What's The Deal With Ozempic?

Every decade brings exciting new developments in the world of fitness. However, along with these advancements there are many scams that pop up. Different products or routines promise to be the new secret weight loss. Unfortunately, many end up falling for these scams wasting money and time. Ultimately, they fail to reach the goals they have set.

The other day, a friend of mine excitedly showed me his new “brown sugar pills” which claimed they would heal his “broken metabolism.” But pills are out, and there's a new kid on the block in weight loss innovation.

Ozempic is a treatment for diabetes. It has become a commonly used tool to lose large amounts of weight. Does it work, and more importantly, is it safe?

Ozempic works. Like, really, really well. Patients can lose twenty-five percent of their body weight in just a matter of months. This is because one of the side effects of the drug is that it acts as a hunger suppressant. That’s why it is prescribed for weight loss. Since weight loss is just burning more calories than you eat, killing your appetite makes things infinitely easier.

But, OK Ozempic does come with its problems. First, even though patients lose lots of fat, they also lose lots of muscle. This might be because they end up with a protein deficiency due to a lack of appetite. Even if your goal is to lose a lot of weight, losing lots of muscle is never a good idea. Feeling weak and fatigued all the time, struggling to pick up anything even slightly heavy, constitute a bundle of cons and no pros. Additionally, any nutrient deficiencies that were small before Ozempic will become more extreme once on it. This is once again due to the extreme loss of appetite. Less food means fewer nutrients.

Patients on Ozempic might lose a few dozen pounds, but it won’t last. Since the weight loss was only achieved by medically blunting their appetites, patients gained back pretty much all of the weight lost upon stopping usage.

If you think that you will be different, ask yourself: If I can have self-control without Ozempic, why do I need to take it in the first place?  Will a few months of injecting myself with diabetes meds really turn over years of bad eating and exercise habits? Or will I lose a few pounds, and then go back to fressing away once I stop?

So why not stay on it? Well, there isn’t really long term research on what happens if a non-diabetic takes diabetes meds. It’s a pretty foolish gamble to take, risking your long term health to look a little leaner. On the other hand, if someone is morbidly obese, the risks of Ozempic are probably pale in comparison to their current state. Heart failure is an especially prominent risk. Perhaps these folks take Ozempic just to get to a healthier body weight with immediate results.

All of these problems are in addition to the other side effects of Ozempic (nausea, diarrhea, etc.) as well as its extreme costs. It costs hundreds, sometimes even thousands for a prescription that only lasts a number of months. If one does decide to live the rest of their life injecting themselves, they will certainly spend tens of thousands of hard earned dollars.

A far better approach is to man up and start taking your diet seriously. Instead of spending all that money, just stop eating so many cookies. Count your calories, go for a walk or a run every day, and don’t be afraid to do some pushups.

Looking for quick fixes will only leave you frustrated. You spent years developing bad habits, and now it will take years to develop good ones. Take it day by day, take it seriously, and don’t quit.

---

Moshe Orbach was born and bred in Kew Gardens Hills. Moshe is a product of our yeshivah system and yearns to give back to his community. Fitness and health are Moshe's longtime passions. Moshe wants everyone to lead their daily life energized, and aware of their body's potential, no matter their age. Moshe can be reached for personal training, diet plans, and more at (917) 217-9271.