I'm a Dietitian and Here's Why So Many of My Patients on Ozempic Say the "Food Noise" Finally Stopped

If you're on a weight-loss journey, battling "food noise" can feel like an uphill battle. Persistent thoughts about cravings, when to eat, and body image often make reaching your goal weight feel even more challenging. To dive deeper into this experience, we spoke with Dr. Kezia Joy, RDN and Medical Advisor with Welzo, who shares why so many of her patients on Ozempic say the "food noise" finally stopped.

GLP-1 meds have gained much popularity in recent years—for good reason. Originally prescribed to treat type-2 diabetes, drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy now help many individuals lose a significant amount of weight. One of their top benefits? Quieting food noise.

Before starting treatment, many individuals would describe "food noise" as relentless, obsessive thoughts about cravings or eating—even when they aren't physically in need of food.

"The intrusive nature of these thoughts can be overwhelming and hard to stop," Dr. Joy tells us. "Also, most report feeling exhausted from the constant mental work needed to keep from giving in to food desires, especially at times when life is very stressful, or very busy, with many things competing for your time and attention. It is very common and not a result of weakness or poor control. In many cases, it is related to how your brain processes the signals related to hunger and rewarding food."

"For many of our patients, food noises fade away due to better communication between the brain and the gut, thanks to Ozempic, which provides a more consistent message of satiety and hunger," Dr. Joy tells us. "The brain no longer interprets hunger as an emergency or as a condition that will persist for a long time. Many of our patients report that they are less mentally preoccupied with food at times when they are hungry but not yet ready to eat."

These changes in hunger signals are more-so physiological rather than being fueled by self-discipline or motivation.

"They allow patients to have more predictable and calm responses to their internal hunger cues," Dr. Joy adds.

A decrease in appetite may look like feeling full sooner and/or being content with smaller portion sizes, while less food noise means having fewer thoughts about food throughout the day.

"Hunger is a physical sensation that will occur when needed; however, patients are no longer mentally preoccupied with thoughts of food and therefore eat more intentionally and react to food less often," Dr. Joy says. "The importance of this distinction lies in the fact that food noise not only affects what one eats (and how much) but also the level of mental energy and the behaviours of an individual."

As food noise begins to quiet down, many patients feel less anxious about food choices. There's also less internal debate over how much to eat—and when to eat it.

"The decrease in noise can reduce decision fatigue, allowing patients to have more mental room to focus on other aspects of life, such as work, personal relationships, etc., and therefore provide a greater sense of calm when it comes to food," Dr. Joy explains. "Many find that the greatest benefit to their mental health, versus the food itself, is having less concern with food overall."

If you're curious about what else GLP-1s can do, check out 5 Surprising Health Benefits of GLP-1 Drugs That Have Nothing to Do With Weight Loss.