Running sema for metabolic health, seven months in now. Background is I’m 57, retired Marine, rehabbing a bad knee. The goal is function.
I want to be able to hike again, and that means getting stronger around the joint. After I stepped up to 1mg, I noticed my progress in physical therapy completely flattened out. For six weeks straight, I couldn’t add five pounds to my leg press.
My recovery felt slower. It wasn’t just a feeling, the log book
that “slower recovery” after the dose step is the tell. sounds like a classic MPS signaling problem where the GI suppression from the 1mg dose is making it impossible to hit protein targets when your muscles actually need them for repair.
Seven months is a long time to not see strength gains, rowan_1956, and I’m skeptical that semaglutide is the sole cause, especially since you mention “rehabbing a bad knee” - what’s the physical therapy protocol looking like?
fuel for rehab is the first casualty lol
That line about “recovery felt slower” is the tell. It’s almost never the semaglutide directly messing with muscle synthesis, it’s an intake floor problem.
The appetite suppression is so effective that it quietly drops your protein and overall calories below what you need for tissue repair, especially for something as demanding as physical therapy. Fuel for rehab is the first casualty of quiet food noise.
I just started strength work myself at week 15 and had to start front-loading protein on my injection day just to keep from cratering my intake later in the week when suppression peaks. Are you tracking your protein intake against your PT days?
eta: one more thing
slower recovery is classic MPS signaling interference from the dose.
log book doesn’t lie, and that kind of stall is usually from a protein deficit you don’t even notice bc the food noise is gone. after seven mos on sema, that “slower recovery” also points to checking
Your log book isn’t measuring a direct effect of the sema on muscle, it’s measuring the calorie and protein deficit the 1mg dose likely created. Slower recovery and stalled lifts are the classic signal that you’re underfueled for the rehab work you’re asking your body to do.