Here Is How Much Weight You Can Really Lose on Ozempic, According to a Doctor

Are you considering taking a weight loss drug but aren't exactly sure what to expect? Dr. Dan Burton is a "pharmacist by training and an expert in obesity management and medicine." In a recent post, he answers a burning question that so many people have prior to taking a weight loss drug. "You just got back from the doctor's office, and maybe you were prescribed Ozempic or Wegovy for your weight loss journey. The next big question you might have is, how much weight will you lose by taking this medication?" he says, revealing the answer.

Everyone Is Different, He Says

"The short answer is, I don't know," he admits. "Nobody actually knows how much weight you, in particular, are going to lose by taking this medication. You see, everyone's a little bit different. We all have a completely different genetic and physiological makeup as well."

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These Factors Will Influence How Much Weight You Lose

There are going to be a number of factors that influence how much weight somebody can lose. "If your starting weight is higher, you are likely going to lose more weight," he explains. "If you have other chronic diseases and medications you're taking, those might influence your weight as well. The number of weight loss attempts you've made in the past is also going to play a role in your various life circumstances."

In Studies, People Lose an Average of 15% of Their Weight

He explains that in various studies, there were average sounds of weight loss. "To use Wegovy or Semaglutide as an example, at a dose of 2.4 milligrams once per week, the individuals that were taking it in the step one trial lost on average 15% of their weight from baseline over a 68-week period. So, to put that into English terms here, what that means is that if your starting weight is 200 pounds, 15% of the 200 pounds lost from your baseline is about 30 or so pounds. So an individual that is 200 pounds, they would lose on average about 30 pounds down to 170 pounds," he says.

He Emphasizes That They Were Exercising and Put on a Calorie Deficit

"The other big factor to remember here is that in these studies, the individuals that were put on these drugs were given a 500 calorie per day deficit diet, and they were told to get about 150 minutes of activity in every single week. So following those parameters and taking the medication led to that 30-pound weight loss for a 200-pound individual," he says.

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Some People Will Lose More and Some Less

"Now, of course, some people are going to lose less weight, and some people in these studies have lost a lot more weight. Again, the factors and reasons that are contributing to that are wide and varying, and it's going to really depend on person to person," he continues.

Most People Expect to Lose More Weight Than They Will

"The other important thing that I can tell you is that just about every single one of you is expecting to lose way more weight than what we actually clinically expect based on the averages from those trials. So, for that 200-pound individual, on average, we expect about a 30-pound loss from Wegovy. But you guys are expecting a 40, 50, or 60-pound weight loss when you're taking Wegovy," he says.

There Are Lots of Reasons Why People Have Unrealistic Expectations

"The reason for these unrealistic expectations vary widely everything from comparing yourself to somebody online or comparing yourself to your friend Susan at work, or just the preconceived notions that you have around weight loss and that you expect to get down to, say, your pre-pregnancy weight again, or to the weight that you were when you were back in your twenties," he continues.

"Ultimately, 99% of you are setting an expectation for weight loss that is entirely unrealistic and is likely gonna set you up for failure when you fail to reach that expectation."

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Your Weight Loss Will Rely on Changes You Are Willing to Make

"The amount that you're gonna lose is going to depend on all the various factors and things that are gonna influence and have a role in your weight," he says. "It's also going to depend on the various changes you are able to make, the things you're able to implement, and what your current life circumstances are."

A Lot of People Struggle with Consistency

He notes that a lot of people "tend to do really well from, say, Monday to Thursday, they follow the diet, they pack their lunch, everything's going well, but then Friday, Saturday, Sunday, kind of turn into a bit of a dumpster fire with going out for meals, having some alcohol, and just in general relaxing for the weekend," he points out. "Sure, you might initially lose some weight, but eventually, if you keep that pattern up, the weight loss will stall out. Trust me, this is exactly what I used to do back in the day until I just learned to find a better balance with life and to be more consistent every single day through the week."

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Weight Loss Drugs Offer "A Little Bit of Support," But You Need to Make Changes

Weight loss drugs "are fantastic because they can help you and provide you the support so that you can go about making the various changes that you need to make," he says. "But again, they're nothing special. They're just a little bit of support to make those things a bit easier to engage in because those behaviors are going to be what ultimately gives you health." And if you enjoyed this article, don't miss 20 Incredible Ozempic Success Stories of All Time.