Your appetite and sleep are wired together. When sleep is short, hunger hormones rise and willpower loses. We quiet appetite first, repair sleep second, and protect muscle throughout.
Priorities, in order
01Fix sleep before chasing the scale
02Protein at 0.7g per lb goal weight
03Start GLP-1 while labs process
Foundations
—7+ hours in bed
—Resistance training 2x/week
—Protein at every meal
Start today — no labs needed
✓Semaglutide starter dose (no labs needed)
✓Sleep and protein routine
03What helps & how
What's in it, in plain language.
Foundationinjectable
Semaglutide
Mimics GLP-1, the gut hormone that tells your brain you are full and slows how quickly your stomach empties.
What to expect: Appetite quiets within 1–2 weeks; steady loss of 0.5–1% bodyweight per week.
Evidence: Strong (RCTs)
Sleep & muscleinjectable
Sermorelin
Asks your pituitary to release your own growth hormone in its natural nightly pulse.
What to expect: Deeper sleep in 2–4 weeks; recovery improves by month 2.
Evidence: Moderate
Add-on: skin during lossinjectable + topical
GHK-Cu
Three amino acids bound to copper that signal collagen production for hair, skin and nails.
What to expect: Skin texture changes by week 6–8; hair density by month 3.
Evidence: Moderate
04The protocol
Your plan, week by week.
WK 1–4
Semaglutide
0.25 mg typicalRange 0.25–0.25 mgWeekly
Changes when: Tolerating well, no persistent nausea
WK 5–8
Semaglutide
0.5 mg typicalRange 0.5–1.0 mgWeekly
Changes when: Loss under 0.5%/week
WK 5–16
Sermorelin
300 mcg typicalRange 200–500 mcgNightly, 5 on / 2 off
Changes when: Sleep score improving
WK 9–24
Semaglutide
1.0 mg typicalRange 1.0–2.4 mgWeekly
Changes when: Physician review
Acute phase
Titration: weeks 1–8
Long-term
Maintenance at lowest effective dose
Review cadence
Every 4 weeks with your physician
Labs we look at — optimal ranges, not just "normal"
This protocol supports — it does not replace — nutrition counselling and care from your primary physician.
Not a fit if you have
×Pancreatitis
×MEN2 / medullary thyroid cancer
×Pregnancy
Your physician will ask
?Personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer?
?History of pancreatitis?
?Pregnant or planning pregnancy?
A licensed, Vero-contracted physician reviews your intake and decides whether to prescribe. Nothing ships without that review.
07About the expert
Courtney Contreras
MPAS, PA-C
"Labs first. Optimal ranges, not reference ranges."
Courtney is a board-certified physician assistant who has spent a decade in metabolic and regenerative medicine. Her practice is built on one conviction: most people are not failing their plan, they were never told what to fix first.
Designed by Courtney Contreras, MPAS, PA-C