Should I take semaglutide to lose weight?

Should I take semaglutide to lose weight?

What is semaglutide?
Semaglutide is a drug that has been used for diabetes type II and has been recently approved by the NHS for weight loss alongside lifestyle intervention (nutrition and physical activity). It needs a prescription from a healthcare professional. Semaglutide is considered a safe and an affordable drug. (1)

What is semaglutide?

How does semaglutide work?
Semaglutide needs to be injected once a week and it claims to reduce cravings for sweet and savory foods, to help with a positive mood.
In very short, semaglutide mimics the hormone GLP that is released by the small intestine when we eat. This hormone is responsible to signal the body to release insulin to lower the blood sugar. And also, acts on the receptors of gut hormones (GLP- and GIP) responsible for telling the brain that we are full. (1) This is how semaglutide can help you to lose weight by increasing the level of satiety and decreasing appetite.

How does semaglutide work?

Who would benefit from semaglutide?
Semaglutide is recommended for people with obesity, BMI greater than 30 kg/m2 or BMI greater than 27 Kg/m2 with a weight-related condition like diabetes type II or high blood pressure or high cholesterol. However, just taking semaglutide alone is not recommended. It is necessary to be followed by a dietitian. This drug could especially help someone that is already trying to lose weight for some time, without any success. (1)

How much weight should semaglutide help me to lose?
On average, someone can lose about 14% of their weight when taking this medicine together with making changes in their lifestyle. (2)
However, when people stop taking semaglutide the weight can come back again. That’s why it is important to be followed by a dietitian and learn how to make effective and sustainable changes in the diet and physical activity. The changes in lifestyle that can be sustained for a long time is what can help you to keep a healthy weight. Read here how.

How much weight should semaglutide help me to lose?

Contraindications of semaglutide
People with eating disorders should not take this drug. This drug hasn’t been tested for children so this might also be avoided by them. 
This drug also has side effects like nausea, vomiting, stomach pain and headaches. (3)

Contraindications of semaglutide

Feedback from client taking semaglutide while having dietitians’ consultations
“The vaccine helps to control appetite, without any doubt. But without having a healthy diet and doing physical exercises, for sure I wouldn’t have the same progress.
A very common comment from people who take semaglutide injections is that the obsessive thought about food stops. There are some days, especially when I’m very busy, that I forget to eat. When I remember to eat, even without being hungry, I eat a piece of fruit or some nuts or cheese.
What’s interesting is that, even when I feel very hungry a few moments before dinner, for example, I can control my hunger until it’s dinner time. Eating before mealtime is a bad habit that I had almost my entire life. If I know that dinner is taking a long time to be ready, I eat an apple or 3 brazil nuts and water, lots of water 🙂.
It has made me very good to lose this weight and a moral boost! The injections help, but not only suppressing the appetite, it’s a good alliance to a healthy diet. I’m also very happy with the results”.

Feedback from client taking semaglutide while having dietitians’ consultations

Conclusion
Semaglutide can be useful to treat obesity in individuals that tried behavioral changes previously, and are not eligible for bariatric surgery. This drug Semaglutide can help them lose weight however it doesn’t prevent obesity and should be taken under supervision of a healthcare professional. (1)
Changes in lifestyle is what will help you to lose weight and keep it off forever. You can read here how to lose weight and keep it off.

Author

I’m Joana, a Registered Dietitian in the UK. I’ve been helping busy adults lose weight by helping them to identify the small changes in their lifestyle that will bring results. Book a free call with me to learn how we can work together.

Bibliography
​(1)Semaglutide and Weight • MyNutriWeb
(2) Wharton, S, Batterham, RL, Bhatta, M, et al. Two-year effect of semaglutide 2.4 mg on control of eating in adults with overweight/obesity: STEP 5. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2023; 31(3): 703-715. doi: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/oby.23673
(3) Semaglutide Side Effects: Common, Severe, Long Term (drugs.com)