From Smaller & Weaker to Lighter & Stronger on GLP-1s

Lighter on the scale but feeling smaller & weaker on GLP-1s? Add 3 simple strength sessions a week → feel stronger

The Josie Team

Medically Reviewed by

Dr. Rida Asghar,

MBBS, OBGYN

From Smaller & Weaker to Lighter & Stronger on GLP-1s

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November 18, 2025

Longevity

“I’m finally losing weight, but why do I feel smaller and weaker?”

If that thought keeps popping up, you are not alone. Thousands of women in menopause on GLP-1s talk about it in forums, group chats and even in the Josie community.

The medication feels like magic. Food noise disappears. Cravings quiet down. The scale moves and clothes fit better. Huge relief after years of struggling.

Here’s the part that surprises most women: when weight drops quickly after 40 and appetite is low, some of what you lose is muscle along with fat. You become lighter on the scale, yet softer and more fragile in everyday life.

The simple fix? Two or three short strength training sessions a week.

That small habit changes everything. You finish lighter AND stronger, full of energy, confident, and completely yourself again.

Ready? Let’s do this.

Why So Many Women Feel “Smaller and Weaker” on GLP-1s in Menopause

It’s the comment we see every single day in the Josie community and every menopause + GLP-1 group:

“I’ve lost 30 pounds and my clothes are falling off, but my arms look soft and deflated, stairs feel harder, and I just feel frail.”

If that sounds familiar, it is incredibly common, and it is not in your head.

Two things are happening at once.

First, menopause itself. After 40-45, women naturally start to lose a little muscle each year if we do nothing to keep it. Hormone shifts make it easier to store fat around the middle and harder to hang onto firmness. Energy dips, everything feels slower to recover, and that “softness” creeps in even when the scale hasn’t moved.

Second, the rapid weight loss from GLP-1s. The medication is brilliant at helping us eat less and finally drop the pounds. The catch? When calories (and often protein) stay low for weeks or months because appetite is tiny, the body doesn’t only burn fat. It also uses muscle for fuel. The number on the scale keeps dropping, but strength and tone go with it.

Put those two together and you get exactly the “smaller and weaker” feeling so many of us are talking about. You’re lighter, yes. But you can also feel more fragile, more tired doing normal things, and a little less like the strong woman you know you are.

Best news of all? This is completely fixable and preventable with a few short, gentle strength sessions a week. We’ll show you exactly how, starting right now.

The Super-Simple Strength Routine Josie Women Swear By (3 Days a Week, 30 Minutes, Actually Doable)

This is the exact program thousands of women in our community are using right now to go from “smaller and weaker” to “lighter and stronger” while on GLP-1s.

It lives inside the Simply Strong App (created by Tami Smith, CPT, who gets midlife women like nobody else). Everything is waiting for you the moment you open the app:

3 workouts per week (most women do Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or whatever three days feel good)
30 minutes from warm-up to done
Workouts built around progressive overload, so you keep getting stronger without guessing
Tami focuses on the exact muscle groups we care about most: arms that look toned in sleeveless tops, a lifted backside, a firmer chest and back so posture is on point, and strong legs that make daily life easy
All you need to start is a pair of dumbbells (any weight you have – even 5–15 lbs works wonders)
Body-weight-only options if you’re waiting for weights to arrive
Follow-along videos with Tami (or the team) coaching you the whole way
500+ high-protein recipes built right in (perfect for when appetite is low but you still want to protect muscle) – all included with your monthly membership
Private community feed where Josie women cheer each other on every single day

Women tell us they feel the difference in 2–3 weeks: arms firmer, energy higher, clothes fitting better in all the right places, and that quiet confidence of “I’ve got my strength back.”

Sample Full Body Workout

(You Can Start Today! With or Without the App)

These are the exact five exercises you’ll do three days a week in the Simply Strong App. They hit every area we care about: toned arms, lifted backside, strong legs, better posture, and a firmer core.

Do 10–12 slow, controlled reps of each move. Complete 2–3 rounds. Total time: about 30 minutes.

1. Goblet Squat (or Sit-to-Stand if no weights yet)

How to do it

Stand with feet a little wider than hip-width.
Hold one dumbbell close to your chest (or clasp hands together if no weight).
Push hips back and lower down as if sitting into a chair.
Go as low as feels comfortable, then push through your heels to stand tall.
Keep chest up the whole time.

2. Romanian Deadlift (or Body-Weight Good Morning)

How to do it

Stand tall holding dumbbells in front of your thighs (or hands on hips for body-weight).
Soften knees slightly.
Push hips back and hinge forward, lowering the weights toward the floor while keeping your back flat.
Feel the stretch in the back of your legs, then squeeze your backside to stand up straight.

3. Dumbbell Row (one arm at a time)

How to do it

Place left knee and left hand on a chair or couch for support.
Hold a dumbbell in your right hand, arm hanging down.
Pull the weight up toward your hip, elbow brushing past your side.
Lower slowly. Do all reps on one side, then switch.

(No-weight option: Lie face down on the floor and do Supermans – lift chest and arms off the ground.)

4. Dumbbell Chest Press (or Wall/Knee Push-Ups)

How to do it

Lie on the floor or a sturdy couch/bench.
Hold dumbbells above your chest, palms facing forward.
Lower the weights toward your chest (elbows at about 45 degrees).
Press them back up until arms are straight but not locked.

5. Glute Bridge (body weight is perfect)

How to do it

Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor hip-width apart.
Push through your heels and lift your hips toward the ceiling.
Squeeze your backside hard at the top for a second.
Lower slowly without letting hips sag.

That’s the entire workout. Do it three days a week and Tami’s progressive overload in the app will gently make it harder when you’re ready (more reps, slightly heavier weights, or slower tempo).

Want to try it right now? Pick up whatever you have (or nothing) and run through one round. You’ll feel those muscles wake up in the best way.

Eating Enough Protein When Your Appetite Is Tiny (The Goal-Weight Trick That Actually Works)

Here’s the protein rule almost every Josie woman on GLP-1s now uses because it feels fair and doable:

Aim for 1 gram of protein per pound of your goal weight.

If your goal is 140 lbs → shoot for about 140 g a day
If your goal is 160 lbs → around 160 g
If your goal is 125 lbs → about 125 g

That number is high enough to protect and build muscle (especially when you’re strength training), but it’s based on where you’re headed, not where you are right now. No guilt, no impossible math.

When appetite is low, hitting that number sounds crazy… until you use the easy, low-volume ways our community swears by:

One protein shake or Fairlife Core Power (26–42 g in 10–14 oz – basically a big coffee)
¾–1 cup Greek yogurt or skyr (20–25 g, feels like a treat)
½–1 cup cottage cheese with everything seasoning or fruit (25–28 g)
A couple of string cheese sticks or turkey jerky (15–20 g each, purse-friendly)
3–4 oz salmon, shrimp, tuna pouch, or deli turkey rolls (25–35 g, surprisingly light)
Scoop of unflavoured collagen stirred into coffee or soup (10–20 g, zero taste)

Real-life example for a 140 g day (most women hit this with 3 meals + 1 shake and never feel stuffed):

Breakfast: protein shake blended with peanut butter (40 g)
Lunch: big Greek yogurt bowl with berries (25 g)
Snack: 2 string cheese + turkey roll-ups (30 g)
Dinner: 4 oz salmon or chicken + veggies (45 g)

The 500+ high-protein recipes inside the Simply Strong App are all built around this exact goal-weight rule (most are 30–50 g per meal and take 10 minutes or less).

You won’t hit it perfectly every day, and that’s okay. Most days at 80–100 % of your goal-weight number is more than enough to keep you firm, strong, and feeling great while the scale moves.