Microdosing GLP-1s has become popular because it can be cheaper, gentler, and easier to tolerate than taking full-dose GLP-1s for weight loss. It also gives people more flexibility. But questions often come up about long-term challenges tied to being on these medications long-term.
When Noom’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jeffrey Egler, appeared on the Today Show on Nov. 21 to talk about the rise of GLP-1 microdosing, one concern came up repeatedly from experts: Will people regain weight once they stop the medication?
The short answer: It’s possible, if they’re just taking the medication without a plan.
“We’re not prescribing GLP-1s,” says Dr. Egler. “We’re prescribing a program that has as a part of that a GLP-1 medication.”
What does that mean? Let’s take a closer look at what success microdosing a GLP-1 looks like.
What is GLP-1 microdosing?
Microdosing means starting with a smaller dose than standard GLP-1 treatment and having your provider gradually increase it with smaller dosing increments along the way, based on your progress and tolerance. Most plans reach a fraction, typically up to about 25%, of a standard GLP-1 maintenance dose.
“This intentionally low and slow approach is designed to find the dose that supports meaningful weight loss while minimizing side effects, and keeping costs manageable,” says Dr. Egler.
It also allows your clinician to personalize treatment based on your body’s response and comfort level.
And, we’ve seen that it can work. Many people can attest to the fact that microdosing has helped them lose weight. Including a 53-year-old woman named Jen, who appeared on the show and has had success with microdosing.
Despite diet and exercise, she couldn’t lose weight until she started using a GLP-1. With her doctor’s permission, she started microdosing a GLP-1 through Noom and has lost 13 pounds along with diet changes and intentional eating.
What happens when the medication is stopped?
Along with smaller, well-managed doses, Noom’s program is designed with long-term, sustainable weight loss in mind. Often, weight regain happens when medication is the only tool being used.
This concern is valid for any GLP-1 use as well as any diet or weight loss strategy, unless that strategy is meaningful lifestyle change. The core of Noom’s approach is that we are setting people up for success and offering a path to change.
“Whatever motivates somebody to change their life, it’s worth pursuing,” says Dr. Egler. “When people are successful, they have better health, and when they have better health, they have better habits.”
That distinction matters.
A structured program reduces the risk of regain because you’re building habits while you’re on the medication, not relying on the drug to do all the work.
How Noom’s GLP-1 Rx Microdose Program works
Noom created its microdose program to highlight medical structure and behavior coaching along with GLP-1 therapy.
The program includes:
- Clinical evaluation: A clinician reviews your health history, weight-loss goals, and medication experience to determine whether microdosing is appropriate.
- Personalized dose and schedule: You get a prescribed dose and timeline based on your needs and response.
- Ongoing medical check-ins: Doses are adjusted as needed, side effects are monitored, and you get guidance on when to increase, hold, or taper.
- Behavior change coaching: The program builds the habits that keep weight off long term: healthy eating, getting adequate protein, movement support, stress and sleep strategies, and accountability.
These are the behaviors that stabilize weight once medication decreases or stops.
Why GLP-1s alone can lead to weight regain
Microdosing lowers appetite, but it doesn’t teach you how to eat or live differently. Once the appetite-control effect fades, old patterns can return, and regain may follow.
Noom’s program solves that problem by pairing a low dose with:
- A learning pathway
- Medical oversight
- Behavior training that continues after medication tapers
That’s what makes microdosing sustainable rather than temporary.
Bottom Line: Microdosing works best with a structure like Noom provides
When microdosing is paired with medical oversight and real behavior support, the experience changes completely. That’s exactly what Noom’s Microdose GLP-1Rx Program does. It combines the biological support of GLP-1 medications with the habit-building tools that keep weight off long after the dose gets smaller. Want to learn more? Start your GLP-1 journey today.
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