I think we spend entirely too much time talking about how to lose the weight and not nearly enough time talking about what happens after you do.

Because eventually, you reach the goal. Maybe it’s 20 pounds. Maybe it’s 50. Maybe it’s 100. The clothes fit differently. The pictures look different. The number on the scale finally says what you hoped it would say.

Now what?

This is where I believe the real work begins.

If a GLP-1 helped you control your appetite and lose the weight, great. But from the beginning of my journey working with these medications, I’ve believed they should be a tool—not the entire strategy.

While the medication is helping you, you have an incredible window of opportunity to change everything around it. Learn what portions actually look like. Prioritize protein and whole foods. Strength train. Move every day. Build routines. Understand why you were overeating in the first place. Start becoming the person who can maintain the result you’re working so hard to achieve.

Because the goal was never just weight loss. The goal is not needing to lose the weight again.

That’s a completely different objective.

I know there are people who may need these medications long-term, and that decision belongs between the patient and their medical provider. But regardless of how long someone uses a GLP-1, I don’t think we should waste the opportunity it creates.

Use the quieter appetite to build better nutrition habits. Use the early weight loss to make movement easier. Use the increased confidence to start strength training. Use the momentum to create a lifestyle that looks completely different from the one that got you here.

At some point, the excitement of watching the scale drop ends. What you’re left with are your habits.

Build those as aggressively as you chased the weight loss.

(This is Volume 10 of “Confessions of a GLP-1 Dealer,” a 12-week series sharing what I’ve learned from working with people using GLP-1 medications—and what I believe matters beyond the injection.)