If you are planning to lose weight, you may have heard about semaglutide medications that are immensely helpful in losing and maintaining the lost weight. But you might have many questions like “Does it works the same for everyone?” “Will I hit a plateau after some time?” Get all these answers in this article on semaglutide weight loss results. Log on to https://doralhw.org/specialties/bariatric/ know more about weight loss.
How long does Semaglutide take to work?
Usually, you start noticing weight loss in the first 4 weeks of semaglutide treatment, but the full effect will take several months. After 68 weeks, adults can lose an average of about 35 lbs. (15.9 kg) or 15% of their weight, which can be sustained for 2 years. Your doctor will slowly increase the dose of treatment when you have fewer side effects, like nausea and diarrhea. Typically, it takes about 17 weeks to reach the final maintenance dose of semaglutide.
- Studies conducted by the manufacturer over 68 weeks show that, on average, adults lose around 35 lbs. (15.9 kg) or around 15% of their body weight. In contrast, people who used a placebo (inactive treatment) only lost around 6 lbs. (2.7 kg) or 2.5% of their body weight.
- In studies that extended for 2 years (104 weeks), patients were able to maintain a 35-lb reduction compared to 6 lbs. in the placebo group.
- In children 12 years or older, semaglutide lowers their body mass index by 16.1% after 68 weeks compared to a 0.6% reduction in the placebo group. Additionally, the BMI was also reduced by at least 5% in 77% of children receiving semaglutide compared to 20% of those receiving a placebo.
Weight loss plateau with Semaglutide
For many people, after using semaglutide for a year or 2, they hit a plateau, which means they are no longer able to lose further weight unless something meaningful changes. But those changes may come from switching to a stronger medication or making dietary or exercise changes, but these measures don’t resolve the plateau. This happens because these drugs mimic a naturally produced hormone that signals the brain with a sensation of feeling full and slows down digestion, causing foods to move slowly from the stomach into the intestine. When a person stops taking semaglutide, the lost weight also returns. To prevent this, you need to continue the medicine for your whole life.
Such plateaus are quite common; in some cases, some patients hit a plateau with semaglutide for 60 weeks. But this is not only applicable to this medication, but also to conventional diets, exercise regimens, and so on. These plateaus tend to happen when a patient is able to lose a significant amount of weight and is getting close to a healthy weight. The body now holds on to the calories to preserve itself. A weight loss plateau occurs when your body’s energy burn equals the calories added through food. In the beginning, when you lose weight, your body significantly decreases energy intake and only gets energy from other sources, such as glycogen. This triggers weight loss. Over time, when you lose weight, your metabolism will slow down to compensate for the loss. When it reaches a point where metabolism is equal to how much energy you intake through food, that is when the plateau hits. The best way to overcome a plateau is to significantly alter the energy balance, which can be done via intense physical activity or decreasing food intake.
Why Is Semaglutide Not Helping You Lose Weight
While semaglutide is effective for most people, it doesn’t always deliver the weight loss results you hoped for. Instead, you need to create realistic expectations based on these common pitfalls about semaglutide that might be the reason:
- You’ve just started the medication:
Everyone’s response to medication is different. While some people start losing weight quickly, others may take some weeks to notice changes. In an Ozempic trial, which lasted for 1 year and 4 months, some people took longer to lose weight, but most people started to lose weight within the first 4 weeks. In another study, people took 1.0 mg of semaglutide and lost 13 pounds in 56 weeks. As you start the treatment, you need to be patient.
- Your dosage may be too low:
Health professionals start your semaglutide at a low dosage of 0.25 mg once a week for the first 4 weeks to lower the side effects. After 4 weeks, your dosage will increase to 0.5 mg per week for 4 weeks. Your doctor may increase your dosage every 4 weeks until you reach the maximum maintenance dosage of 2.4 mg for Wegovy and 1 mg for Ozempic, depending on how your body responds to semaglutide. This entire process of increasing dosage will take up to 3 months. Studies show that with a low dose of semaglutide, 25% of people may gain weight, while people on higher doses will see greater results.
- You’re skipping doses:
If you skip a weekly dose of Ozempic or Wegovy injection, it may greatly impede your progress. And predicting how your body reacts if you take your prescription inconsistently will be challenging. To ensure you don’t miss, try to mark the date, and set an alarm on your phone, and take the dose on the same day each week. By staying consistent in medication administration, eating habits, and exercise, you get the best weight loss outcomes.
- You’ve not changed your diet:
While semaglutide will promote weight loss, to make the most out of it, you need to follow a healthy lifestyle. Maintaining a balanced and calorie-conscious diet is important for weight loss. Medication alone may not compensate for an unhealthy diet. Even in clinical trials, semaglutide shows the most effectiveness in weight loss when combined with lifestyle changes. Participants in this trial are encouraged to make healthy dietary changes. Weight loss technically depends on burning more calories than you consume. If you’re losing weight, you need to make the right adjustments to your caloric intake. Besides your calorie intake, various dietary practices also hinder your efforts to lose weight. For instance, consuming red meat, refined carbohydrates, starches, and beverages with added sugar is associated with weight gain. Drinking alcohol also influences your weight loss attempts.
- You’re not physically active:
Semaglutide’s effectiveness in promoting weight loss produces better results with the right lifestyle changes, especially in diet and exercise. Exercise helps to burn calories and improves overall metabolic health to complement the effects of the medication. Aim for 75 minutes of intense aerobic activity like walking or swimming for most days of the week. Perform strength training exercises for all major muscle groups at least twice a week. Exercise can also boost metabolism, helping the body burn calories more efficiently, and enhancing the weight-loss effects of semaglutide.
Semaglutide weight loss results can vary from person to person based on their metabolism and lifestyle changes. However, on average, people can lose at least 15% of their weight and are able to maintain these results for 2 years until they hit a plateau. Make sure that if you hit a plateau or are not getting better results, focus on working on the above-mentioned strategies for better weight loss results with semaglutide.
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