How much weight can you lose on Ozempic?
Reviewed by Felix Gussone, MD, Ro,
Written by Yael Cooperman, MD, Ro
LAST UPDATED: Aug 31, 2023
2 MIN READ
HERE'S WHAT WE'LL COVER
Since Ozempic became a popular off-label option for people trying to lose weight, there have been dramatic reports from patients about just how much weight they’ve lost while using the medication and others like it. But just how much weight can you lose on Ozempic? We’ll break it down.
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How much weight can you lose on Ozempic?
In clinical trials of Ozempic, which is one brand name of the drug semaglutide, people lose up to an average of around 6% of their body weight in their first year on the medication, so for a person who weighs 242 lbs, that would be an almost 15 lb weight loss. But that’s not true for everyone.
Factors that affect how much weight you might lose include whether or not you have type 2 diabetes, what dosage of the medication you’re on, how much excess weight you had to begin with, and whether or not you implement lifestyle modifications, such as diet and exercise, too.
People who have type 2 diabetes, for example, tend to lose less weight when treated with semaglutide than people without diabetes. Also, the amount of weight a person loses while using Ozempic depends on their dosage. In another trial, participants on lower doses lost less weight than participants using increasingly higher doses. Typically, when starting Ozempic and medications like it, healthcare providers will start patients on lower doses and slowly titrate that dose up to minimize side effects from the medication,
All in all, GLP-1 agonist medications like Ozempic and others do produce significantly more weight loss than diet and exercise alone. In one study comparing semaglutide vs. a placebo, those who took the placebo lost less than 4% of their body weight during a longer time period. Whether you are taking Ozempic to manage type 2 diabetes, weight, or both, it is important to remember that the medication is most effective when combined with lifestyle changes like diet and exercise.
Try out our calculator to see how much weight you might lose while using Ozempic:
Enter your current weight (lbs):
232
Weight you could lose (lbs):
32
DISCLAIMER
If you have any medical questions or concerns, please talk to your healthcare provider. The articles on Health Guide are underpinned by peer-reviewed research and information drawn from medical societies and governmental agencies. However, they are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
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Wilding, J. P. H., Batterham, R. L., Calanna, S., et al. (2021). Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity. The New England Journal of Medicine, 384(11), 989–1002. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2032183. Retrieved from https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2032183