Ozempic works. But that's the problem.

It would seem the magic pill has been found. Inject Ozempic or Mounjaro and lose weight without much suffering. No appetite, no desire to snack, weight melts away.

Sounds great, right?

It's not that simple, as they say.

And it's not even that this is a drug for treating type 2 diabetes and obesity, and many use it without clear indications.

Nor is it just about the side effects of the drug itself, of which there are many.

The issue is HOW a person loses weight and WHAT happens afterward.

1. Muscle loss.
If a person is obese, quickly losing 5-10% of body weight is an excellent strategy for improving health. After that, it's better to lose weight gradually.
Why?

Because Ozempic and similar drugs suppress appetite, slow gastric emptying, and regulate the satiety center.

That is, a person simply eats very little, including protein. Without strength training and adequate protein intake, they will lose a lot of muscle along with fat.

For women over 40, this is a very bad scenario. Rapid weight loss and low food intake increase the risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Loss of muscle mass will also contribute.

Muscles are not just for having a firm butt. They are responsible for body functionality. Less muscle → worse coordination and body control → higher risk of falls and injuries.

2. The deflated balloon effect.
After 40, estrogen levels drop, skin is not as elastic as at 20. If you quickly lose 10-20 kg, the skin has little chance to tighten, and it will sag sadly on the face and body.

You can start saving for a full body lift. Expensive, painful, and not guaranteed to like the result.

3. The most unpleasant part.
Recent data confirm what was obvious: after stopping the drug, up to 2/3 of the weight returns. Moreover, the rate of gain is higher than after a regular diet or exercise.

And this is not only seen in studies. Let me give an example from my practice.

🔜I had clients in my care who came with a problem: they were regaining weight after gastric reduction surgery. It would seem there is less space for food, so gaining weight should be impossible.

But alas.

Old patterns take over, and the person still starts overeating.

With such clients, we worked on the basics: building a nutrition structure, working on eating habits, incorporating exercise. And this yielded results: weight began to decrease, and maintaining it became much easier.

With Ozempic, the same mechanics apply. The drug works like a painkiller: while you use it, there's an effect; stop using it, the effect goes away.
Because it doesn't address the causes of overeating, doesn't change eating structure, and doesn't instill new habits.
After discontinuation, the person returns to previous behavior, and with it, the weight returns.

So it turns out that if nothing changes, you have to inject it for life.

That's both expensive, and the long-term consequences are not well studied, especially for people without diabetes and without clinical obesity.

That is, if you inject it for 10-20 years, there is no clear data on what will happen to your health.

The conclusion here is so simple it's boring.

Without a foundation—nutrition, habits, physical activity—you won't get far. You might lose weight, but maintaining it will be nearly impossible.

Have you used Ozempic? Or maybe considered it? What do you think about it?