The thing that changed for me was not hunger, it was that the constant background negotiation about food simply stopped, and I had not realised it was constant until it was not.
The bit I cannot resolve on my own is whether the quiet is the same mechanism as the appetite suppression or a separate one, because they seem to come and go on different schedules.
I would rather have one careful answer than five confident ones.
josh_phd_bmore said:The thing that changed for me was not hunger, it was that the constant background negotiation about food simply stopped, and I had not realised it was…
Alcohol relationship change with food noise: I used to drink 3-4 beers most nights. Since starting GLP-1 therapy, I have zero interest in alcohol. Haven't had a drink in 6 months.
The "food noise" reduction seems to extend to other reward-seeking behaviors, including alcohol. My liver enzymes have improved, my sleep is better, and I've saved roughly $236/month on alcohol. Triple win.
LibrarianMeg said:Alcohol relationship change with food noise: I used to drink 3-4 beers most nights.
Central vs peripheral GLP-1R signaling in food noise: elegant studies using brain-penetrant vs peripherally-restricted GLP-1 agonists show that ~80% of the weight loss effect is centrally mediated[1].
The key brain regions: arcuate nucleus (appetite), area postrema (nausea), NTS (satiety), VTA/NAc (reward). Peripheral effects (gastric emptying, insulin secretion) contribute but are secondary for weight loss.
This has implications for next-gen drugs: optimizing brain penetration and CNS receptor occupancy may be more important than systemic exposure.
[1] Secher A, et al. J Clin Invest. 2014;124(10):4473-4488.
Sigma-Aldrich — Research-Grade Standards
Certified reference materials, analytical reagents, and research-grade standards for peptide verification. Trusted by laboratories worldwide.
Shop Reference Standardsjosh_phd_bmore said:The thing that changed for me was not hunger, it was that the constant background negotiation about food simply stopped, and I had not realised it was…
This matches mine closely enough to be worth saying so out loud. The detail I would add is minor and it is already implied above.
Adding the clinical framing, because it changes how the question reads.
Phantom hunger vs real hunger on food noise: learning to distinguish between the two has been a revelation. Real hunger: gradual onset, physical stomach sensation, any food sounds good. Phantom hunger: sudden, emotionally triggered, specific food cravings, occurs right after eating.
The GLP-1 agonist suppresses real hunger beautifully. Phantom hunger still pops up but I can now recognize it for what it is — an emotional signal, not a physical need. Mindfulness training helped enormously with this distinction.