2024 semaglutide (ozempic/wegovy) support

azkunk

Happy New Year!

I have been looking for a space to discuss the journey to health and wellness while using semaglutide but I am not really finding one that is active. So, with the new year dawning I am hoping to find some others on this journey to share experiences, successes and challenges. Deciding to start this medication is not one that is made lightly. So, please don’t feel the need to talk negatively about the medication. I want this to be a place for support for those that are on the medication. The decision is personal.

In July ‘23, I was at my heaviest and my A1C was 5.9 (pre-diabetes). So, I started metformin and a keto lifestyle. I lost almost 10 lbs in 3 months but my A1C rose to 6.1 and my Dr recommended ozempic which I started on 11/16. I am currently still on 0.5mg and have lost almost an additional 11 lbs. It’s not the drastic loss others have had but I am ok with it. Slow and steady is what is needed and 11 lbs over the holidays is pretty good.

So far, the only side effects have been constipation and a little nausea if I eat too much. My fasting blood sugars instantly improved. I have gotten a little lazy over the holidays and need to get back to tracking to ensure that I am getting enough protein and fiber.

So who is with me?

amykathleen2005

Hi

I started in July 2023 at 225.2 lbs. Currently almost 6 months and have lost 35 lbs. Been on 0.5 ozempic this whole time. Only side effect is constipation.

azkunk

That’s great! I am happy at the 0.5 as long as I keep making progress

Kathrem

I have been on it for six months and haven’t lost anything but my HgA1c did decrease by 0.3. I am on 1.0mg dose. I’m a bit disappointed but trying to stick with it.

azkunk

@Kathrem A drop in A1C is something to celebrate. What kind of diet are you following? I’m doing low carb which is probably why it’s slower going. Keto was too unsustainable for me.

azkunk

Back to work today after 10 days off. I’m so happy to get back into my normal routine!

jessicameadsstephens

I just took my 5th dose, I am down 16 pounds and feel fine, only side effect has been constipation. I am looking for some friends to help be accountable and help cheer each other along.

deena2304

Congrats on starting your journey. I’ve been on Ozempic since September. I’ve lost 34 lbs. Been very lucky with no side effects, maybe a little digestive upset the morning after my shot. I am at the 1mg dose. I’ve been using the WW app but I’m trying this app because WW doesn’t provide calories, carb or protein info.

Melwillbehealthy

I’ve been on ozempic for 11 months. I’ve lost 48 lbs. I also count calories, exercise, etc. I’m serious about my weight loss. My dose has been as high as 1.5 mg. which I didn’t like. Now I take.5 mg. My goal is to stop taking it. The reason I’m still on it is that it has other health benefits that the doctor likes. However, I need to discuss this with the doctor.
I was diagnosed with T2D 11 months ago. I changed my lifestyle at the same time I started taking ozempic. I’ve slowly increased my activity level, and eaten healthier as time goes on. Yes, ozempic is a great tool to use to get started on a weight loss journey, I know it helped me. However, I’m concerned about its continued use and side effects. I am seeing a specialist tomorrow and hope to get some answers to my questions. Good luck to anyone using it.
Also, I think ozempic stopped helping me lose weight after 3 or 4 months.

ekfulton

Just took my second dose of semaglutide-also working out both cardio and weights. Diet is focused on getting my protein grams within calorie count (1300)

melissamathis545

Girl this is incredible! Dont worry about all the noise, you are taking a step to get healthy and that’s all that matters. Protein is a huge need. I coach a nutrition based health program and have several clients that are on the shot. They are able to do both and have seen incredible results.
Protein is so important not only in general but so incredibly important during the weight loss phase because you don’t want to loss muscle.

allisonlstock

I started wegovy, which is a higher dose form of ozempic, in Oct. I'm down 20 lbs. I have about another 20 to go. I'm a middle aged woman deep in throws of perimenopause and menopause. Weight just crept on no matter what I did including diets like Ideal Protein. I'm a toxicologist by training so I am pretty comfortable discussing side effects, etc. For me personally, I've had nausea and vomiting. As for concerns over long term adverse health endpoints, the benefit of both ozempic/wegovy and mounjaro/zepbound far outweigh any risk of side effects at a population level. At the population level, the data indicate that the decrease in heart disease, decrease in type 2 diabetes/ better maintenance of diabetes, and orthopedic issues is huge. My cardiologist recommended it to me after trying everything else. I was a healthy eater before and as active as I can be with osteoarthritis. Even 20 pounds down has made a huge improvement in my activity level. Things I can confidently say on using Wegovy is that keto does not work and it is contraindicated on all of the drugs. Healthy fats in smaller amounts work. Also complex carbs are good.

Melwillbehealthy

Well, I saw the doctor at a diabetes clinic today. We discussed ozempic. He’s the second doctor I’ve seen that says it’s the best drug for my diabetes. He doesn’t think that after 11 months it’s helping with weight loss though. My body is used to it now.
@allisonlstock my doctor agrees with you about the health benefits outweighing the risks.

stephy2v

So glad I found your post, thank you! I have been on Wegovy since March of 2023. It was a little rough in the beginning with nausea, but over time, that was eliminated. After titration to the highest dose over several months, I am now back down
to the 1.7 dose for maintenance. I have lost 60 pounds…pounds equal to my age. I was pre-diabetic, had hypertension, IBS, and lots of joint trouble. A couple of weeks ago, I had my bloodwork done, and am happy to celebrate my results…everything was significantly improved. No longer pre-diabetic, A1c normal, much lower blood sugar, much lower cholesterol, etc. I’ve been able to eliminate three medications. My numbers haven’t been this good in decades. Keep up the good work, and make no mistake, it still takes a lot of work and dedication. You’ve got this!

Mywishnow

Thank you azkunk for starting this thread!

I started Ozempic via an online compund pharmacy with my dr's blessing last month. The name brand stuff was cost prohibitive for me since my insurance did not cover it. I took my 1st shot 12/4 at .5 intial reaction was a bit of nausea and LOTS of fatigue. I also experienced constipation so I added additional fiber to my diet and focused on getting at least 100g of protein daily. I have lost 9 pounds in the first month which for me is impressive through Christmas and New Year's. One of the main benefits I have found since starting is the 'noise' in my head around food has significantly quieted. Today I stepped up to the next dosage level and will see how it goes.

I am turning 60 in a few weeks and I'm looking forward to slaying the yo-yo dieting dragon once and for all.

LoozinitinFL

Hey! Glad to have found this! I’ve been on Mounjaro since July 2022. I’m down 141 lbs since then and 181 overall. Getting so close to goal- it’s getting tougher. I’m losing so slowly now and I’m hungry at times when I didn’t used to be. Glad to meet you all!

lifesjustpeachy

Happy New Year! Jan 2 was diagnosed as T2D and prescribed Mounjaro and a Glucose Blood Pressure Monitoring kit that should be delivered in the next week. Nervous to start these meds; have been on BP and Cholesterol meds six months ago. Glad to meet you all in this group. Looking forward to learning from your experiences.

Corina1143

I'm not diabetic, not on these drugs. I am in awe of how much you all are losing, both weight and A1c points. @azkunk 20 pounds is a significant loss!

Congratulations to all of you!

azkunk

Wow, I was really busy this week and was surprised to see how busy it was here. I took my eighth dose on Friday and I was up almost 2 pounds from the previous week. I have not been great tracking but thought that I was doing ok. This week will be better and now that I started this thread and seeing the interest, I am feeling inspired and more accountable to get it together. My goal this week is to weigh and track daily. Drink more water … bought myself a hot pink Swig mug to help with that. And to be more focused on more protein and fewer carb.

@jessicameadsstephens - nice loss. The constipation is tough for me. I added magnesium in hopes that it will help

@deena2304 - 34 lbs down is great. I am worried about increased side effects if I go up to 1.0 but I feel like I might need to try

@Melwillbehealthy - what is your A1C. Is it still in the diabetes range. I too don’t want to be on this forever and I am hoping to reverse the pre-diabetes and eventually get off this medication and my BP medication

@ekfulton - we just got a bowflex delivered yesterday and I am looking forward to getting that put together and started some weight training. I have been trying to increase my daily steps but I need to make it more of a priority

@melissamathis545 -thanks for the encouragement and the protein reminder. What do you recommend for macro goals percentages? The program I was on through work before starting Ozempic was 30g total carbs and 12oz protein per day. I found that challenging to stick to

@allisonlstock - I am a nurse and in the middle of menopause. Menopause has changed everything but I am really encouraged by how things are going so far.

@stephy2v - I am glad you found it too. 60 lbs down, improved labs and off meds is inspiring and what I need to hear to stay motivated. Congratulations and thank you.

@Mywishnow - we are in a similar spot in our journey. I too am hoping this is the long term solution. I have found that food no longer seem to give me the same “OMG, this is SOOOO good” reaction” and I am able to leave some on the plate instead of getting “a little more”. I am very encouraged.

@LoozinitinFL - 141 lbs .. WOW, just wow 🤩

@lifesjust - welcome 🤗

@Corina1143 - thank you for the encouragement 😊

TracyWright99

Great to see this thread! I am on semiglutide that I titrate and administer myself. I'm up to about 30....milileters?? Don't know-the markings on the shot. Not sure how that compares to the 1 and 1.5. I had previously lost 58 pounds on a program but gained back about 1/2. I've lost 15 on semiglutide. Started in April and had lost 15 by beginning of July. Since then have held steady. I need to loose 17 more. Unfortunately, I have not been tracking or eating healthy all the time. I do work out regularly. Starting this year tracking etc so I know I'm getting what I need. Looking forward to keeping track of this thread.

azkunk

Costco run today and stocked up on all things protein… shakes, tilapia, salmon, chicken breast, and shrimp

jpate0914

I took my 1st dose of wegovy yesterday and the nausea last night was awful. I'm a lil better this afternoon. Hoping for success.

Briantime

I met with my doctor yesterday and I am going to begin Wegovy. Unfortunately, Walgreens is out of stock so there is going to be a delay. I am hoping this will help me get past that initial craving hump that has ruined so many of my efforts before.

richardprimerano793

Just started Zepbound 5mg. Anyone know what the best macros are to lose weight and retain/gain muscle?

karenmorgan946517

On my second week of oz. So glad the food chapter is reduced but still figuring out constipation. 177 down to 161 lost most of it before oz.

Evans1035

What is zepbound?
Also what does “you can use bbc code in your post mean?

Evans1035

Hi, all! 5-6 years ago I had lost 40 lbs just doing keto and was doing great, no cravings, no issues right up to my daughter’s wedding in May 2019. I figured I had maintained my weight loss for 2 yrs so I’d enjoy the wedding weekend and get back to maintenance on my keto. Well, once I had that weekend of eating whatever I wanted, the carb and hunger cravings started back up, and since then I’ve tried to get back to it, but here I was in July 2023 only 5 lbs less than where I originally started. My A1c was 6.3 and I also had fatty liver disease. My dr said let’s give rybelsus a try and started out at the 3mg, then 7mg, then 14mg. I did lose about 5 lbs but really had problems with the nausea and vomiting to the point where I carried plastic bags.
My A1c did drop to 5.8 which dr was very happy about, but not happy about the nausea and barfing, so she wanted me to switch to once weekly shot of Mounjaro because she said it might have less possibility of the nausea. I hate needles but I figured I could deal with a very tiny needle, so I started it on Saturday. It was really easy, and I could deal with once a week.
Also, amazingly my Medicare advantage plan covered it because of theA1c and diabetes dx. My copay was $47 and pharmacy showed I saved $1200.
Really focused the last few days on watching and logging what I was eating and this morning I was down 3 lbs! Looking forward to getting back down to where I was and getting off my BP meds and having a good A1c.
Sorry for the long post, but I couldn’t figure where to start to explain how I got back to where I was.

azkunk

Not a bad weekend. I stayed on track and made a workout plan to go with the new home gym. I even worked out today 💪🏼

@jpate0914 - hope you’re feeling better today

@briantime - I hope Walgreens gets your Wegovy in stock soon.

@richardprimerano793 - I have been trying to figure out the macro thing myself. I am focusing on staying < 50g carbs.

@karenmorgan946517 - increasingly fiber and miralax has helped

@Evans1035 - you got this!

mebranni9an

Hello everyone, I have been on semaglutide for 11 weeks and have lost 26 lbs. so far. My goal is to lose 80 lbs. overall. It controls appetite and cravings for me and I'm able to stick to 1200-1300 calories per day. I haven't had any adverse side effects apart from slight skin irritation at the injection site. The next step is to start a fitness routine to build more energy and tone. So lovely to discover this thread and to meet you all.

Corina1143

Zepbound is another brand of Mounjaro.
Calories are for weight loss.
Macros are for health. They can also help you stay within calorie goals. Experiment just a little to see what macros make you feel better.

Melwillbehealthy

@azkunk my A1C was 5.8 three months ago. I’m having it done again tomorrow.I hope it’s lower. It was well over 6 points when I was diagnosed 11 months ago. My doctor was happy with 5.8, however, I’d like it lower as I may stop taking ozempic soon if I can. I also want to stop taking the blood pressure medication as my blood pressure is normal now.