The Hunter Williams Podcast

Why You’re Stuck: GLP-1 Plateaus (And How to Break Through)

Hunter Williams

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In this video, I dive deep into the reasons behind the infamous “GLP plateau”—that frustrating point where fat loss on GLP-1 peptides like semaglutide, tirzepatide, and retatrutide comes to a grinding halt. I break down the physiological, hormonal, and lifestyle factors that drive plateaus, plus practical, science-backed solutions to get results moving again.



Timestamps

0:00 – Introduction: Why Do GLP-1 Plateaus Happen?
0:35 – Why Weight Loss Plateaus Are Universal
1:22 – How GLP-1s Work (Mechanisms: Semaglutide, Tirzepatide, Retatrutide)
2:36 – Typical Weight Loss Trajectory on GLP-1s
3:18 – When (and Why) Most People Plateau
4:55 – Plateau ≠ Failure: The New Weight Set Point
5:39 – Physiological & Metabolic Causes of Plateaus
6:26 – Resting Metabolic Rate Drop & Adaptive Thermogenesis
7:31 – Decreased Thermogenesis, Exercise Efficiency, & Mitochondria
8:42 – Muscle Loss and Its Impact on Plateaus
9:44 – NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) Drops
10:18 – Why the Body Adapts: Our Ancestral Survival Mechanism
11:06 – Hormonal Adaptations: Leptin, Ghrelin, Insulin
13:03 – Leptin Drop: Increased Hunger, Lower Metabolism
13:41 – Ghrelin Rise: Appetite Returns
15:17 – Insulin, Metabolic Health & Fat Loss
17:20 – Thyroid Hormones: T3, Metabolic Rate, and the Plateau
19:03 – Cortisol, Stress, and Fat Storage
20:07 – Sex Hormones: Testosterone, Fat Loss, and Plateaus
21:46 – Amylin, Neuropeptide Y, and Brain Pathways
22:44 – Behavioral & Lifestyle Factors: NEAT, Adherence, Calorie Creep
24:44 – Psychological Fatigue, Sleep, Diet Quality, & Hydration
28:27 – Is It a True Plateau? Body Fat vs. Weight Loss
28:32 – Pharmacological Tolerance & Dosing Issues
30:00 – Appetite Pathways and Receptor Desensitization
31:52 – Dose Ceiling: When More Isn’t Always Better
33:26 – Strategies to Break Through a Plateau
34:16 – Re-evaluating Diet: Macros, Sugar Diet, and Tracking
34:45 – Activity, Resistance Training, and NEAT
35:03 – Sleep, Stress, Thyroid, and Other Medications
35:44 – Add-On Pharmacology: LDN, Cagrilintide, Leptin Analogs
37:01 – Mitochondrial Pathways: BAM15, SLU-PP-332, Carnitine
37:50 – Cycling, Refeeds, and Metabolic Resensitization
39:55 – Fasting, Intermittent Fasting, and Nutrition
40:08 – Recap: Everyone Plateaus—How Will You Respond?
41:02 – Thank You & Outro