I'm an Obesity Specialist and These 3 Strength Exercises Can Help Protect Metabolism After Stopping Mounjaro

Obesity is a chronic medical condition affecting millions of people. While obesity is typically determined by a scale, a more accurate assessment of obesity is by body mass index (BMI). Having more than 25% body fat for men, and 35% for women is indicative of obesity, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

A good first step to take is to see an obesity specialist or a bariatrician who can assess your situation and tailor a diet, exercise, and weight loss course (if necessary) to help you achieve a healthy goal.

With the increasing popularity of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss—like Mounjaro, Wegovy, and Ozempic—taking over the market, it's important to understand their benefits and potential challenges. One huge concern is regaining weight after stopping the meds.

We spoke with Dr. Bronwyn Holmes, MD, member of Eden's Medical Advisory Board, who shares three strength exercises you can do after you stop taking Mounjaro that will help keep your metabolism moving.

"After GLP-1 medication, the priority is to preserve and rebuild muscle mass. Preserving lean muscle mass helps protect the resting metabolic rate. I use these strength exercises for this phase," Dr. Holmes shares. "I have seen that each foundational movement can be scaled to fit an individual's strength level and can be placed in a routine. The essential quality of a movement is not complexity. The essential quality of a movement is consistency, progressive overload, and total-body recruitment."

Squats are a classic exercise that puts your lower body to work, firing up the hamstrings, quads, and glutes. You can perform bodyweight squats or use free weights, like dumbbells or kettlebells.

"Squats raise the metabolic rate. Squats also copy movements, keep the system coordinated, and help stop frailty," Dr. Holmes explains.

For the second strength move, Dr. Holmes recommends pushups or chest presses—both of which train the chest, shoulders, and triceps.

"Pushups or chest presses keep the upper-body muscle mass. The upper-body muscle mass helps balance, posture, and metabolic health," Dr. Holmes explains. "I have found that doing pushups or chest press on the knees or at an incline still gives the muscles a challenge and does not hurt my joints."

Rows can be performed with dumbbells, a resistance band, or bent-over using a workout bench.

"When I do rows, I feel my back and biceps work. Rows build the chain. Rows help my posture and everyday strength as I get older," Dr. Holmes says.

GLP-1 meds lead to the loss of muscle, which plays a major role in your resting metabolic rate (RMR). The more lean muscle you have, the greater your RMR will be—this, in turn, aids in weight management.

After going off GLP-1 medication, the appetite-suppressing benefits that come with it gradually fade.

"The lowered metabolic rate stays. The lowered metabolic rate makes the old eating patterns harder to handle without regaining," Dr Holmes explains.

She adds, "In addition, I see that fewer muscle fibers cause reduced calorie burn at rest. Reduced calorie burn causes the body to burn fewer calories each day than a person of the same weight who never lost weight with GLP-1. That is why I emphasize metabolic protection. You should not wait until after the discontinuation to think about the mass."

Strength training should be a constant in your routine, and Dr. Holmes stresses the importance of starting it early on.

"The best metabolic insurance policy, during GLP-1 therapy, is to build and preserve lean mass as possible while appetite and energy levels stay stable," she says. "Ideally, the strength training should start during the titration phase, when dosing is still low and side effects are minimal, with two to three sessions per week, progressing gradually in load and volume."

If you're curious about what else GLP-1s can do, check out 5 Surprising Health Benefits of GLP-1 Drugs That Have Nothing to Do With Weight Loss.