Fitness influencer Derek from More Plates More Dates shared some insights about GLP-1s like semaglutide during an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience.
Derek explained that GLP-1 agonists, including semaglutide (marketed as Ozempic and Wegovy), work by making users feel satiated much more easily.
“Your compulsion to eat is so dramatically hindered that you’re way more likely to stick to a diet,” he noted. This mechanism proved so effective that during clinical trials for type 2 diabetes, obese patients lost 30 to 40 pounds on average when researchers increased the dosage.
The conversation revealed a significant loophole in USADA testing. When checking the UFC database, Derek discovered that semaglutide appears as “not prohibited” both in competition and out of competition.
He stated, “But as far as I know I don’t think they actually test for it in USADA. If you put in like their d**g database, two four dinitrophenol, I don’t think they test for it.”
This classification exists because the medication treats type 2 diabetes and obesity at higher dosages, giving it legitimate medical applications.
For UFC competitors facing aggressive weight cuts, Derek explained the potential advantages.
“Even like the morbidly obese really fat people, they would end up losing like 30 pounds plus on average when they use this stuff,” he said.
Competitors experience the same intense cravings as anyone following a strict diet, especially when cutting to single-digit body fat percentages before weigh-ins.
However, Derek cautioned about significant drawbacks. Semaglutide slows gastric emptying considerably and can cause intense gastrointestinal issues and nausea.
“Some people might not even want to eat the food that you need to eat,” he warned. These side effects could potentially harm a contender’s ability to assimilate the nutrients necessary for optimal performance and recovery.
Derek mentioned that certain d**gs for aggressive fat loss in condensed timeframes remain undetected by USADA testing, including dinitrophenol. He also noted that stimulants like amphetamines face no testing restrictions outside of competition, creating multiple loopholes for appetite suppression and increased energy expenditure.
He stated: “There are a lot of loopholes, like I don’t even think they test for like stimulants outside of competition, either like amphetamines and whatnot… So there are like a lot of things you could do to like nuke your appetite, increase fat energy expenditure, significantly drop water weight potentially more aggressively, and cut harder than would otherwise be like naturally possible.”
