GLP-1s, Stress, and the Vagus Nerve Connection
Let’s talk about something that’s everywhere right now. GLP-1 medications.
They’re showing up in conversations, on commercials, in doctor’s offices, and yes, even in church.
Medicine wants to call obesity a disease, but as Christians we have to look deeper. Some people benefit from medication, and there is a place for it. Medication can be a mercy. It can be a needed intervention. For some, it is life-saving support.
But here’s where we get concerned. Many people are running to it because they want relief from pain. Pain that shows up in the body that they see.
Scripture tells us that the real disease under the hurt we feel, and the hurt we cause, is sin. Sin breaks beautiful things. Sin distorts how we think, feel, choose, and even how we see our body. And those choices shape our brain, our nervous system, and our body either towards healing, or away from it.
Biology is real and important, but often there’s a soul wound underneath the surface. Medication can quiet cravings, and sometimes that relief is needed. But if you follow Jesus, the invitation is to healing. A deeper healing at the root. And that work takes patience and time because it’s soul work with God, and it leads to real freedom. Your body is a good idea, and something may have wounded your soul, but with Jesus you can heal.
Watch the full conversation with Alisa
GLP-1 Explained:
Food Noise, Hunger & the Vagus Nerve
Our Hearts Are Hungry
There is a kind of hunger that food was never meant to satisfy. Have you felt it? The reach for comfort. The constant craving or consuming. The way your body and mind ask for something more, even when you’re full.
Why?
Saint Augustine said, “Our hearts do not find rest until they rest in God.” And when that kind of rest is missing, we will search for it everywhere else.
In achievement. In control. In food. In people who were never meant to carry the weight of being everything to us.
We live in a world that is focused on everything that we can see, touch, taste, and smell. But God is a God of the unseen. Underneath the cravings is often a deeper ache. To feel safe.
The world is loud when it comes to food and our bodies. Every Thursday inside our RW+ Membership, we gather for our Food + Body Freedom Group. A space where women come as they are, slow down together, and listen for the Holy Spirit inviting us into more freedom around our bodies and food.
One participant shared, “I had work meetings with treats everywhere, and for the first time, it felt normal to make good choices. I didn’t feel like I was dieting or missing out. I didn’t even crave the sugar…my eyes are on You, Jesus.”
That’s the kind of hunger we’re after.
“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man that takes refuge in Him.” — Psalm 34:8
We Are People of Comfort
If you’ve been around Revelation Wellness long enough, you’ve probably heard us say:
Get comfortable being uncomfortable.
Not because discomfort is the goal. But because growth often lives on the other side of it. Just like training a muscle, or saying yes to something new. God uses our places of discomfort to do His work. But that takes trust.
We learned to cope before we learned to heal, and the body is always asking one primary question: Am I safe?
When the answer is no, we reach for anything to help us cope. For many of us, that reach is for food. Not because we’re weak, but because food works… for a moment. If you don’t fill your mind with the Word of God. The enemy will fill it with fear, anxiety, worry, and temptation.
If you’ve come to the end of yourself and earthly comforts no longer satisfy, here’s your call to return to Jesus.
“Come, everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And he who has no money, Come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, And your labor for that which does not satisfy?” — Isaiah 55:1-2
This is the comfort our souls were made for. If we don’t fill our minds with the truth of God’s Word, something else will take it’s place. Fear. Anxiety. Worry. Shame. Temptation.
This is why healing happens in safe community. Because isolation keeps us stuck in shame, but being seen with compassion quiets the lies. Together with a safe and healthy community, we learn to stop reaching for what only temporarily relieves us and begin receiving what truly restores us. Because God’s invitation is for healing.
What GLP-1 Actually Does (And Why It Works)
Our bodies and biology are amazing and beautifully created. GLP-1 is a hormone your body naturally produces.
It helps:
- – Signal fullness
- – Slow digestion
- – Regulate blood sugar
- – Reduce appetite
It helps your body say: “We’re good. You can stop eating now.” GLP-1 medications mimic this process. And for many people, they work. They quiet the food noise, they reduce cravings, and they bring relief.
Here’s what’s fascinating. Your body doesn’t just produce fullness; it has to communicate it. That message has to travel from the gut to the brain, and that pathway is through the vagus nerve.
The Vagus Nerve
The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in your body, running from your gut to your brain. Think of it as a communication highway. When you eat, your gut releases GLP-1, and that signal travels up the vagus nerve, communicating to your brain that you’re full. It’s one of the many ways God designed the body to work together as a whole.
The vagus nerve is part of the body’s “rest and restore” system. It responds best when the body feels safe and rested. So when we’re living with chronic stress, pressure, grief, anxiety, or a pace of life that never lets us slow down, the signal may be there, but the body struggles to receive it.
This is where so many of us are living. Constant stress. Constant noise. Constant pressure. A nervous system stuck on “go.” When the body doesn’t feel safe, it stays stuck in fight or flight.
The very pathway designed to communicate nourishment and satisfaction works best in a body at rest.
So even when the biology is doing what it was created to do, the experience of peace and satisfaction never come. So the issue is not about what your body is producing, but whether your body feels safe enough to receive.
Our Bodies Keep the Score
Our bodies remember what we try to move on from: stress, heartbreak, fear… In The Body Revelation, Alisa writes, “our bodies carry stories, stress, and experiences we may not even realize we’re holding. And pain that isn’t processed doesn’t just disappear.”
Tight shoulders, chronic inflammation, exhaustion, and a nervous system on high alert. Sounds familiar?
This is why food noise isn’t just about food. Pain came first, and then our bodies began protecting itself. Somewhere along the way, many of us learned to disconnect from our bodies instead of listening to it. Managing our bodies instead of caring for them. Silencing or giving into hunger instead of being curious about it.
Your body is not the enemy, and it’s not as a problem to fix, but as a place to listen, heal, and encounter God.
“I remember my affliction and my wandering… yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope.” — Lamentations 3:19-21
One woman who went through our program Women, Weight Loss, and God shared:
“There was a season where I let stress dictate everything. My food choices, my emotions, how I saw myself. I felt like I wasn’t enough, and carried so much shame.”
But as she began to slow down and bring her whole self before God, something shifted:
“God spoke love into my life, not shame. He gently showed me where I was holding control and anxiety, and invited me to trust Him instead.”
This is the kind of healing the body remembers too.
We Are Not Rested
Let’s be honest. We are not a rested people. We don’t slow down. We don’t trust easily. We don’t feel safe in stillness. And if we’re honest we don’t always trust God with our bodies. Not with aging, our weight, illness, or unmet expectation. So we take control where we can.
We push. We manage. We obsess and neglect, and our nervous system stays on high alert.
One woman going through Women, Weight Loss, and God described it like this:
“I had been in a constant push, push, push cycle for over a year. I was burned out. My body was inflamed. I didn’t even realize how much shame and comparison I was carrying.”
And then she encountered a different pace:
“The Lord showed me that I needed to rest with Him, and that it was okay to rest.”
Sometimes the breakthrough isn’t doing more. It’s allowing yourself stop.
Your Body Was Designed for Rest
But God, in His kindness, didn’t leave you without a way back. He built it into your body.
The vagus nerve, the very pathway that helps regulate hunger, is also responsible for rest, calm, regulation, and the “you’re safe now” signals.
This is not accidental. Your body was designed to receive nourishment from a place of peace. There is a natural solution that is already in your good body.
Natural Ways to Activate the Vagus Nerve
If your body feels dysregulated or disconnected., here are ways to support your bodies natural ability to activate your vagus nerve.
Breathe
Your breath is one of the fastest ways to signal safety. Try this breath prayer with me.
Inhale slowly… Exhale even longer…
Long exhales send signals of safety to the vagus nerve helping move the body out of stress and survival mode. That extended exhale is telling your body you’re safe.
Need more time here? Try this Be Still and Be Loved Body Scan. A gentle way to regulate your nervous system and reconnect with your body. Take 20 minutes, press play, find a quiet spot, and feel your heart and soul settle as you listen to this gentle biblical meditation.
Engage the Body
Because healing isn’t about information, it’s embodied.
- Walking
- Swaying
- Stretching
- Gentle, rhythmic movement
Ready to spend time moving your body? Press play on a RevWellTV workout below and experience God in your movement.
Use Your Voice
Not all noise overwhelms. Some noise restores. Singing, humming, worship. This is the kind of sound that quiets the chaos and reminds your body you’re safe.
God gave you a voice, and when you sing, your breath slows. Your attention shifts. Your body begins to settle. When you sing truth, you’re practicing it. Receiving it, and allowing it to move from your head to your heart.. You’re embodying God’s truth. Your words and declaration are rewiring your brain in real time. Our theology needs biology.
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord…” — Psalms 100:1
Restore Healthy Rhythms
Practice Rest. Not just sleep, but nervous system rest. Slowing down intentionally. Sitting without distractions (no phone), prioritize sleep, and slow mindful eating.
Nourish Your Gut + Hormones
- Fiber (25–30g/day) → Fiber supports your gut health and stabilizes energy!
- Adequate protein → If you’ve done Focus40, you know consuming protein has a long list of benefits like supporting muscle growth and repair, balancing blood sugar levels, and boosting metabolism. Check out all the foods that will help meet your protein goals!
- Fermented foods → support microbiome diversity + digestion + resilience
Come Back to God
This is not just about hormones. Not just about hunger. Not just about weight. If you are using GLP-1 medication you are not doing something wrong. But this is your invitation to go deeper and ask, What is my body trying to tell me?
What is my soul still hungry for?
Because no medication can replace:
- – Love
- – Safety
- – Connection
- – Rest
And isn’t it beautiful that God designed us to experience so much of that through one another? The healing we long for was never meant to happen in isolation. We need places where we can tell the truth, be seen without shame, and practice trusting God with our bodies alongside others who are doing the same.
Imagine what the body of Christ would be like if we all lived embodied. Our theology needs biology. And the good news? You were created for all of it. And you don’t have to do it alone.
Inside our RW+ Membership you’ll find support like our Food + Body Freedom Group, and programs like Women, Weight Loss, and God where we don’t rush transformation, we practice it together in community.
One RW+ Member shared:
“This is the best thing I’ve ever done for myself—physically and spiritually.”
And that’s the invitation for you too.
Watch on Youtube
Listen to the Podcast
This episode goes beyond weight loss trends and into the heart of human longing, safety, and connection. The issue isn’t just food noise, it’s the pain that came first.
Move Your Body
Join us every Wednesday for Walking Pad Wednesday! No walking pad or equipment required, just your good body. Come move and worship with us!
Join the RW+ Membership
The RW+ Membership brings together everything you need to honor God with your body, grow in faith, and find freedom and wholeness through Christ.
References
This article was inspired by insights shared in the Revelation Wellness podcast episode “GLP-1s, the Vagus Nerve, and a Body That Feels Safe Again” with Alisa Keeton and draws on current research related to GLP-1 medications, nervous system regulation, and the gut-brain connection.
Research & Resources
- Scientific American (2024). Research and reporting on GLP-1 medications, food noise, and the brain-gut connection.
- National Institutes of Health (NIH): What Is Vagus Nerve Stimulation For? — Overview of the vagus nerve’s role as a communication pathway between the brain and body.
- The Journal of Physiological Sciences: Satiety: a gut–brain relationship — Review of gut-brain signaling and appetite regulation.
- American Journal of Gastroenterology: Effects of GLP-1 and Other Gut Hormone Receptors on the Gastrointestinal Tract and Implications in Clinical Practice — Review of GLP-1 physiology and clinical implications.
