What to do when Ozempic stops working.  

How GLP-1 medications work

Most of us have heard about GLP-1 medications but when I talk to my clients, many of them do not really know how they work. Medications such as Ozempic, Monjouro, Trulicity, Wegovy and many others are Glucagon-like Peptide-1 receptor agonists, meaning they mimic the GLP-1 hormone that the body naturally produces. This hormone and the medications that mimic it can reduce appetite by making you feel full faster and stay full longer. They also slow the rate at which food moves through your digestive system. These things can cause a decrease in appetite and eating less will result in weight loss.  

Why do GLP-1 medications stop working? 

After a while, your body will reach a place where weight loss will plateau. This can happen anytime you have lost a significant amount of weight. With these medications, there are other factors as well that might contribute to weight loss stalling such as genetics, the length of time you have been taking the medications, or inability to make lifestyle changes. 

What can you do when GLP-1 Medications stop working?

Many times the first course of action will be to increase the dose of the medication. However, for some people this will not be an option due to side-effects, availability, or already being on the maximum dose. There are, however, other things that you can do to increase your success with or without GLP-1 medications. 

Our bodies naturally produce GLP-1 hormone and increasing your daily fiber intake can increase the hormone naturally. This allows you to feel full and satisfied. Focusing on protein and fiber in your diet will allow you to get full faster and stay full longer. It can also help you to decrease cravings for foods like sugar and simple carbohydrates that have negative effects on your weight loss goals. 

Foods high in both protein and fiber:

• Legumes- Lentils, chickpeas and peanuts.

• Nuts- Almonds, pistachios

• Whole grains- Steel cut oats, Farro, Brown rice

• Seeds- Quinoa, chia seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds

• Berries- Especially raspberries and blackberries

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but these are some foods that you can add to your diet to stay full and satisfied throughout the day.

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Lifestyle changes are necessary whether you are taking medications or not in order to sustain weight loss success and avoid yo-yo dieting. It can be tough to create a plan and stick to it in order to create permanent change. Check out the resources here on my site or reach out through my constant page to get started on your action plan today.