ISLAMABAD, Jan 04 (Online): For many people who have struggled with losing weight, semaglutide-based diabetes drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy have offered a different approach to weight loss. The medications can result in a 10% to 15%, or greater, reduction in weight, though the use of Ozempic is not approved for weight loss by the Federal Drug Administration in the U.S.<\/p>\n
However, after a certain point, semaglutide medications stop helping one shed pounds. At this plateau, no further weight is lost unless something meaningful changes.<\/p>\n
This typically means switching to a stronger medication or making dietary or exercise changes, although these measures do not always resolve the plateau.<\/p>\n
Such drugs mimic a naturally occurring hormone that provides the brain with a sensation of feeling full and slows down digestion, causing food to leave the body more slowly.<\/p>\n
When a person stops taking semaglutide, lost weight returns. To avoid this, the medication is taken for the rest of one\u2019s life.<\/p>\n
Hitting a weight loss plateau after a year
\nSuch plateaus are common, said Dr. Mir Ali, medical director at the MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center.
\n\u201cThe studies I\u2019ve seen say that patients tend to plateau with semaglutide at 60 weeks. So it\u2019s over a year, which is pretty good,\u201d said Dr. Ali.<\/p>\n
Indeed, many people find that a weight loss method of any kind may stop working after a while. This is true for conventional diets, exercise regimens, and so on.
\n\u201cThe plateaus tend to happen after the patient loses a significant amount of weight and is getting closer to a healthy weight,\u201d Dr. Ali said. \u201cThe body is tending to hold on to calories to preserve itself.\u201d<\/p>\n
University of Pittsburgh endocrinologist, Dr. Jason Ng, explained the mechanics: \u201cWeight loss plateau happens when your body\u2019s energy burn equals energy being added through food.\u201d
\n\u201cInitially, with weight loss, when you significantly decrease energy intake, the body will get energy needs through other sources such as glycogen. This triggers weight loss. Over time, as you lose weight, your metabolism will slow down to compensate,\u201d he explained.
\n\u201cThe point at which your metabolism is equal to how much energy you intake through food is when the plateau hits,\u201d said Dr. Ng.<\/p>\n
The best way to get over a plateau is to again significantly alter the energy balance, which can be done via increased physical activity or further decreasing food intake, for example,\u201d he said.
\nWhen weight loss expectations do not match reality
\nA person\u2019s idea of their weight target may be different from what is healthy for their particular body, and this is often the source for those experiencing such plateaus.
\n\u201cThere are patients who are very focused on the scale,\u201d said Dr. Ali. \u201cThey weigh themselves every day, and get upset if they go up a pound or down not as much as they want.\u201d<\/p>\n
Such weight micromanagement misses the medical point of weight loss, he said.
\n\u201cMy advice to them is to try to focus on doing the right things \u2014 eating healthier, exercising \u2014 and not weight. You know, the goal is to get you to have better health, not necessarily focus on a number. Maybe the scale isn\u2019t changing as much as they\u2019d hoped, but their body composition is changing, their clothes are fitting better, they\u2019re feeling better, their health is improving,\u201d he told Medical News Today.<\/p>\n
Will I need a stronger dose of semaglutide?
\nAnother factor driving a leveling off of effectiveness is that dosing for semaglutide drugs must be precisely tailored to individual patients.
\nDr. Ali explained that one\u2019s physician should start at the lowest dose, and then gradually increase it until effective weight loss is achieved.
\n\u201dOnce you reach a maximum dose, you can\u2019t go any further than that,\u201d said Dr. Ali.<\/p>\n
There are stronger drugs that a physician may consider in the event of a plateau. As a glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1, agonist, semaglutide targets one hormone. A new double agonist, tirzepatide, marketed as Mounjaro, mimics two, theoretically doubling the strength of the weight-loss effect. It performed successfully in a trial for 85% of participants, achieving sustained weight losses of up to 20% in some people.<\/p>\n
The trial study notes, however, that the long-term safety of tirzepatide is unknown. A triple agonist, mincing three hormones, retatrutide, is also under review.<\/p>\n
If dietary changes, a more powerful medication, or a modified exercise program do not get one off of their semaglutide plateau, they may have reached the limit of such drugs\u2019 effectiveness.
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A lifetime commitment to Ozempic
\nThe cautionary note in the tirzepatide study is worthy of consideration. Semaglutide drugs have been available since 2017Trusted Source, and reported adverse effects are mostly limited to temporary gastrointestinal discomfort as the body accommodates to the drug.<\/p>\n
However, a young or middle-aged person committing to semaglutide or the other diet agonists may be taking them for several, or even many, decades. By these standards, such drugs are new, and their very long-term effects on the body are not yet known.<\/p>\n
Anyone embarking on a lifetime of semaglutide or similar medications should understand that their level of long-term risk is unknown.<\/p>\n
Who might consider semaglutide
\nAs a bariatric surgeon, Dr. Ali explained his criteria for deciding the proper therapeutic approach for someone needing to lose weight for health reasons.<\/p>\n
He explained it has to do with body mass index, or BMI. He noted that \u201cit\u2019s not perfect, [but] it does give us a guide to guide patients for weight loss. The [healthy] range for body mass index is 18 to 25.\u201d
\n\u201cIf a patient has a BMI of 40, then they should pursue surgery for weight loss. Between 35 and 40, if they have other conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure, they should still pursue surgery,\u201d Dr. Ali recommended.
\n\u201cThen between 30 and 35, they don\u2019t meet the criteria for surgery. And that\u2019s where newer medications are effective,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD, Jan 04 (Online): For many people who have struggled with losing weight, semaglutide-based diabetes drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy have offered a different approach to weight loss. The medications can result in a 10% to 15%, or greater, reduction in weight, though the […]<\/p>\n
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