GLP-1 medications are rising in demand — and for a good reason. 

New studies and news stories are being released almost constantly identifying GLP-1s as a safe and effective weight loss solution. Watchful employers are increasingly adding GLP-1 coverage to benefits plans. However, jumping on the benefit without understanding how weight loss programs differ could mean missing out on even greater results. 

Real-world studies show GLP-1 users lose around 3% of their starting weight after a year — which is exciting progress. Yet, programs with comprehensive approaches that go beyond medication alone report even higher success rates, with some showing more than 16% weight loss after 12 months, and nearly 18% sustained weight loss after 24 months. 

What’s the difference? Lifestyle intervention. 

Understanding this key feature is important to give your employees the best possible results and your bottom line the best possible return.

What is lifestyle intervention? 

Lifestyle intervention addresses critical factors — like sleep and exercise — that impact your metabolic system. By targeting these root causes of weight gain, you help reset your metabolic system and sustain weight loss.

But it doesn’t happen overnight. “Lasting change doesn't happen in huge, sweeping actions,” says Calibrate coach Melanie Kann. “Lifestyle intervention is not dramatic. It's not flashy. It comes from progress, from little steps that occur over time.” 

Lifestyle intervention also comes from doing something different. “There’s this saying,” says Kann, ‘You do what you always did, you get what you always got,’ and our goal is to support members in doing things a little differently to achieve different results.”

And this approach works. Research shows that, when combined with 1:1 video coaching and small lifestyle changes, GLP-1s are the safest and most effective long-term options for weight loss. 

What are the lifestyle factors that need intervention? 

Lifestyle intervention integrates with people's lives and focuses on making small, sustainable changes across four pillars of metabolic health. “There are four individual pillars,” says Kann, “and each is holding up your health, like the legs of a table.” 

• Food is about learning how to eat more mindfully.
• Sleep is about finding consistent quality sleep.
• Exercise is about adopting a movement mentality.
• Emotional health is about creating ways to manage stressors.

Kann explains how, at Calibrate, members cycle through these four pillars quarterly to help connect the dots. “Weight management feels more manageable when you realize it's all connected and that you don't have to do everything all at once to see results.”

What does lifestyle intervention look like in practice? 

Remember, lifestyle intervention is not about grand, sweeping acts but small, sustainable changes. As a coach, Kann works with members to set incremental, doable goals. 

For example, say there’s a member who sits most of their day at their desk.“We won't go from zero to 60 and tell them to run a marathon next week,” says Kann. “We're going to meet them where they are.” A goal for this member could be getting up and moving for five minutes every hour. “In an eight-hour workday, that's 40 minutes of movement daily — that's not nothing,” she adds. 

Those five minutes could be spent visiting a coworker (rather than sending a Slack) or filling their water (stacking another healthy habit). If this goal becomes routine, they could take it up a notch and go for a 20-minute walk during their lunch break.

The other benefit of lifestyle intervention is having a coach hype you up along the way. “Where else can you sit down with somebody and say, ‘I nailed it....I absolutely nailed drinking half my body weight in ounces of water today!’" says Kann. “Nobody else in your life cares — but your coach does.”

How does lifestyle intervention affect employees at work? 

GLP-1 coverage has been shown to boost employee morale, improve productivity, lower healthcare costs and prevent attrition. Employers who already offer the benefit have reported seeing increased employee satisfaction and increasingly use their GLP-1 coverage as a recruitment and retention tool.

Lifestyle invention takes it a step further. 

“When you sleep well, eat better, move more, manage your stressors and feel better about yourself, everything else starts working better,” explains Kann, who has seen members have:

• More energy.
• Enhanced sharpness.
• Better communication.
• Improved time management.

Another byproduct of lifestyle intervention is self-confidence, helping employees feel more empowered in the workplace. “They start putting forward ideas they might not have had or might have kept to themselves,” says Kann. “They're putting these ideas forward because they believe in themselves more.” 

Kann also points to members’ ability to navigate challenges. “Learning how to break down a goal into smaller, actionable steps translates everywhere, especially in the workplace,” explains Kann. “Suddenly, you can look at this workplace challenge and break it down into small steps, making it achievable.”

Offer more than medication, offer lifestyle changes that last

Add GLP-1 coverage to your benefit, but don’t stop short with medication alone. You can help your employees get better results and help yourself get a better return. 

Find a weight management program that goes beyond prescription and includes lifestyle intervention to reap sustainable weight loss and sustainable employee satisfaction. Lifestyle intervention is one key feature that can make all the difference to your employees.

Schedule a meeting today to see what sustainable results could look like with Calibrate.