Should you take weight loss drugs?

measuring tape

I saw an article this week that detailed the sad story of a woman who took Ozempic for weight loss. Initially, things went great, and she lost a great deal of weight. However, when her price for the drug went higher, she had to quit taking it and gained all the weight back plus an additional 15 lbs.

Because we sell nutritional supplements, you probably expect me to get on an anti-pharmacy soapbox and say “I told you so.”

I am not going to do that.

I have not seen evidence that drugs like Ozempic are overly harmful in themselves. In fact, they are usually just appetite suppressants. Appetite suppressants help lower calorie intake, and that is a good thing. We sell appetite suppressants here too.

As an aside, I want to point you to this video I recorded a few months ago. It discusses the different categories of weight loss products and how they work. While it is fairly lengthy at 25 minutes, it may help you if you are in weight loss mode and considering supplements or drugs.

Back to Ozempic, here is my general thought: Ozempic does what it is supposed to do, but it cannot rewire the mind, and it cannot create the habits and discipline needed to change eating behavior once the drug usage is stopped.

In short, Ozempic is designed to only work when you are taking it. I am not saying that in a derogatory way; the same is true of our appetite suppressants too. It is pretty much true of every category of weight loss products.

This is why, while I talk a lot about weight loss here, I don’t talk much about the weight loss products we sell. I see weight loss products as a small part of the equation. Essentially, they can help you lose weight faster to get to your target weight faster. That is a positive thing; use appetite suppressants with my blessing, whether pharmaceuticals or supplements.

However, you should not depend on these kinds of products to maintain weight loss long term. Long-term weight maintenance does not require any expensive drugs or supplements. For most of us, it just requires a few wiring changes between the ears. Focus on that; that is what is going to make or break your weight management success.