Why Am I Not Losing Weight On Semaglutide?

It Helps Control Your Blood Sugar Levels

It helps keep your insulin levels steady and balances your blood sugar levels. This makes it easier for your body to burn calories for energy instead of storing them as fat. It helps prevent blood sugar spikes and crashes that might trigger cravings or result in overeating.

Helps Curb Your Appetite

Semaglutide also works to circumvent signals to and from your brain that create the cravings known as “food noise” and significantly reduces or stops them, which makes it easier for you to avoid consuming too many calories in one day.

Helps You Stay Satisfied Longer

It slows down how fast your stomach empties, which keeps you feeling full longer. When you feel full, you are less likely to eat, which makes it easier for you to stick to a low-calorie diet for weight loss.

Semaglutide May Not Be A Good Fit For You

If you are taking semaglutide and not losing weight like you expected, just remember that losing weight is complicated, and there is no single solution that works for everyone. Your body may react differently to semaglutide than someone else’s, and there could be underlying issues you are not aware of, such as a hormone imbalance or a thyroid problem.

Working with a knowledgeable weight loss doctor like Dr. Okeefe Simmons can help because he can help uncover these underlying issues, track your progress, and make adjustments if needed. It may be that a different medication like tirzepatide would be a better option for you since it affects not just the GLP-1 hormone but also GIP. The hormone enhancement it provides is a bit stronger, which could make a difference in how efficiently the body burns calories and stores fat.

Maybe Your Expectations Are Not Realistic

When you start using semaglutide, you might think that you are going to lose weight very quickly, but this medication is not meant to work that way. Some people may see fast results right away, but that is not how it works for most people. For the majority of individuals, losing weight with semaglutide happens gradually at an average rate of about 1 to 3 pounds lost per week. This slow and consistent progress is normal and considered the safest rate for sustainable weight loss.

If you have been seeing posts on social media showing dramatic weight loss results while your own scale refuses to budge, it can be frustrating. Do not be discouraged because these results are not typical, and everyone’s body responds differently to the medication, and results do not happen at the same pace. It may take some time for your metabolism to become adjusted to the semaglutide, and while it may seem on the surface like nothing is going on, there are many strategic changes happening under the surface, such as bringing your hormones in balance or adjustments that are optimizing your metabolism so it works at its best.

Something else to keep in mind is that it is normal to experience bloating or constipation when you first start using semaglutide, which can make you feel like no weight is coming off. The number on your scale might not reflect the progress your body is actually making, so it is important to try and be patient and give it time.

The “Effective Dose” Varies By Person

Like all GLP-1 medications, semaglutide is started at a low dose and increased gradually to help reduce common side effects like nausea and vomiting as your body becomes used to the medication.

Every person has their own “trigger level,” which is the point where there is enough medication in their system to incite weight loss. The time it takes to reach this level is different for each person, and there is no way to predict exactly when it will happen. If you have spent 3 weeks on semaglutide and had no weight loss, it may just mean that your body has not yet reached the dose it needs to trigger it.

You May Not Be Using The Medication Properly

The medication works best if you administer it on a regular and consistent schedule. It is important to keep a steady level of medication in your body because it affects how well your metabolism works, affecting how well you lose weight, so it is important to take your injections on the same day each week and at roughly the same time. You will get the best results if the medication remains at a consistent level in your body. Your doctor will help you determine the best dosing schedule for you and make adjustments as needed.

Medication Interactions

Some of your routine medications may be making it harder for you to lose weight or may even cause you to gain weight while using semaglutide. Make sure to inform your doctor about any medications or herbal supplements you take regularly during your first consultation so they can determine if semaglutide is the best choice for you.

You Have Not Fully Committed To Critical Lifestyle Changes

Semaglutide is designed to make it a bit easier to create the calorie deficit needed for weight loss, but it is not a magic potion that will do all the work for you. Achieving sustainable weight loss requires making some permanent lifestyle changes, such as consistently eating a low-calorie, healthy diet and avoiding foods that are unhealthy, getting plenty of exercise, and more.

If you think you can lose weight on semaglutide without dieting, you will probably be disappointed with your results. The medication may help you lose some weight when you first start using it, but chances are you will stop losing weight on semaglutide until you make some drastic changes to your diet.

Eating the right foods in the right quantities and exercising are very important if you want to succeed in reaching your weight loss goals when using semaglutide.

Other Lifestyle Adjustments

Unbeknownst to many, there are other things that can thwart your weight loss efforts even when you are eating the right foods and getting enough exercise. If you are dealing with high stress levels, your body will produce a hormone called cortisol, which can actually induce weight gain. Unmanaged stress triggers your body to start storing fat, so it is important to find ways to keep your stress level at a minimum. Some people find that running relieves their stress, and others prefer some type of meditation or a hobby of some kind, but it is important to find something that works for you.

Another thing that many do not know is that getting a good night’s sleep is very important when you are trying to lose weight. When you do not get at least 7 hours of sleep a night, it can result in an imbalance of leptin and ghrelin, which are the hormones that control hunger and cravings. This type of hormone imbalance can trigger cravings for unhealthy foods and prevent you from getting the full appetite suppression benefits from your semaglutide injections.

Switching Your Medication

You may wish to consider switching to tirzepatide weight loss injections to see if they work better for you. Both medications mimic the GLP-1 hormone, but tirzepatide also mimics another hormone called GIP, and this additional hormone can make it more effective for some people. Your body may not be responding to the semaglutide, but the combination of both hormones in tirzepatide may result in better weight loss.

A Non-Surgical Weight Loss Procedure

You may be a good candidate for a non-surgical weight loss procedure like an intragastric weight loss balloon or ESG (endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty), which reduces the capacity of your stomach using internal sutures and without any incisions.

Both are done as outpatient procedures and use a special medical device called an endoscope to access your stomach. Both the gastric balloon and ESG help you control your portions and stay feeling full longer, making it easier for you to follow your diet plan.

In some cases, non-surgical endoscopic weight loss procedures are combined with prescription weight loss medications to maximize results. Research has shown that using semaglutide along with an endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) can lead to significant weight loss. In one study, participants who used both treatments together lost nearly 27% of their starting weight within a year.