How to get the most out of your time on Semaglutide:

Some muscle tissue will be sacrificed any time you are losing weight. The goal is to lose as much FAT tissue while maintaining as much muscle tissue as possible. Your appetite is going to be decreased substantially, and your ability to eat larger portions of food is going to be affected by this medication. If you make the wrong nutritional choices, situations like "Ozempic face" and "Ozempic butt" are possible. Your body WILL consume protein, regardless if it consumes it from your dietary intake or from storage within your body known as muscle tissue. Prioritizing protein in your diet is one method to help avoid muscle loss while losing weight. 

A simple goal would be to consume the same number of grams of protein as the weight you desire to be. If you want to weigh 120-125lbs, try to consume 120 grams of protein! Animal protein (aka, meat) is going to be your best source, but even Dr Easley has supplemented protein intake when necessary.

A simple recommendation here...if you are out to eat, eat ALL of your meat portion before moving onto the side dishes. Don't let your stomach's new limit get hit prior to getting that protein in!

Another way to help avoid muscle loss while losing weight is to stress your muscles with exercise. We are HUGE fans of resistance training, where you move MORE than your body weight. 

There are increased benefits here that should be noted. Your muscles will not only be stronger and less likely to be lost during weight loss, but your ligaments, tendons, and bones all respond to stress and increase in their density to help avoid conditions like osteoporosis later in life.  

Ladies, don't worry, you do not have the genetics to get "bulky" from moving weights around! 

Completely shifting your life to avoid everything you loved with food in order to lose weight in the short term will only backfire in the long run. Occasionally, plan to have a small endulgence, and only purchase enough of that endulgence to have for that day. Buy a single cookie from your local bakery, not an entire package of cookies from your grocery store. 

The vast majority of our patients experience minimal to no side effects at all. The side effects that are possible include nausea, upset stomach, diarrea, and constipation. 

The most common side effects we have seen in the office are short term nausea that was easily rectified when treating it like hypoglycemia. Dr Easley has experienced nausea and keeps a tin of Altoid mints in the office, and has noticed that his nausea clears up within minutes. Another common side effect has been constipation or slowed bowel movements. Many of our patients have used over the counter meds and increased their water intake to help with this, and we recommend not letting this situation to build up for multiple weeks before treating.

We love our patients. We really do. We just don't want to see all you walking back through the door again unless it's still "less" of you. If you have had a GLP-1 helping to modify your hunger and ability to finish meals for 6-12 months and then stop the medication cold turkey here is what is likely to happen:

Week 1 with no GLP-1, you don't notice a lot of changes, but you're suddenly able to finish that burrito bowl you typically only made it 2/3 the way through. You might also notice you reach your hand into the candy jar a few times during the week when you previously ignored it.

Week 2 with no GLP-1, the medication is nearly out of your system now. Your will is being tested and you are being tempted to order more than you know you should eat from that new burger joint across the street from work.

Our recommendation?   Taper off of the GLP-1 medications if at all possible. We realize this adds some expense once you've already lost weight, BUT you slowly have those temptations and urges return a little at a time as your reduce the dosages.

We have seen a lot of patients for GLP-1 medications and truly believe they are the most effective medications we have seen since we opened in 2010. Outside of what we have seen, the research has been extensive on how effective GLP-1 medications can be, leading to the FDA to approve these medications for weight loss.