Semaglutide and Weight Loss
Can a new FDA approved weight loss drug help you hit your body composition goals? It may sound too good to be true, but hang on a minute— this treatment could be the very thing that gives your weight loss journey the boost it needs!
Semaglutide, a new drug treatment for chronic weigh management, was approved in 2021 by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) to use in conjunction with a lifestyle intervention. That is some groundbreaking news! Let’s take a look at how Semaglutide may be able to support your weight loss efforts. Here’s to supporting your hard work and optimizing your weight loss results!
How Does Semaglutide Cause Weight Loss?
Alright, so what does Semaglutide do, exactly?
Semaglutide works in quite an amazing way to potentially aide in weight loss and weight management. Semaglutide helps to promote weight loss is by mimicking a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). This hormone targets areas of the brain responsible for regulating appetite and food intake. The recommended dosage of semaglutide can actually work by controlling and reducing a person’s appetite, making a weight loss journey way less uncomfortable and more maintainable than ever!
We all know the struggle of trying to lose weight, only to end up gaining it back when the diet becomes impossible to maintain. Why is it that we seem to fail at every diet we try? Maybe it’s not us failing the diet— it’s the DIET failing us!
Our bodies are designed to keep us alive, with built-in compensatory mechanisms that seem to work against our weight loss efforts. As we’re about to discuss, however, our struggle with weight loss is not due to a lack of willpower! Stop putting the blame on yourself for something your body is innately designed to do. Our bodies are so complex, and even further, are tied together with our brains and emotions. So before we jump into the details about how semaglutide may help, let’s promise to be a little kinder to ourselves, okay? Okay.
Here we go!
How to Lose Weight Without Starving
How many times have we been made to feel like it should be so simple to lose weight, and to “just eat less and exercise more?” Oh, okay, Karen, that may be great for you, but there are actually many reasons why losing or maintaining one’s weight might be way more difficult for some people. From invisible illnesses and hormone imbalances, to long-term medications and genetics, there are absolutely countless reasons why you may have a harder time maintaining a healthy weight than crop-top Karen at your local gym. Not that there’s anything wrong with a good crop-top, of course.
When a person is categorized as obese, he or she is often wrongly presumed by society to be lazy, overindulgent, or simply lacking willpower and discipline. Let me tell you, in most cases, that could not be further from the truth! The more society shames and degrades people in larger bodies for having struggles with their weight, the more of an uphill battle it becomes for those who are trying to actually lose the excess weight. Feelings of shame and guilt can trigger unhealthy behaviors, resulting in cycles of restricting and binging, and ultimately, more weight gain and lower self esteem.
Instead of putting the blame on the individual, let’s take a look at some facts. In a large and groundbreaking study following the contestants of a certain popular weight loss show (*cough* The Biggest Loser *cough*), some shocking and insightful discoveries were made.
Here’s the quick breakdown:
First of all, as we know, everyone has a resting metabolic rate, or RMR. If you were to lie in bed all day, the number of calories your body burns to survive (think breathing, organ functions, blood circulation, and basic brain functions) is your resting metabolic rate. You may want to get an idea of yours with a resting metabolic rate test.
People with a higher BMI burn slightly more calories per day than people with a lower BMI in order to maintain the same weight. That means that a person in a larger body is accustomed to eating a larger quantity of food, without necessarily experiencing further weight gain. Why is this important?
Due to this, people in larger bodies can feel even more deprived on a calorie deficit or weight loss diet than a smaller-bodied person on the same number of calories! But that is not all.
When a person loses weight, it is expected for him or her to experience a metabolic slow down. This slowing of the metabolism would, in theory, slide down the scale in alignment with the decreasing weight of the person. However, what the studies actually found was a decrease in metabolism of the dieting individuals by 500 calories!
That’s where you may have heard the term “metabolic damage” start to be thrown around.
To put that into perspective, in order to maintain their weight loss, the contestants would have to eat 500 calories less than another person with the same BMI would have to eat in order to not gain weight. That could be the difference between a balanced 1500 per day calorie diet for a particular individual and a dangerously low 1000 calories per day diet! Not only will this constant restriction likely result in a binge, or even an eating disorder, but it can also lead to deficiencies in the body, and even malnutrition. No, thank you!
Okay, all of that research is very compelling and all, but what does it have to do with your weight loss journey? And is semaglutide a factor here?
As you start to make lifestyle changes, such as eating more vegetables and fruits, lean proteins, and healthy fats, you may struggle with feelings of hunger driving you towards those high calorie foods your body is used to. A GLP-1 receptor agonist such as semaglutide can not only increase insulin secretion, which is good for diabetes, but also help to tame your hunger and primal desire to consume more calories.
Your body is really smart, and it wants to maintain homeostasis.
What does that mean? It means it doesn’t want anything to change! It will fight very hard to keep things how they are, which includes fighting against weight loss in most cases. Your body is designed to survive times of famine by holding on to energy as fat when it senses a threat, so your best efforts to diet could be thwarted by your hunger hormones!
Since semaglutide acts on the brain to suppress the appetite, it may help you adhere to a reduced-calorie diet. That means you could stop feeling hangry 24/7 every time you try to lower your weight!
With the Adele weight loss story splashed across all forms of media, and the Lizzo weight loss story not far behind, it’s no wonder we’re all left searching for ways to attain our own weight loss goals. Aside from societal pressure, however, there are several very good reasons that some people may benefit from losing weight.
Unexpected Benefits of Weight Loss:
- Reduced risk for heart disease. Maintaining a lower BMI could put you at a reduced risk for heart disease and other problems throughout your life.
- Lower blood pressure. Take a deep breath and let that blood pressure start to come down naturally!
- Increased energy levels. Many people report a huge spike in their energy levels when they lose even a relatively small amount of body fat!
- Improved mobility and joint health. In some cases, extra weight can put extra pressure on a person’s knees, back, ankles, and feet. Over time, this pressure can prevent the person from enjoying exercise, or activities such as cooking healthy meals or taking a walk with loved ones. It’s these health-promoting habits that we want to encourage, so if a gentle weight loss journey can support longevity, it may be a great option!
- Better-balanced hormones. While some hormone imbalances can be the culprits of the weight gain in the first place, getting your weight to a healthy level may support a healthy hormone balance. If you are suspicious of a hormone imbalance, talk to your doctor to explore your hormone therapy options.
How Much Weight Can You Lose on Semaglutide?
Now that we’ve gone over some bonus reasons for why you may want to lose weight, the question begs, how much weight can semaglutide help you lose?
After several intense 68-week trials (we’re talking double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled studies), the FDA approved semaglutide for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or overweight with at least one weight-related condition, for use in combination with a reduced-calorie healthy diet and and increased exercise regimen. That’s a mouthful, huh?
All that said, the stats were pretty staggering! Check out the numbers for yourself as we dive further into the studies.
Semaglutide Weight Loss Results
The results are in, and according to studies, semaglutide can do some major heavy lifting in the weight loss department! Due to the amazing results that participants in multiple studies have shown, many people are calling semaglutide a miracle FDA approved weight loss drug. That is some high praise! Let’s take a look at the results of the studies to get a little bit more information about how semaglutide works to support weight loss.
Participants in the trials lost an average of 37 lbs with the 1 mm per week dosage of semaglutide! In the largest placebo-controlled trial, the participants who received the semaglutide lost 12.4% of their initial body weight compared to those who received the placebo. Those results speak for themselves!
Semaglutide Weight Loss Where to Buy
If you’re sold on giving semaglutide a try, you’ve come to the right place! Talk to one of our specialists today to find out more information about semaglutide. You can get going with your semaglutide treatments right here at Elite Health Online!
Always consult your healthcare practitioner before starting any new weight loss diets, products, or exercise plans to make sure they are right for you.
Speak with our professional team today to find out more about if this FDA approved weight loss injection could be your next step forward on your weight loss journey!
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Wishing you health and happiness, warrior!
