the “20” mark. For a 2mg dose (like I used), go to “40”.

Yes, I make math mistakes sometimes, too!

I just dropped a brand new YouTube video today that I truly believe will help a ton of you attempting to lose weight with GLPs.

You can watch it here:

Let’s be real: Almost everyone hits a plateau with weight loss, and GLP-1s are no exception.

Early on, you drop pounds like crazy.

But then… you hit that wall.

It’s frustrating, but it’s normal.

And trust me, if you understand what’s happening under the hood, you’ll be miles ahead of everyone else who just wants to “take more and hope for the best.”

Why Plateaus Happen

If you’ve felt the sting of that weight loss slowdown, you’re not alone.

The initial fat just seems to melt off—often faster with GLP-1s than with anything else.

But the body adapts.

It’s a homeostasis machine: always fighting for equilibrium, always adjusting to the new “normal.”

In the context of GLP-1s like semaglutide and tirzepatide, you can lose up to 25% of your body mass, but clinical trials show that by 9-12 months, 90% of people plateau.

Doesn’t matter if you’re on the best drug in the world.

The law of diminishing returns still applies.

If your starting weight was higher, you might get a longer “honeymoon” phase of rapid fat loss.

But sooner or later, everyone reaches that new set point.

This doesn’t mean you failed.

It just means your body is doing what it was designed to do: survive, conserve, defend.

The Science of Metabolic Adaptation

Why do these plateaus happen?

First, metabolic rate drops.

Your resting metabolic rate (RMR) can drop by 10-15% MORE than you’d expect, even accounting for the lost weight.

This “adaptive thermogenesis” is the body’s way of running more efficiently on less.

You burn fewer calories digesting food, mitochondria become more efficient (extracting more energy from less fuel), and you lose some lean mass (muscle).

Less muscle = lower metabolism = even more of a plateau.

Next, NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) takes a hit.

You fidget less, walk less, and even move less!

This can mean 100-300 calories per day “disappear” from your daily burn.

Over weeks and months, that’s huge.

Add in hormonal adaptations—leptin drops (making you hungrier), ghrelin rises (making you hungrier), insulin sensitivity improves (a win, but can nudge hunger up if insulin drops too low), and thyroid hormones like T3 drop (slowing metabolism).

The body is literally fighting to restore lost fat.

Behavioral and Lifestyle Traps

Over time, strict diet tracking goes out the window.

“Calorie creep” sets in—you think you’re eating the same, but little extras slip back in.

Adherence fades.

Emotional eating, social events, boredom… all can derail progress, especially when the excitement of “rapid results” wears off.

Fatigue mounts.

Many GLP-1 users report less energy or mild fatigue, especially if they’re eating very little.

And let’s not forget sleep.

Poor sleep increases ghrelin (hunger) and decreases leptin (fullness).

If you’re not getting 7-9 hours, you’re shooting yourself in the foot.

Lastly, hydration and body composition changes can play tricks on the scale.

If you start strength training, you may gain muscle while losing fat.

Tolerance, Dosing, and Downregulation

And then there’s the medication itself.

GLP-1 receptors, when constantly stimulated, can desensitize over time.

This means that, after months on the drug, appetite suppression and fullness may fade a bit because your body has adapted.

Gastric emptying (the “stomach stays full” effect) can also speed back up after initial slowing.

Sometimes, bumping the dose helps—but not always, and side effects can get gnarly.

Plus, long-term pharmacological adaptations are still being studied.

Future delivery methods might help, but the plateau effect will likely always be with us.

The question is: What do we do about it?

Practical Strategies to Smash the Plateau

So what do you actually do? Here’s what I recommend (and what I do myself):

• Re-evaluate your calories and macros: Are you really in a deficit? Has your metabolism slowed enough that you need to cut more, or swap some fat for carbs?

• Protein and resistance training: Prioritize protein to protect muscle, and make resistance training non-negotiable. The more muscle you keep, the higher your metabolism.

• Increase NEAT: Walk more, fidget, take the stairs—don’t underestimate these!

• Sleep and stress: Prioritize 7-9 hours of sleep, and reduce stress with journaling, yoga, or whatever works for you.

• Check your thyroid: Low T3 can tank fat loss; desiccated thyroid can help.

• Consider add-ons: LDN (low-dose naltrexone), cagrilintide, and even mitochondrial agents like BAM15, SLU-PP-332, and injectable carnitine can boost results.

• Cycle and refeed: Take periodic breaks. A week or two at maintenance can resensitize your metabolism and appetite pathways. Don’t fear food—use it as a tool!

• Fasting: Alternate-day fasting or time-restricted eating pairs beautifully with GLP-1s.

• Measure the right things: Focus on fat loss and body composition, not just the scale.

Final Thoughts

The truth is EVERYONE plateaus.

What matters is how you respond.

If you hit a wall, don’t panic.

Tweak your diet, check your hormones, move your body, upgrade your sleep, experiment with cycling and add-ons, and measure your fat loss the right way.

And if you want the full breakdown with every detail and my real-world protocols, go check out today’s YouTube video.

Drop a comment, subscribe, and let me know your questions.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for supporting this growing community.

It means the world to me.

Best,

Hunter Williams