GLP-1 agonists in bodybuilding and weight management: moral and philosophical implications

Summary

In this discussion, the ethical and philosophical aspects of using GLP-1 agonists in bodybuilding and weight management are explored. GLP-1 agonists, typically used for treating type 2 diabetes, are now popular among bodybuilders for easing the arduous calorie restriction process. This raises controversies within the bodybuilding community as some athletes see it as an unfair advantage while others view it as a practical tool. Beyond bodybuilding, the moral debate extends to general use among the public, considering whether using pharmacological aid undermines the effort and sacrifice traditionally associated with weight loss. The talk highlights how genetic factors and conscientiousness contribute to a person’s ability to manage their weight and explores societal perceptions on earning one’s physical fitness without pharmacological help. There’s a nuanced consideration of how these drugs offer new possibilities to balance one's life by reducing food obsession, potentially allowing individuals to focus more on other life areas.

Highlights

• Bodybuilders are polarized about GLP-1 agonists; some see them as essential tools, while others believe they negate the discipline essential to bodybuilding. 🤷‍♂️
• Using GLP-1 agonists can allow for more aggressive body fat reduction, pushing limits previously unreachable without pharmacological help. 📉
• Some view reliance on drugs like GLP-1 as undermining the moral accomplishment of achieving fitness through sheer discipline. 🏅
• GLP-1 users can face side effects such as heartburn, and although hunger is reduced, food cravings can still persist. 🔄
• Bodybuilders argue that if steroids enhance physical strength, then GLP-1's should be acceptable for enhancing body composition. ⚖️

Key Takeaways

• The bodybuilding community is divided on GLP-1 agonists: some embrace them for easing calorie restrictions, while others oppose their use on moral grounds. 🤔
• GLP-1 agonists can enhance body fat reduction by reducing hunger, allowing athletes to reach leaner body compositions more easily. 💪
• Moral opposition to GLP-1's often stems from the belief that fitness accomplishments must be earned through hard work and discipline. 🏆
• Genetic predispositions play a crucial role in weight management, influencing how individuals respond to hunger and dieting. 🧬
• Using GLP-1 agonists can alleviate the psychological burden of dieting, letting individuals channel their willpower into other life areas. 🌟

Overview

In the world of bodybuilding, the use of GLP-1 agonists has become a controversial topic. These drugs, which help manage hunger, are being used to overcome one of the toughest challenges in bodybuilding: caloric restriction. While some athletes see this as a revolutionary aid, others criticize it as contrary to the spirit of earning fitness through hard work and discipline. But as bodybuilding already widely embraces other pharmacological aids like steroids, the debate is complex and nuanced.

Outside of bodybuilding, the use of GLP-1 agonists is also growing among the general public. The discussion extends into the moral implications of using drugs to aid weight loss, with arguments often hinging on the belief that weight loss should be achieved through personal effort and self-control rather than pharmacological shortcuts. However, the effectiveness of GLP-1 agonists in reducing hunger can be life-changing, offering people the chance to balance their physical needs with greater focus on personal and professional commitments.

The conversation also touches on broader themes of genetics and conscientiousness, highlighting that those with a high genetic hunger drive might benefit significantly from drugs like GLP-1. By alleviating the constant preoccupation with food, individuals can redirect their energy toward other fulfilling life pursuits. The discussion illuminates how modern pharmacology presents new ways to manage old challenges, blurring the lines between natural effort and medical intervention.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to GLP-1 Agonists in Bodybuilding In this chapter, the use of GLP-1 agonists in bodybuilding is discussed, focusing on the fact that these drugs make calorie restriction, one of the most challenging aspects of bodybuilding, easier. It categorizes bodybuilders into three groups based on their stance towards GLP-1 agonists: those who have embraced their use, those who are neutral or indifferent, and those who use them but do not openly discuss it.
• 00:30 - 01:30: Bodybuilder Groups and Moral Arguments This chapter discusses the dichotomy within bodybuilder groups regarding the use of supplements and enhancements. On one side, there are those who advocate for the liberal use of anabolic steroids, yet strongly oppose the use of GLP-1 agonists. The chapter delves into how moral arguments shape this opposition, suggesting that some bodybuilders believe in the necessity of enduring hardship as part of the bodybuilding journey, which forms the basis of their moralizing stance.
• 01:30 - 02:30: Suffering and Pharmacology in Bodybuilding The chapter explores the intense dedication required to become a competitive bodybuilder. It delves into the mindset of bodybuilders who strive to earn their status in the field, suggesting an almost sacrificial commitment to the craft. The discussion touches on the idea of 'earning stripes' as a metaphor for the challenges and perhaps pain or suffering that comes with the bodybuilding lifestyle. Though the narrator admits to lacking firsthand experience in bodybuilding, there is an acknowledgment of the rigorous mental and physical demands faced by athletes in this field.
• 02:30 - 03:30: Achieving Extreme Leanness with GLP-1 This chapter explores the concept of 'earning stripes' through suffering and hard work, particularly in the context of achieving extreme leanness. It delves into two distinct types of suffering: the physical pain endured during workouts at the gym, and the challenges of calorie restriction, which often involve a sense of starvation. The chapter also touches upon the role of performance-enhancing drugs, such as steroids, suggesting that if the culture of fitness requires both types of suffering to be considered legitimate or 'one of us,' then the use of steroids is seen as a means to amplify one's capacity to endure and therefore suffer more effectively.
• 03:30 - 04:30: Genetics, Hard Work, and Misconceptions This chapter delves into the topics of genetics, hard work, and common misconceptions regarding bodybuilding and the use of pharmacology. The discussion highlights the use of steroids and other pharmacological aids in enhancing physical performance, suggesting that they might allow individuals to push themselves harder in their training. The complex argument is made around whether these substances should be accepted if considered safe, reflecting on the balance of suffering and performance enhancement. The chapter also points out that there are important considerations being overlooked by advocates of these pharmacological enhancements.
• 04:30 - 06:30: Morality and Common Use of GLP-1 Agonists The chapter discusses the potential of GLP-1 agonists in achieving lower body fat levels. By using these drugs to suppress hunger, individuals can push towards leaner body compositions, potentially surpassing goals achievable with just caloric restriction. The idea is that although the effort and hunger levels remain the same, the use of GLP-1 agonists might allow for more extreme physical conditioning.
• 06:30 - 08:30: Conscientiousness and Obesity The chapter discusses the role of GLP (glucagon-like peptide) in achieving low body fat percentages and the different experiences at varying body fat levels. A comparison is made between the hunger levels at 3% and 6% body fat, highlighting the influence of GLP in enhancing the experience. The chapter also touches on the side effects associated with GLP, such as heartburn and remaining food-focused, especially noticeable when consuming media portraying food.
• 08:30 - 10:30: Personal Experiences and Criticisms The chapter discusses personal experiences and criticisms related to hunger and cravings. It touches on the idea that even though the physiological hunger might be reduced, cravings still persist, and even dreams about food can occur. The speaker hopes for a future solution to completely suppress hunger, which could greatly impact the obesity epidemic. Additionally, there is mention of having more bandwidth for tasks as a result of easier management of these issues.
• 10:30 - 13:30: Food Drive and Obsession This chapter discusses the significance of conditioning and genetics in bodybuilding. The speaker argues that while people often attribute a bodybuilder’s success to their hard work and diligence, these factors tend to be overemphasized by individuals with elite genetics. Instead, the chapter highlights the substantial role of genetics over sheer effort. Additionally, it mentions the speaker's Jiu-Jitsu coach, Mr. Will Starks, a professional MMA athlete, who maintains a very clean diet, emphasizing the importance of dietary habits in sports performance.
• 13:30 - 16:00: Morality and Cheating in Sports The chapter discusses the concept of morality in sports, specifically focusing on the issue of cheating and the use of performance-enhancing drugs. It highlights the story of a mixed martial arts professional who maintains a strict training regime and healthy diet yet indulges in occasional 'freebies' such as potato chips and pizza. Despite this, he maintains a very low body fat percentage, around 7%, highlighting his fitness and discipline. The narrative underscores that he remains drug-free and suggests that, despite the temptations or pressures, he succeeds on his merit and hard work. This reflects broader themes of integrity and ethics in sports, where natural talent and discipline are weighed against shortcuts to success such as doping.

GLP-1 agonists in bodybuilding and weight management: moral and philosophical implications Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 are we seeing more bodybuilders now use glp1 agonists to yes yeah I was about to say right like why wouldn't you it would make it would make the most difficult part of bodybuilding easier which is the calorie restriction right you said that in a way I cannot say any better there are three groups of people in bodybuilding today people that have emphatically adopted the use of gp1s group two are people that either use or don't use but don't say much about them either don't care don't know or they're using but they're kind of
• 00:30 - 01:00 about it and then there's another group that is just absolutely viciously opposed to them for reasons that are almost always wildly irrational but moralistically understandable just to be clear there is a category of bodybuilder who fully endorse the liberal use of anabolic steroids but oppose the use of glp1 Agonist vehemently and the moral argument is you have to suffer through
• 01:00 - 01:30 the hunger to earn your right to call yourself a competitive bodybuilder what do you think about that um you could probably steal Mana yeah I mean look I I think having never done bodybuilding I'm probably not a good person to to to to to sort of offer a point of view on that um obviously it you you could argue that um if the if the if the the stripes are
• 01:30 - 02:00 earned through that type of suffering um or let's take a step back if the stripes are earned through suffering there's two types of suffering there's the suffering you do in the gym the pain of the gym and then there's the pain of the the the the second one the starving the the calorie restriction and if they're saying you have to have both of those to be one of us then steroids are not a problem in fact they allow you to suffer for more
• 02:00 - 02:30 potentially they allow you to push yourself much hard definitely true so so maybe in that sense steroids are an important part of bodybuilding if the suffering is the is the card and The glp1 Agonist is is not so so maybe that's the argument again I I I probably wouldn't have come to that argument I probably would have said well if we're in the business of using any form of pharmacology to enhance our physiques we should take whatever we can get provided it's safe yes there uh I'm in that camp as well there are at least two things those folks aren't considering
• 02:30 - 03:00 thing number one is that if you can achieve a certain level of body fat through caloric restriction without gp1s and you use any given dose of gp1s to reduce your hunger you get two things out of that one is now you can push to even more exotically lean levels which you should be we're not trying to race to the same point the destination changes if you can get some faint glute striations and win a few shows without glps maybe you can get completely stripped out of your mind with them it's just as hard you're just as hungry but
• 03:00 - 03:30 just as hungry at 3% body fat is a very different look than just as hungry at 6% one is glp enhanced one is not that's a big deal to remember the other thing is you have to deal with side effects of glps I mean like they give you heartburn there is a certain amount of food Focus they don't eliminate like watching TV shows and watching people on them eat tasty Foods when you're in prep
• 03:30 - 04:00 is not as difficult because you're not physiologically as hungry but you still have cravings and your Cravings are lower but they're still there and you still dream about food and the whole gamut it's not the it's not complete kashing of hunger now I hope one day very soon we'll achieve that and that'll be a miraculous thing that'll save I don't know hundreds of millions of people from the Obesity epidemic little like footnote in in history but that'll be cool and then your job will be like if you want if you have more bandwidth because [ __ ] is easier just push your
• 04:00 - 04:30 conditioning further get even leaner that's a that's a big deal that people seem to forget the other deal is there is a Preposterous amount of assuming that work and diligence are the big variables that separate bodybuilders usually that assumption is made by people with Elite genetics and it's just not true uh my Jiu-Jitsu coach a gentleman named Mr will Starks phenomenal professional MMA athlete will eats a very clean diet very
• 04:30 - 05:00 very healthy diet but he has you know tons of freebies potato chips pizza here and there no big deal he trains for mixed martial arts he's a pro he has glut striations he walks around and lives his life at 7% body fat that's just how he exists in the world it would take him one cycle of training to turn pro he's drug free if you look at him in the gym and if you put on some posing and you looked
• 05:00 - 05:30 at his glutes you ask some people in the gym what's that all about they be like man it must take a lot of hard work [ __ ] took no no work at all now he trains his ass off in MMA but how many MMA guys do you see with st of glutes it's almost not a thing so you would look at that and be like it took let's say he diets for six weeks and actually starts resistance training for hypertrophy for the first time in his life I might add in his mid-30s this is our plan for will once he's ready he's going to he's going to turn drug free Pro his first or second show no problem and people are going to go
• 05:30 - 06:00 man I must have taken a lot of work and he'd be like ah well actually not really and so if you have someone on stage against him who takes second place but they started their diet at 20% body fat and their diet took 18 weeks who worked harder people would tell you the guy was trtic glut did and they would be [ __ ] wrong wrong wrong so when you look at people using glps you assume everyone has kind of decent genetics that's not true and people who have been fatter before or have a much harder time
• 06:00 - 06:30 getting leaner for a bunch of different reasons they're dealing with the same genetics that got them fat and they have excess fat cells that scream hunger signaling Into The Ether all the time so the idea that bodybuilding is about earning your keep and grinding and suffering is true but we already use enhancement in so many different ways why not use enhancement in this other way I never gotten a clear answer on that because most of the people that spous such opinions don't have the patience or intellectual capacity to deal with such issu so just something
• 06:30 - 07:00 you scroll by an Instagram and go noted scrolling onto the next thing or turning my phone off and flushing it down the toilet so Mike what do you think that tells us about kind of the the the morality of of glp1 use much more commonly because obviously the majority of people using gp1 agonists and dual agonists Etc um are are not bodybuilders are not professional people whose livelihoods depends on their physique it's normal people again let's also take out the category of people with type 2 diabetes or with such significant
• 07:00 - 07:30 obesity that um you know it's impacting you know their health in ways that are direct and measurable through the excess atopos let's talk about what is probably the majority of of people who um would use a gp1 Agonist right now which are are people who might actually even be healthy they might be overweight but but still be perfectly he1 right now yeah and so so tell me why do you think that there is a bit of a moral Panic about this yeah most of the people that are
• 07:30 - 08:00 morally panicking will tell you why most of what they say is that you have to earn your Fitness and if you are lazy and you just take a pill and you lose all the weight you haven't address the root cause of the issue which is your poor diet and there's something to say there but
• 08:00 - 08:30 um I don't understand much further about their own logic I would say they're not thinking a lot they're just having a lot of feelings like if you talk to most people about politics you'll realize that most people are not geopolitical strategists or econometricians they just feel a lot and so this is one of these things where people have a lot of feelings but if they pulled it back and actually logic through it they would conclude that like oh these modern anorectic drugs are tools
• 08:30 - 09:00 to accomplish something and whatever tools you use that make sense for you should be a valid consideration for the goal but a lot of people use physical fitness especially external as a proxy for conscientiousness the ability to organize your life to delay gratification so on and so forth and the reality is that
• 09:00 - 09:30 probably the two biggest predictors of how obese someone is are your genetic hunger drive and your degree of conscientiousness so the only thing that the GPS eliminate as a category of problem is the hunger Drive they eliminate it but they do a great job reduce it substantially so now we're left with people that are leaner some of whom just have average conscientiousness but now
• 09:30 - 10:00 low food drive and now they're leaner and this especially upsets people that have lost weight themselves on their own and they took a certain moral worthiness a certain gold star on their on their chest for it say I was conscientious and willful enough to do this and to those people they're absolutely correct like what they did was Monumental and Ultra impressive and they feel sort of ripped off because other people are now doing it by just
• 10:00 - 10:30 like taking a weekly injection but that belief in yourself that flexing of your conscientious muscle that you did it's your benefit for yourself to keep and the other way to think about it is if you just if you had to lose 20 pounds and really focus yourself to do it and to keep the weight off you're focused all the time what you could do is take an anorectic drug glp1 for example and now you don't have to try as hard to
• 10:30 - 11:00 limit yourself because your food your natural your appetite is like normal and you can take all of that bandwidth of willpower and effort and conscientiousness and apply it to something else business family life if you have to diet hard enough to lose a bunch of weight your bandwidth for your work your bandwidth for family your bandwidth for enjoying your life have to go down otherwise you're just not dieting hard enough and if you now have a solution to the hard dieing problem in which you can
• 11:00 - 11:30 actually do much better job with less input that doesn't mean you're on the couch eating Cheetos though it could if you choose what it means is now you have more bandwidth that opens up for all of these other wonderful things in which you can express your conscientiousness build your business better spend more time with your family so has that been your experience which is it hasn't actually changed what you're eating it's just given you the the privilege of
• 11:30 - 12:00 focusing Less on the starvation and the management of diet that's exactly been my experience my wife um was either genetically epigenetically geared to just get fat uh at one point she was almost 200 lb at 4 foot1 and she probably has more willpower than I've ever seen in a single human being she'll break herself before she quits it stuff and her hunger signaling was so profound that she battled it her whole life had lots of
• 12:00 - 12:30 Victories lots of defeats and her introduction to to GPS to OIC was the kind of thing that bers on the religious experience for the first time ever to be like oh this is how normal people live their lives and now she's whatever body weight she wants to be and lives at a category level of body fat uh sorry category level of life experience she was unable to access before because especially if females of reprodu of age having 70 lbs extra osity
• 12:30 - 13:00 how the world sees you how you see yourself is is totally different she almost failed out of medical school because she was dieting so hard to try to stay at a certain body fat their just brain just wasn't working and it's easy for bodybuilders and other folks to say like well you just got to gut through like guy you don't do anything except shoot steroids play Playstation and train with weights thank God for your supplement contract there was somebody on social media that she sort of opened up about her journey and this like bodybuilder is not even competitive he's just like guy who lifts weights he's a
• 13:00 - 13:30 personal trainer he he he said something like like you Bas you failed at life if you needed the OIC like my friend if we start listing off my wife's like accomplishments it's going to be a 10 to zero against you like you're nothing to her she had every bit more willpower whatever it is you got good at she could recreationally get good at faster than you better than you just as a joke and then quit and then come back and do it again but because you have no idea what it's like to want food that much you're out of touch I would say it is uh
• 13:30 - 14:00 for me became very easy to connect with my wife on food drive after I had a diet it down to body fat that was uh competitive bodybuilding appropriate enough times you feel what it's like to be obsessed all you're thinking about is all you're thinking about food tastes good to a level if you like am I eating drugs like what the hell is going on and you're in pain physically from the expansion of your abdominal tract and you're still eating and your eyes are this wide like a hungry ravenous dog who
• 14:00 - 14:30 like he just tortured and not allowed to eat for a long time that's how a lot of people live in the world and again there's two variables that come into determining How fat you are primarily one is food noise one is conscientiousness so if we just end the food noise some people will still be overweight even if they're autoa because they're like ah whatever just Reese's Cups enough Reese's cups can defeat any amount of pharmacology so far for those people all those discussions about like hey like you should be more diligent you should be planning yeah they're still valid but if we can just remove one
• 14:30 - 15:00 impediment amazing people come at this from a morality you have to earn your keep now in sport competition yeah hell yeah it's cheating now in bodybuilding competition they don't test for drugs at all it's not cheating at all but people take this this morality this cheating stuff and they put it out in the real world but do you think it should be I've talked about this before uh in cycling a sport where they're very clear on what the rules are no performance-enhancing drugs but to date all all of the performance enhancement has been on the
• 15:00 - 15:30 generation of power right EPO testosterone things like that but anybody who's ever ridden a bike knows it's half power half weight cyclists spend a lot of time being hungry many of them do some of them don't uh you also your total calorie expenditure throughout the week is so Preposterous sometimes cyclists have trouble keeping up their weight so you see all the whole range but if there is a drug that solves a very big problem for you that makes you better and you're purporting to be a drug-free Federation yes you should be
• 15:30 - 16:00 testing for it and it should be a Bann substance [Music]