Why are people taking Ozempic to lose weight (and is it a good idea?)
TL;DR: Ozempic is a drug that mimics the signaling molecule GLP-1, which is naturally released in your body to suppress appetite. Taking ozempic is a good idea if someone is also making lifestyle changes and needs to see results fast to prevent more serious health conditions. Taking ozempic is not a good idea if someone is not maintaining metabolic balance, getting enough essential nutrients, or moving enough to support good circulation, digestion, and liver function. (about 6 min read)
Metabolic tips for raising your body’s natural “ozempic” (aka GLP-1) levels:
Start your meal off with some essential fats (ex: olive oil, avocados, nuts) to release GLP-1 and reduce how “hungry” you feel as you eat.
Save your simple carbohydrates for the end of a meal, or for when you’re moving. Carbohydrates release less GLP-1 than fat or protein, so you don’t get as much “I’m full” signals if you eat carbs before fat.
Move around for 5-15min after you eat to increase circulation so that your brain can get the signals your guts are sending them.
Ozempic is a drug that supplements our body’s GLP-1 levels. GLP-1 is a signaling molecule that is produced in our guts in response to eating foods that are “high energy” - meaning, we release the most GLP-1 in response to eating fat, and then protein, and then carbohydrates. We always release some GLP-1 whenever we eat. GLP-1 has a number of actions in our body and on our brain. Two of the most important are (1) causing our pancreas to release some insulin and (2) causing our brain to release signals saying if we’re full (aka “suppressing our appetite”).
Our guts help monitor our how much nutrient we’ve eaten so that we don’t overeat. Our guts release the most amount of GLP-1 in response to fat since fat has the most calories/gram; ie. it’s the most “calorically dense”. If we eat a food that’s mostly just fat (like a hard cheese or bacon or an avocado), the insulin release will be small since there’s no simple carbs in those snacks. The GLP-1 will tell our brains that we ate something calorically dense and we don’t need to eat that much more to maintain proper energy levels. GLP-1 signaling should suppress our appetite and we should eat less after it’s release (unless there are other competing signals coming into our brains).
How “hungry” we feel is based on what types of signals our brain is getting from different parts of our body. There are times when we definitely ate calorically-dense foods, and have released GLP-1 to our brains, but we still feel hungry. Here are some reasons why we might be eating “enough” but still feel hungry (click here for more info).
1. Our muscles are giving signals that we’re moving a lot and we’re using a lot of energy up quickly.
2. Our brains are also getting signals that our BGLs are low and aren’t being brought up fast enough by our liver.
3. Our fat cells are giving signals that we don’t have enough fat stored on our bodies for proper functioning.
4. Metabolic imbalance (aka stress) is increasing inflammation that encourages our bodies to store, and not burn, fat.
So how is ozempic helping people lose weight? Ozempic is essentially increasing our GLP-1 signaling so that we can feel “full” faster. Can we do that naturally? YES. YES WE CAN.
We can increase our body’s natural “ozempic” (aka GLP-1) levels by eating fat and protein at the beginning of our meals. Start your meal off with some olive oil (fat!) and greens (essential nutrients!). Have a mid-day snack of nuts (fat! and fiber! and protein!) or hard cheese (fat! and protein!) instead of pretzels. Swap your sandwich out for a salad, drink a glass of water, and eat your fav local bakery’s sourdough after the salad. Save your bagels for before your workouts (fuel that movement) or after you’re done working out (build those muscles, store that glycogen). Smash an avocado (fat! and fiber!) straight into your face. JK, put it on some whole grain toast where you can “see the seeds” (fiber! and iron!). Walk around for 5-15min after you eat to increase circulation around your guts to help you digest AND to help the signals your guts are giving off actually get to your brain!
Moving around for 5-15min after eating will HELP YOUR BRAIN GET THE SIGNALS YOUR BODY IS ACTUALLY PUTTING OUT. If someone is considering taking a drug to lose weight but is not also doing things to increase metabolic balance, they are just going to throw their system out of whack and they are going to spend a lot of money doing it. What is the point of “feeling full” if you aren’t getting enough essential fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals? So you’ll feel full but then become vitamin deficient? Or throw your hormones out of balance? What is the point of suppressing your appetite when you can eat delicious food that also provides essential nutrients that you need to eat anyway? What is the point of losing weight if you are ignoring other health conditions that come along with metabolic imbalance?
Ozempic, and other drugs for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, are appropriate for people who are managing their health. They aren’t “weight loss” drugs. Yes people without T2DM can lose weight by taking ozempic, but seriously, this is a fixation on weight and not on health. Being ten lbs thinner doesn’t make you feel better. Having better metabolic balance makes you feel better. Caring about yourself and your health makes you feel better. Maintaining your foundational 5 habits makes you feel better. Weighing less just makes you weigh less.
1 in 3 people in the United States is currently insulin-resistant (pre-diabetic or has developed Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM). This is a serious condition that significantly increases the likelihood of dying from a heart attack (the #1 cause of death in America, coincidently, also 1 in 3 people), of developing an immune condition, and of developing cognitive dysfunction including Alzheimer’s Disease. Pre-diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes are both manageable and reversible. Maintaining metabolic balance is essential for maintaining, and restoring, insulin sensitivity.
Baggio, L. and DJ Drucker. (2007) Biology of Incretins: GLP-1 and GIP. Gastroenterology.
Wang, XC et al. (2015) Multiple factors related to the secretion of Glucagone-Like Peptide-1. International Journal of Endocrinology.
