New Weight Loss Medications & A Balanced Diet

The Rise of New Weight Loss Medications: A New Era?

Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Semaglutide and Tirzepatide. You can turn on your TV, open up social media, listen to the radio or a podcast, check news websites and see these words prominently across all platforms. Celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Amy Schumer, Tracy Morgan and Elon Musk have all opened up about their experiences taking these medications.

Weight loss medications seems to be top of mind across the board recently, but are they really all they’re cracked up to be? Are these the “miracle” weight loss drugs that we’ve all been waiting for? Is it really this easy to lose weight and keep it off? We’ll discuss what these drugs are and some ways to supplement them with reduced-calorie diet methods for comprehensive, whole-body wellness.

Understanding Ozempic, Wegovy, & Mounjaro

What is Ozempic?

Ozempic (semaglutide) is an injectable prescription medicine for adults with type 2 diabetes used along with diet and exercise to improve blood sugar. While Ozempic does not claim to be a weight loss drug, weight loss is a proven effect of using the medication.

What is Wegovy?

Unlike Ozempic, Wegovy is prescribed specifically for weight loss. Wegovy (semaglutide) is an injectable prescription medicine that may help adults and children over 12 years of age with obesity or some adults with excess weight who also have weight-related medical problems to help them lose weight and keep it off.

What is Mounjaro?

Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is an injectable prescription medicine that is used along with diet and exercise to improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes, making it similar to Ozempic for its intended use.

While Ozempic and Mounjaro are intended for use by people with type 2 diabetes, the effect of weight loss make both medications appealing to people who have struggled to lose weight, creating a much higher demand for them. Wegovy is prescribed specifically for weight loss and is FDA-approved for that use.

How Do These Weight Loss Drugs Work?

Ozempic and Wegovy both contain semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist. Semaglutide binds to GLP-1 receptors and stimulates insulin release from the pancreas. It aids with weight loss by slowing down how quickly food travels through your digestive tract, which is called gastric emptying. This may suppress your appetite and help you to feel fuller for a longer period of time, thus reducing how much food you eat.

Recommended Reading: A Wegovy Diet Plan

Mounjaro contains tirzepatide, a dual-acting GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist. GIP and GLP-1 are both natural incretin hormones. Mounjaro lowers fasting and glucose concentration after eating, decreases food intake and reduces body weight in patients with type 2 diabetes.

As a group, these medications are often called incretin mimetics because they mimic natural hormones that we have in our body like GLP-1, which can help you feel more satiated.

A recent study found that patients who received weekly semaglutide injections lost an average of about 15 pounds after three months and about 27 pounds after six months. Another study showed that people lost up to 20 percent of their body weight after a year on tirzepatide treatment.

Will These Medications Keep the Weight Off?

Although these medications will help suppress your appetite and cause you to eat less, it’s still important to maintain a healthy diet to supplement the medication and help sustain your weight loss. Studies have shown that once patients stop taking these medications, they end up putting the weight back on if they haven’t made other healthy, long-term changes to their lifestyle.

It’s important to use weight loss medication as a supplement to a healthy lifestyle of diet and exercise—not as the sole solution of your weight loss. While these drugs are not the be-all and end-ball solutions to losing weight and keeping it off, they can be a useful tool to keep in your arsenal on your healthy living journey.

Healthy Meal Options

We’ve been told all our lives that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and that’s because it’s true. It’s important to eat a balanced breakfast to give you energy, improve your focus and concentration, boost your immune system and help manage your weight.

• Pancakes: Start your day off right with a breakfast favorite. AmBari Nutrition’s pancakes are specifically formulated for medical weight loss patients. Top them with strawberries and blueberries to satisfy your sweet tooth in a healthy way.
• Oatmeal: ProtiDiet’s Banana Nut Oatmeal is a tasty, high-protein option for your first meal of the day. It’s easy to make too!
• Shakes and Smoothies: If you want breakfast to be easy and something more “grab and go,” AmBari Nutrition has a huge selection of shakes and smoothies to satisfy any appetite.

Read More: The Best Meal Replacement Shakes for Weight Loss

Much like breakfast, eating lunch is important to maintain the energy and concentration you gained from breakfast throughout the rest of the day. Lunching boosts your metabolism and increases your blood sugar levels. It also helps you from getting that dreaded “hangry” feeling.

• Soup: Spice things up at lunch with Numetra’s Buffalo Chicken Soup. This high-protein, low-calorie option is a satisfying and quick meal.
• Bars: If you’re typically on-the-go at lunchtime, AmBari Nutrition’s bars are quick, delicious option that you can literally grab and go since they don’t require any preparation

Read More: The Best Protein Bars For Diabetics

If you feel a mid-morning or afternoon snack attack, there are a lot of easy options to satisfy your appetite quickly and keep your energy up. AmBari Nutrition has snacks of all varieties, from pretzels and beef sticks to cookies and wafers, nourishing both sweet and savory snackers.

Dinner is important for your overall health and wellbeing as well. Eating dinner promotes good sleep, improves digestion and it is your last chance to get the nutrition your body needs before you go to sleep.

• Pasta: Designed for medical weight loss patients and low calorie dieters, AmBari Nutrition’s Cheese Steak Pasta gives you the beefy, cheesy Philly-favorite experience without the guilt.
• Chili: AmBari Nutrition’s hearty, flavorful Homestyle Chili appeals to vegetarians and carnivores alike and is packed with protein and zesty, bold flavors.
• Macaroni and Cheese: If you’re craving comfort food, good old mac-n-cheese tends to come to mind. AmBari Nutrition’s Macaroni and Cheese is an easy dinner option with a 3-cheese blend of cheddar, Romano and parmesan.

In Conclusion

There is no “miracle drug” or one-size-fits-all solution to losing weight and leading a healthy lifestyle—it takes hard work, commitment and longevity to get to where you want to be health-wise. Living a healthy lifestyle always takes a combination of things to make it sustainable for a lifetime. You have to train your brain to incorporate changes into your life, for your whole life—not just for a short period of time. When you combine healthy lifestyle changes with weight loss medications, you can find a recipe for success for your weight loss goals and overall wellbeing.

Writer: Kelli Comer Kelli is a professional freelance writer with more than 12 years’ experience. Much of her work focuses on how to live and maintain a healthy lifestyle. She researches diet trends in the media and current events to stay on top of what’s new in the weight loss industry.

Reviewed By: Dr. K. Huffman Dr. Kevin D. Huffman, D.O., is a board-certified bariatric physician renowned for his expertise in treating obesity. With over 10,000 patients and a reputation as a national leader in bariatric medicine, he has trained hundreds of healthcare providers. Dr. Huffman develops protocols and training materials for medical societies, pharmaceutical companies, patients, and hospitals.