Semaglutide. The weight loss miracle?

I’m sure you’ve heard about it, nearly everyone has at this point. Semaglutide. It’s one of the most divisive drugs on social media right now with some people calling it a miracle drug and others calling itcheating. Although everyone is entitled to their own opinions, in the medical community, we like to think of it as a helping hand in somebody's weight loss journey. A kickstart, if you will. Semaglutide has changed the lives of thousands of people who have struggled to lose weight in the past. This article will answer the most commonly asked questions patients have regarding the medication and walk you through the steps of determining if semaglutide is right for you.

What is semaglutide?

Without getting too bogged down in the science of it all, semaglutide mimics a naturally occurring hormone in your body that tells you when you’re full, reduces cravings, lowers your blood sugar, and increases your metabolism. You may be asking, “Well, if I already have a hormone in my body that does that, why do I need semaglutide?” Fair question. The hormone in your body, known as GLP-1, doesn’t last very long. It’s released directly after you eat a meal, signals to your brain that you're full, and works all of its magic but then it’s degraded. Semaglutide, on the other hand, is designed to last in the bodyfor longer periods, which is why it’s a once-weekly shot. Semaglutide tells your brain that you're full via delayed gastric emptying, communicates with receptors in your brain to reduce cravings, ,decreases your insulin resistance, and increases your metabolism through similar mechanisms. This medication is simply doing what your body already naturally does through the GLP-1 hormone, but better.

Thanks to all these benefits of the medication, semaglutide makes it so much easier for people to lose weight. The appetite suppression helps those who struggle with overeating, which, let's be honest, is all of us. And even if you don't think that's your issue, it also helps with boosting your metabolism and decreasing your blood sugar levels. All that to say, there’s no such thing as a miracle drug. Many patients think of semaglutide as an easy, no effort solution to weight loss. In fact, that school of thought is why people claim that it's cheating. Someone takes a shot once a week, and the weight just falls off. But like anything in life, it’s not that easy. Semaglutide is meant to help patients start taking the right steps in forming healthy habits that mitigate weight loss and keep the weight off. Many patients make the mistake of only taking the injection and changing nothing about their lifestyle. Sure, for some of them, the weight will certainly come off. But as soon as they stop taking the medication, because you simply can’t take it forever, it's very common that they gain all that weight right back.

Making conscious, healthy choices is difficult, but semaglutide makes it much easier. Without cravings and an insatiable hunger, overeating is much less likely to happen. So not only is it helping with better, healthier eating habits, it is simultaneously boosting your metabolism and lowering your blood sugar levels. It's the best concoction for weight loss there is. However, like any drug, it’s not for everyone.

Is semaglutide right for me?

Your first step should be to schedule a consultation with one of our weight loss specialists at The Beauty Barn®. At this appointment, they’ll go over everything with you—contraindications, side effects, the benefits of medication, how to get the best results, etc. They will also take your labs to make sure you're healthy and ready to go for the next step of your weight loss journey. For a very general overview, because of course, there are always exceptions, read on to see what a good candidate for semaglutide looks like.

Patient medical history and familial medical history must be taken into account when determining if semaglutide is for you. Some contraindications include Thyroid cancer (in self or family), pancreatitis, Gallbladder disease, hypoglycemia, decreased kidney function, and of course, pregnancy. Patient safety is our number one priority, as it should be at any medical clinic or practice,so we monitor you closely through lab work and routine follow ups to ensure all our patients are safe and receiving the best medical care.

The semaglutide scaries.

With the way this drug has absolutely blown up on the internet, it’s no wonder there's so much misinformation being spread about it. So let's get down to it and start debunking these myths!

Myth 1

Semaglutide is only for diabetics.

I’m not sure what else to say except that this is only partially true. Semaglutide has been FDA approved to be used by those who are considered overweight, which is, like we previously discussed, having a BMI of 27 or higher. Yes, semaglutide was designed to help those with Diabetes but it was discovered through extensive clinical trials that the medication is also effective for weight loss in those with or without diabetes.

Myth 2

Semaglutide makes you throw up everyday.

While vomiting can be  a side effect of semaglutide, it should certainly not happen everyday and oftentimes is dependent on your dose and they type of foods you are eating.  Nausea is another possible side effect and typically comes and goes and varies person to person. Most patients rate it as mild and get through it just fine with adjustments to dose or food choices.

Myth 3

'Ozempic Face'.

Whenever weight is lost in general,, it can be visible in the face and might look like they have loose or sagging skin in certain areas.  This will happen no matter how the weight is being lost, so it actually has nothing to do with the semaglutide and everything to do with the weight loss process.

Myth 4

Semaglutide is a magic drug.

Like we’ve already covered, although semaglutide will certainlyhelp you reach your goals, it is limited to simply just that—helping. You will not reach all of your weight loss goals without additionally implementing proper lifestyle changes. Although, lucky you, these lifestyle changes will also help you keep the weight off, which is arguably harder than getting it off in the first place.

The Road to Success

So how can you be the most successful in reaching your weight loss goals while taking semaglutide? The first step is your diet

Step 1

Diet

Now when I say diet, I don’t mean Keto or intermittent fasting. If those work for you, great! But what I’m referring to is simply what you eat—your diet! Since semaglutide suppresses your appetite, you are obviously not eating as many calories as you were before. This can lead to feeling tired and that is why it’s so important to make sure you’re eating nutrient dense foods that will fuel your body. Consequently, getting into this habit of eating whole foods will help you keep the weight off and overall live a healthier, longer life. There are many diets that offer general guidelines that you can follow like the Mediterranean Diet, Paleo Diet, etc., but the most important thing is that you avoid processed foods and eat whole foods in a healthy, sustainable way. Fueling your body in this way will help you make the next step much more attainable- exercise.

Step 2

Exercise

As everyone knows, exercise is a crucial part of anybody's weight loss journey and it can be daunting. Gyms are scary and feel impossible, at workout classes you feel judged and watched, and overall you just don’t know where to start. This is a completely normal way to feel, and my advice to you is to start small. Whether that means working out from home until you feel comfortable enough to go to the gym, going on walks, going to the gym once a week, and then twice a week, and then three times a week, etc. It's all about building up those habits, not jumping straight into them. Approaching exercise as well as your diet this way will help you maintain these habits rather than doing everything all at once and quickly getting burnt out and discouraged.

Incorporate 30 minutes of exercise at least 4-5 days per week is ideal.  Incorporating weight bearing activities or lifting even mild weights will help you to maintain muscle mass during your weight loss journey.  

With exercise, healthy eating, and the help of semaglutide, your weight loss goals that have seemed so out of reach are now much more attainable. So no, it's not a miracle drug, but it certainly has changed peoples lives and may change yours too.

Learn more about The Beauty Barn®'s medical weight loss program here. Or contact us today to get started.