Does semaglutide for weight loss actually work? Wegovy, Ozempic & the Alternatives

You’ve probably seen the Wegovy craze on the internet by now. A celebrity favorite for dropping pounds quickly, people are swearing by semaglutide for weight loss. But, does it actually work? And is there an alternative solution? The answer may surprise you.

Ever wish you could just pop a magic pill and have all your weight problems just magically disappear? What if it really could be that easy? 

That’s the promise of the hot new weight loss drugs that everyone is suddenly talking about.

So are they worth it? Is this the solution we’ve all been waiting for? Does semaglutide for weight loss actually work?

That’s exactly what we’ll be talking about today…and I’m telling you right now—some of the answers might shock you!

We have a BIG topic to jump into today, and I’m excited to talk about it! But I’m also a little bit nervous because I want to make sure I do it justice. It’s been in the news a LOT lately, and honestly, it seems like everyone is talking about it—and that is the subject of these new miracle semaglutide weight loss drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic.

Suddenly celebrities that have historically struggled with their weight are miraculously shedding pounds overnight. Some admit to taking the drugs, and some still deny it, but all the whispers are there.

“It’s a miracle.”

“Everyone is taking it.”

“The weight just falls off.”

And for those of us normal people who have spent too many years on that diet shame spiral, those are some very tempting claims. So tempting, in fact, that we’d be willing to shell out roughly $900 a month to get your hands on them. Yup, in case you’re wondering, that really is currently the going rate.

If It Sounds Too Good to Be True, It Probably Is

My dad used to always tell me, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” So I can’t help but be more than a little skeptical. 

Honestly, I’m not a big believer in big pharma and haven’t been since my early twenties. I spent two and a half years being pumped full of every antidepressant and anti-anxiety pill on the planet, only to find myself getting worse and worse and worse.

Now I’m super wary of all of it. I don’t like medicine or drugs in any form, and I tend to avoid them at all costs. I don’t even like taking Advil because of what it does to your gut health!

Give me allllllll the supplements and essential oils, and natural remedies! Give me the colostrum and beef liver powder and the spirulina and the red light therapy. But don’t make me take drugs.

Maybe all of this makes me some kind of conspiracy theorist or woowoo hippie girl, but I really do have a huge distrust of a multi-billion dollar industry that has a vested interest in keeping me sick. Especially an industry that has proven itself, time and time again, to not be trustworthy.

A Tempting Proposition

But even with all of that, I’ll admit that when I first heard about the new drugs, Wegovy and Ozempic, that all the celebrities are apparently taking, my first reaction was, “Woah, I want that!” Because it’s just so tempting, isn’t it?

Especially if you’re like me and you have struggled and struggled and struggled with your weight for so long. If you’re exhausted by the constant battle and that shame spiral, and that feeling that you’ll never really get a handle on it.

Or if you just really love food and would rather take what seems like the easy route—the path that doesn’t require you to actually give up anything that you love.

So today, I really want to take a deep dive into understanding how these drugs work. What they are actually doing inside your body? What are the benefits? Plus, also explore the downsides and the side effects and ultimately compare THAT to the alternative of changing the way you eat.

That way, you can make an informed decision. Because ultimately, knowledge is power when it comes to your health. So let’s dig in, shall we? 

What is Semaglutide, and how does it work for weight loss?

So first things first, what exactly IS semaglutide, and how does it work?

Semaglutide is the main active ingredient in both Wegovy and Ozempic, and it is a type of medicine called a glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1) receptor agonist. This is just a really fancy way of saying that it helps your body release certain hormones in order to control blood sugar levels. 

Basically, GLP1 agonists work by mimicking the activity of a hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1). This hormone is naturally produced in your gut and helps regulate the amount of glucose released into your bloodstream after you eat.

What this means is that the drug interacts with your body’s GLP1 receptors in order to help regulate your blood sugar & insulin levels.

And when your blood sugar and insulin levels are regulated, it not only helps you control your hunger and cravings, it allows your body to burn fat rather than store it, which in turn leads to weight loss.

Sounds pretty good so far, right?

In fact, it might sound like something you’ve heard before if you’ve been researching the science of low-carb diets or you’ve been following Thinlicious™ for a little while.

Because this is actually EXACTLY how a low-carb diet works and why adopting a low-carb lifestyle is so effective. It, too, helps to regulate your blood sugar and insulin levels so that your body can burn fat for fuel rather than storing it. 

The benefits of semaglutide for weight loss

So now that we understand a bit more about how the drugs work, let’s explore some of the benefits of semaglutide like Wegovy and Ozempic. I’ll be honest, there definitely are some big ones that are pretty tempting.

Significant weight loss

First and foremost, taking either Wegovy or Ozempic can lead to significant weight loss in people with obesity, especially people who have not been successful with other treatments. In studies, participants lost an average of 10-13% of their body weight over the course of a year, and some even more.

Better quality of life

For people who are severely overweight especially, these drugs can also lead to significant improvements in quality of life, as well as reductions in blood pressure, cholesterol, and other markers of metabolic health.

And any time you lose weight, you’ll likely see an improvement in your overall health. 

You’ll sleep better. You’ll have more energy. Your clothes will fit better.

Fewer cravings

Plus, because drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic help regulate your hunger hormones, you’ll likely find yourself with fewer cravings and feeling fuller faster after meals. You don’t really have to worry about what you’re eating or worry about eliminating certain foods.

All of that sounds pretty darn good, right? Who WOULDN’T want all of that?

Side effects and downsides of semaglutide for weight loss

But, before you get too excited about this miracle drug we’ve all been waiting for, let’s spend a little time talking about the side effects and downsides. Because there are quite a few.

Severe physical side effects

First and foremost, like any drug, for a large percentage of users, these medications cause some pretty severe side effects, including:

• nausea
• vomiting
• diarrhea
• constipation
• headaches
• dizziness
• fatigue

Many users report simply not wanting to eat because they feel nauseated all the time, which honestly doesn’t sound that fun to me.

I don’t know about you, but I HATE the feeling of being nauseous.

Potential for more health complications

But even worse, there’s also the potential for more health complications such as pancreatitis, an increased risk for heart attack and stroke, as well as kidney and liver damage. These are rare, but they do happen. So it’s important to be mindful of these effects if you’re considering using either Wegovy or Ozempic.

It also means you’ll definitely need to weigh the risks against the potential benefits.

Only available as injectables

Another big downside is that currently, both drugs are administered as injectables. Wegovy is an injectable drug taken once a week, while Ozempic is an injectable drug taken once a day.

While some people might not have an issue with this, and it likely gets easier the more you do it, it’s still something to consider if you’re thinking of using either Wegovy or Ozempic to lose weight.

Must continue to maintain results

Not only that, once you’re on these drugs, there’s no getting off them—at least not if you want to maintain the results. Because these drugs don’t require you to change your lifestyle or change the way you eat, the results are not typically sustainable without the drugs.

In fact, most people who stop taking them report not only gaining all their weight back but gaining it back and then some because all of a sudden, they are way more hungry than ever.

That means that you are committing to taking an incredibly powerful drug for the rest of your life before there have been any definitive studies showing the long-term effects of being on a drug like this for years and years and years.

Honestly, I think that’s the part that scares me the most because who knows what this really does to your body long term? 

Extremely high cost

And finally, it should be noted that both drugs are VERY expensive. While some people struggling with Type 2 Diabetes may be able to have semaglutide for weight loss covered by their insurance, for most people, Wegovy and Ozempic are not covered. So if you choose to use it, be prepared to pay out of pocket.

Comparing a healthy low-carb lifestyle to semaglutide for weight loss

So now that we’ve gone over all the pros and cons of using drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic for weight loss, let’s compare them to just simply eating a healthy low-carb lifestyle.

Because as I mentioned above, the crazy thing to me about these drugs is that they basically work the exact same way a low-carb or ketogenic diet works. They regulate your blood sugar and insulin levels, which in turn allows you to more easily burn fat.

This is important to understand because a lot of people think these drugs work because they make you less hungry, but that’s not true. You’re LESS HUNGRY because your body is burning fat for fuel and, therefore, already getting what it needs.

And that is what WE, here at Thinlicious, call being THIN ADAPTED (no injections necessary!).

The good news is if you can’t afford to spend a thousand dollars a month on designer drugs or don’t want to feel nauseated all the time or be stuck taking medication for the rest of your life, you can actually get all the benefits of the drugs (with none of the side effects) just by changing the way that you eat.

I promise you, big pharmaceutical companies don’t really want you to know that.

So let’s compare them side by side for a minute, shall we? Wegovy and Ozempic versus adopting a healthy low-carb lifestyle like the one we teach and advocate for here at Thinlicious.

No risk of dangerous side effects with adopting a healthy low-carb lifestyle

Yes, you may experience some uncomfortable feelings when you first start the diet, but those usually come from the fact that you are literally detoxing from a sugar addiction, and these will pass in a few days to weeks as your body adjusts.

The reality is that the food we put into our bodies is far better medicine than any pharmaceutical company could ever manufacture. It makes us healthy from the inside out and helps all of our systems work better.

A healthy low-carb lifestyle is much more sustainable than semaglutide for weight loss

While there’s no question that both drugs are effective at helping people lose weight in the short term, they don’t really teach you anything about actually changing your lifestyle and eating habits.

They’re a quick fix, sure, one that might seem far easier at first glance, but really they’re a trap.

On the other hand, when you adopt a healthy low-carb lifestyle and train your body to become metabolically flexible, you set yourself up for lifetime success. You know how to make the choices that will nourish your body, and you are able to easily maintain your results long-term.

To me, there’s nothing better than that.

A healthy low-carb lifestyle is less expensive than Wegovy and Ozempic

But from a practical perspective, it’s much cheaper to eat a healthy low-carb lifestyle than it is to pay for Wegovy or Ozempic every month! Sure, if you have insurance coverage for semaglutide, it might be a different story, but the long-term costs will still be significant. 

Is it really worth it?

My answer is no. But that’s just me.

Ultimately you are an adult, and you’ll have to make the decision that is right for you. But at least now you know where I stand!

Next Steps

Ready to lose weight and get healthy for life without dieting, drugs or making yourself miserable? Our brand new (and totally free!) on demand video training will help you understand why it’s been so hard and what do to about it.