9 Reasons Why Aren’t You Losing Weight on Ozempic, According to Doctor

Are you on Ozempic or another semaglutide but don’t feel like you are losing weight? There are a number of reasons the scale might not be budging, according to one expert. Dr. Jessie Watkins of Watkins Metabolic Clinic is a Canada-based weight loss specialist. In a recent viral video, she answers a question that she frequently asks her patients: Why aren't I losing weight on Ozempic?

1. Ozempic Vs. Wegovy

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Dr. Watkins explains that Ozempic is a brand name for semaglutide, which is marketed at one milligrams a week for diabetes, while Wegovy is marketed at 2.4 milligrams a week for weight loss. “But regardless of what medication you're on for weight loss, it's important to remember that different medications work differently to help you lose weight. So, one medication may or may not be a great fit for you, and another may be very beneficial. So it's important to have a comprehensive discussion with your physician before choosing the best medication for you,” she says.

2. You Started Off on a Low Dose

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“Regardless of whichever medication you're on, all of them start at a really low dose and go up slowly, and it's very common to not lose weight or even see the scale budge at those early low introductory doses,” she says. She explains that the purpose of low doses “is to help your body get used to the medication and reduce side effects as opposed to seeing weight loss right off the bat.”

3. You Are Only Losing One to Two Pounds Per Week

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The first reason why you might not think the drug is working is if you expect to lose weight miraculously fast. “The other frustrating thing that can happen is social media is full of claims of rapid, significant weight loss with Ozempic when really it's more realistic to see about one or two pounds a week of weight loss,” she says.

4. IYou Are Experiencing Bloating and Constipation

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Another reason why you might be thinking you aren’t losing weight? “When you're first starting a medication, it's very common to feel bloated and constipated, so you may actually be losing weight and burning fat, but the number on the scale may not budge,” she says. “And it can also be frustrating that in the past, when you've gone on a really restrictive diet, you might have lost weight faster.”

5. You Have to Prioritize Long-Term Sustainability

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“The key and the goal with this medication is long-term sustainable weight loss maintenance as opposed to a dramatic weight loss over a few months,” she says. “That's really hard to maintain on a super restrictive fad diet. It's also important to make sure that you're not burning muscle instead of fat tissue. So you wanna make sure to keep your protein intake high and to incorporate resistance training into your exercise routine.”

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6. You Plateau

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Another reason you might not think the drug is working? You plateau. “Also, remember that your weight loss will plateau eventually. You're not gonna lose weight forever on semaglutide because it would be unsafe to do so. And again, the frustrating piece here is that we can't predict where each person will plateau eventually. So it's really individualized based on the patient,” she says.

7. You Haven’t Reduced Your Caloric Intake

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“Now, the most important take-home reason why you might not be losing weight on semaglutide is if you haven't reduced your calorie intake. In order for this medication to help you lose weight, you have to be in a calorie deficit. And so if you're eating exactly the same number of calories you ate before starting the medication and you're hoping to lose weight, you're simply not going to see that change.”

RELATED: 19 Bad Habits I Gave Up to Lose 100 Pounds

8. You Are Too Stressed

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Other factors that can also impact or sabotage your weight loss attempt? “Chronic stress,” says Dr. Watkins.

9. You Are On Other Medications That Cause Weight Gain

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Another reason why you might not be losing weight while on Ozempic? You might be taking other medications that actually cause weight gain, says Watkin.

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10. Poor Sleep

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Sleep also impacts weight loss, says Dr. Watkins. According to the Sleep Foundation, getting enough z’s is a mood booster, promotes heart health, regulates blood sugar, improves mental function, restores your immune system, helps relieve stress, and aids in weight loss. And if you enjoyed this article, don't miss 20 Incredible Ozempic Success Stories of All Time.

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.”

RELATED: 20 Things You Need to Know About Ozempic and Weight Loss

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

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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

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“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.

RELATED:20 Possible Ozempic Side Effects

Some People Will Lose More and Some Less

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“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

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“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

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“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.”

RELATED:What Happens to Your Body When You Stop Taking Ozempic

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

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“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

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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.”

RELATED:20 Things to Avoid While on Ozempic

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.

Are you considering taking Ozempic to lose weight? Suneel Dhand, MD, is a physician specializing in Internal Medicine and Metabolic Health who shares lots of weight loss tips and tricks on social media. In one viral video, he outlines why you should think twice about taking Ozempic, Wegovy, or any other GLP-1 weight loss drug to drop pounds. “There is a massive craze right now for ozempic for weight loss, and I want to share with you in this video big reasons why I personally would never use it for weight loss,” he says in the YouTube clip.

Ozempic Is Being “Dished Out Like Candy”

While he’s all for people taking Ozemic for type 2 diabetes, he’s more concerned about “the probably hundreds of thousands of people across America by now who are either using or thinking about using ozempic for weight loss,” he says. “They might be mildly overweight or obese, but they don't have diabetes. This is a craze. It is being dished out like candy right now, not only by doctors but also in med spas across the country.”

It’s Primarily a Problem in the US

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“There is nowhere near enough oversight of this,” Dr. Dhand continues. “It hasn't been rolled out as widely across Europe, but in America, people can buy it pretty much anywhere. They can get their hands on it if there is enough supply.”

There Are Many Possible Side Effects

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He explains that the drug belongs to a class of medications called GLP-1 agonists. “The chemical name is Semaglutide. It's also known as Wegovy. Many of you may be familiar with it. You may know somebody who's on this medication. Maybe you've been on it, or you are on it yourself. And I have seen so many side effects and adverse events myself, and these stories are widely available out there,” he says

There Is No Such Thing As a “Wonder Miracle” Drug

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“The reality is that when we see any type of craze in the field of medicine, the last hundred years teach us that it usually doesn't end well. There is no such thing as a Wonder Miracle drug, especially in the field of lifestyle medicine,” he says.

Here Is Why He “Wouldn’t Even Consider” Using It

“I am concerned about this and the way it is being dished out and being used by so many people, and I'm going to explain to you big reasons why I wouldn't use it myself for weight loss. I wouldn't even consider it,” he continues.

RELATED: 20 Things You Need to Know About Ozempic and Weight Loss

The Question Isn’t Whether or Not It Works

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“Let me first share this recent tweet of mine with you, which I recently put out. Ozempic works just like opioids and Vioxx works. The question is not whether it works or not. The question is the addiction, toxic side effects, and human misery that go with it,” he says. “Yes, of course, Ozempic works. Any powerful injection, which in this case is a weekly injection, stops people from eating, which reduces the urge to eat and, therefore, reduces the amount people take in their calorie intake. Of course, that's going to work to lose weight. Same way as taping somebody's mouth shut would work to reduce weight. The question is the drawbacks that come with it.”

1. Side Effects

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The first issue is the side effects, he says. “Many people who start ozempic have to stop very quickly because of the disabling side effects. It is not the most pleasant drug, but it has gastrointestinal side effects, including nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. Remember, this medication essentially works by paralyzing the stomach so that you don't feel hungry and you don't want to consume food,” he explains.

There Could Also Be Long-Term Effects, he Says

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“I also have some concerns over long-term effects on the pancreas and even concerns about long-lasting inflammation or even malignancy in the future,” he reveals. “It's very difficult to tell with a relatively new drug, which is being prescribed to a mass number of people. Remember, this is not only for diabetics. This is now being prescribed to potentially hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of people, and only time will tell what sort of effects a powerful weekly injection will have on people.”

RELATED: 20 Things to Avoid While on Ozempic

2. Muscle Loss

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“Number two, muscle loss as well as losing fat,” he continues. “Many people also lose muscle, and this is potentially a disaster on a metabolic level.”

Many People on the Drug Aren’t Working Out or Consuming Enough Protein

“I would hazard a guess that most people who are on ozempic are not regularly visiting the gym. They're not lifting weights. They probably aren't consuming enough protein. And when anybody loses muscle, this is a big problem because muscle is metabolically very active, and it plays an important role in many processes, including insulin sensitivity,” he says.

This Is Why People on Ozempic Oftentimes Look Gaunt

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“Muscle loss is known as sarcopenia, and this is why when you look at many people, you may have seen the pictures online, people who've been on ozempic for a long time, they start to look quite gaunt,” he points out. “They don't look healthy because they've also lost muscle in addition to the fat.”

3. The Cost

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His third reason is the cost. “This is a hugely expensive medication, thousands of dollars,” he says. “Many people do a course of ozempic for a few months, and they pay outta pocket. It is unlikely that insurance is going to cover the cost of these medications anytime soon. Maybe the medications will come down in cost over time, but I did hear a statistic recently that if everybody in America who is overweight or obese was prescribed ozempic and it was fully covered, that would amount to more than the GDP of the entire country. Several trillion dollars. Think about that.”

Many People Can’t Really Afford It

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“People are paying out of pocket thousands of dollars for a course of ozempic, and it never ceases to amaze me because many of these people aren't the richest people. It was a stretch for them to afford it,” he says. Instead, he recommends investing the money in “real, wholesome food, even organic food, a personal trainer and a motivational coach who would talk to them every day,” saying it “would actually be far cheaper than the amount spent on ozempic.” He notes that while “it might sound like an easy option, an injection,” it isn’t sustainable, “because most people can't keep affording this medication over the long term.”

4. “Medical Mob” Situations End Up Backfiring

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Number four is his “own intuition” and “common sense,” he says. “When I look at this type of situation and consider the history of medicine over the last few decades when you have this mass movement, I call them the medical mob when they jump on board something, something which is obviously making a lot of money in the short term. It really does end up backfiring very badly indeed.”

In a Few Years, We Will See More “Side Effects”

I really want to have this conversation again in five years' time when we have more stories about people for whom it hasn't worked. When we can see more side effects and adverse events because of the very idea that you can medicate, you can inject millions of people, hundreds of millions of people, many adolescents, and children with a medication every single week to stop them from eating and not address the toxic food environment is absolutely ludicrous,” he says. “And my own belief system, the way I try to look at the world with logic, and also the fact that I am a huge fan of stoicism, tells me that this is a huge mistake. The mob, as usual, will realize that they were doing everything wrong once they think about this problem in a fundamentally correct way.:

5. There Are No Shortcuts in Health

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“And number five, the basic rule that there are no shortcuts in health,” he points out. “I'm sorry to have to tell you that anyone who is under any illusion, our body is millions of years in the making. It cannot be tricked so easily without consequences. Our body is very smart indeed, when most people in the Western world, especially in the United States, are surrounded by a toxic food environment, and we completely neglect to ask ourselves, why do we need these medications?”

He Points Out That Generations Before Didn’t Experience Obesity Like This

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“Why did our grandparents and great-grandparents not need these medications?” he asks. “It is because we are surrounded by ridiculous food items, heavily processed, coming to us in packages. It is not natural. It is loaded with artificial ingredients, inflammatory ingredients, preservatives, fake sugars, and seed oils. People eat way too many carbs and sugars. There are a whole host of things that we are doing wrong now that we didn't do wrong a few decades ago, and that is the fundamental issue. Until we address that, until we change the culture, throw in more activity, more exercise as well, only that will save people.”

RELATED: 20 Possible Ozempic Side Effects

Ozempic Won’t “Save You”

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“I'm sorry to have to tell anybody out there. Ozempic is not going to save you. Most people who are using this for weight loss are not taking the right lifestyle approach, the one that will lead to sustained improvements and not being overweight or obese. That is a fact, and it is my duty as a doctor to be honest with people,” he says.

Most People Regain Weight After Stopping the Drug

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“That is why when most people stop ozempic, they immediately regain the weight because you haven't fixed the upstream problem,” he says. “The fact that you are eating the wrong food every day, nothing will save you from that fact, no injection.”

Changing Lifestyle Habits Is Key

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“It's in your best interest to really take a step back and look at your lifestyle habits. This isn't easy. It takes determination and motivation, but that is the only thing that is going to lead to improved health outcomes. And you are keeping those pounds off and being in the same shape as your grandparents and great-grandparents. For most of us, when we look back at pictures of our ancestors, they were in much better shape than the current generation. I mean, think about it on a logical level as well,” he says.

This Is an “Addiction” Issue

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“This is an addiction issue. It's an addiction to the wrong types of food and food corporations that make their products highly addictive. They have scientists, the same scientists who worked for big tobacco once to make cigarettes addictive, now work for food corporations, and they know what they are doing, creating these highly addictive fake foods,” he claims. “Would we deal with an addiction to alcohol the same way? Would we say, ‘Oh yes, you can keep on drinking, and we will give you an injection every week to lower the chances of you getting liver cirrhosis? Oh, you are a smoker. You smoke cigarettes, carry on smoking. We'll give you an injection, and maybe your risk of getting lung issues will be reduced.’ Absolutely not,” he says. “We would deal with the root cause, and we would say, you must stop drinking alcohol, and you must stop smoking if you have a problem. But we haven't reached the same level of enlightenment with ultra-processed foods and our toxic food environment.”

Eliminate Processed Food

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“The only way to really sustain weight loss and get healthy is to eliminate that terrible food from your life,” he claims. “70% of all calorie intake currently in the United States is ultra-processed foods. It's not far off in other Western countries, including the United Kingdom. But if we're serious about people being healthy, then that's what we should be focusing on.”

RELATED: What Happens to Your Body When You Stop Taking Ozempic

Go the Lifestyle Route

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“There are no shortcuts in health and wellbeing,” he reiterates. “So those are some reasons why I personally would never take Ozempic for weight loss. That would be my own decision. I would go the lifestyle route, and the truth is that well over 90% of people could do that as well.”

Make Your Own Decision

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“But I'm a great believer in healthcare freedom and autonomy. Everybody is free to make their own choices about what they want for their own health,” he says.

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But, Taking a Drug Will Likely Backfire, He Claims

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“But I believe that this is going to backfire. Everybody who is overweight or obese and wants to deal with that wants to fix problem has to think very carefully about how they are going to do that. But do not say you are not warned,” he says. “You can weigh up the risks and benefits yourself and make the decision for yourself. But I repeat again, there are no miracle drugs out there, and your body cannot be tricked so easily.” And if you enjoyed this article, don't miss 20 Incredible Ozempic Success Stories of All Time.

Do you want to lose weight but aren’t sure if you want to take medication to do it? You don’t have to, according to one expert. Susie Matychuk, AKA Coach Sooz, is “the world’s nerdiest personal trainer,” according to her YouTube bio. “The thing that is more effective than Ozempic is a healthy lifestyle,” she says at the start of the viral YouTube clip. In it, she discusses alternatives to the drug for weight loss in the form of foods and fitness.

She Grew Up Believing Medication Should Be a “Last Resort”

She starts by discussing her experience with medication. “I grew up with very traditional values, and I remember my mom telling me that medication should always be the last resort. In my early twenties, I started getting chronic strep throat, joint pain, and rashes. I had no idea that it was because of my poor diet and stress level,” she says in her post.

She Has Tried Taking Typical Medications But They Haven’t Worked

“I went to the doctor and got prescribed antibiotics and painkillers. My symptoms got worse, and I went to the emergency room thinking that I had rheumatoid arthritis or something, which is typical of Susie being overdramatic. The doctors were just as confused as me, and I realized the medical system is not made to help people with symptoms,” she says.

However, Healthy Lifestyle Has Helped Her Ailments Over the Years

She reveals that when she “started taking vitamins, eating a paleo diet, and spending more time outside, and I stopped taking medications,” her symptoms gradually went away. “That's a little bit about my story and why I am so passionate about a lifestyle approach instead of medication,” she says, adding that there are specific types of food and exercises that stimulate GLP-1, “which is the hormone that Ozempic” targets.

She Believes a Healthy Lifestyle Can Work Just as Well as Ozempic

She notes that while doctors are “prescribing it very generously,” they wouldn’t need to if people understood nutrition and exercise. “If we understood how to make our body have nutrients, then we wouldn't gain fat and feel the need for weight loss drugs at all,” she says. “I would definitely describe myself as anti-medication and pro-healthy lifestyle.”

These Foods Increase the Production of GLP-1

“GLP-1 is a hormone that is produced in the gut and the brain that slows digestion and lowers appetite. Your body is really good at making it on its own without any medical intervention,” she claims. “There are foods you can eat that increase the production of GLP-1, which will make weight loss easier. Eggs, avocado, nuts, and complex carbohydrates all have been shown to increase GLP-1,” she says. Yerba mate tea and black coffee also lower appetite.”

RELATED: She Dropped 50 Pounds in One Year Without Strict Diets By Walking Every Day

The Best Diet Is “Pretty Close” to Keto

The ideal fat loss diet that “stimulates a lot of GLP-1” is “pretty close to a ketogenic diet, which is very effective for reversing insulin resistance and losing fat,” she reveals. “Remember that fat loss is the goal, not weight loss because we wanna keep our muscle and lose the fat.”

Exercise Also Releases Chemicals That “Benefit the Body”

Exercise does not stimulate GLP-1,” but it does stimulate a whole bunch of other chemicals that benefit the body,” says Susie. “One of them is growth hormone or GH, and another one is BDNF,” she says about brain-derived neurotrophic factor. “GH is what starts the process of muscle growth. BDNF is what makes you smarter. So basically, exercise makes you jacked and smart.”

RELATED: This Nutritionist Lost 15 Pounds by Eating These 7 "Busy Woman" High-Protein Foods

Ozempic Stops You From Releasing GH, Which Is the Hormone That Helps You Build Muscle

“Ozempic actually stops you from releasing growth hormone, which is why those who take it tend to gain fat and lose muscle. So in most cases, ozempic actually makes us lose the wrong type of weight,” she reveals.

These 5 “Primal Movements” Are the Best Exercises for Weight Loss

According to Susie, the best exercises are called primal movements. “They are movements that your body is actually designed to do. Injury and pain are the result of not being able to do primal movements. There are five of them, and they are squatting, hinging, lunging, pushing, and pulling,” she says.

RELATED: She Tried Every Diet for 8 Years Then These 5 Changes Got Her Perfect Body

The Most Effective Equation for Fat Loss? Diet and Exercise

“Basically, all you need to do to live a healthy lifestyle that is more effective for fat loss than ozempic is one, eat the GLP-1 stimulating diet, and two, practice your primal movements,” she says. “Every day, big pharma will keep making drugs and selling them to us as long as we are asking for them. And by taking them, you're still asking for them. So hopefully, this provided some clarity on what to do instead, which is to be healthy.” And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week.