Dietitian Patel urges muscle-focused care after weight-loss drugs
A November 2 Daily Maverick interview with dietitian Linia Patel addressed weight regain and lean-mass loss after weight-loss medication stopped. Patel emphasized protein, strength training and broader medical, nutritional and psychological support.
Daily Maverick published an interview with dietitian and public health researcher Dr Linia Patel on November 2 about weight regain and muscle loss after weight-loss medications were stopped. The article said participants in the semaglutide STEP 1 trial regained about two-thirds of their lost weight within a year of stopping treatment, while a body-composition subset lost an estimated 39% of its weight as lean mass.1
Patel argued that medication should come with medical, nutritional and psychological support, and that maintaining weight loss needed more attention than weight reduction alone. Her approach highlighted protein, strength training, stress management and planning for a sustainable transition before injections ended.1
For trainers, the interview underscored muscle retention and nutrition as considerations alongside scale changes for clients using GLP-1 medication.1
