Many people use semaglutides like Ozempic for weight loss, but can you use them to lose a small amount, say, 10 or 20 pounds? On average, people can expect to lose 5 to 10% of their body weight over several months while taking semaglutide. For example, a small study found that participants with a BMI of 27 or more lost an average of 14 pounds after three months of weekly injections. This breaks down to approximately 4-5 pounds per month. Ozempic belongs to a class of drugs called GLP-1 receptor agonists, which act by mimicking the effects of a hormone that helps control blood sugar, slows digestion and may help reduce appetite. While these effects can lead to weight loss over time, Ozempic doesn't usually produce quick results. There are multiple doses that can only be increased once a month.
The most pronounced weight loss with Ozempic occurs between 6 and 12 months of use. For those looking to lose just 10 pounds quickly, this can be frustrating. Based on clinical trials, people who take a weekly dose of semaglutide can expect to lose an average of 5 to 10% of their body weight. Overweight patients lost 5.9% of their body weight after three months of weekly injections of semaglutide.
The average weight loss was 10.9% after 6 months of weekly injections. So is tirzepatide better than semaglutide when it comes to losing weight? As described above, with semaglutide, the average weight loss is 7.59 pounds in the first month, 12.86 pounds for the first two months, 18.23 pounds for the first three months, and 23.49 pounds for the first four months. Based on data from randomized controlled trials, you can expect to lose up to 5% of your weight in one month if you take semaglutide (Wegovy). After taking semaglutide for two months, you could lose up to 8%.
For many people, especially those who have been taking the medication for a couple of months and, as a result, have lost weight, taking Ozempic has not only helped them lose weight, but it has also freed them from the constant internal noise surrounding food, which is commonly referred to as “food noise””. If you take Ozempic to lose 10 pounds and then quit after reaching your ideal weight without changing your lifestyle or eating habits, “you're likely to regain the weight,” he says. However, if your goal is to lose just 10 pounds, you may want to consider if Ozempic is the best option for you. For example, in one study, patients who took semaglutide lost an average of 6.7 kg (14.8 pounds) in the first 3 months, resulting in a 5.9% weight loss from their starting weight.
And while technically many semaglutide medications are only approved for weight loss in people who are overweight or obese, it's understandable to wonder if you could use Ozempic to lose weight in smaller amounts. You may start to lose weight with semaglutide in the first four weeks of treatment, but it may take several months before you notice all the effects. While individual results vary, studies and clinical trials have shown that many people experience noticeable weight loss within the first month after starting to use semaglutide. Most of this weight loss occurs in the first 32 weeks (9 months) and stagnates, as the body adjusts to the medication and patients find a sustainable way to eat.
People with type 2 diabetes, which semaglutide treats, may lose weight more slowly than those who do not suffer from it. Semaglutide should not be used for people who just want to lose weight for a vacation or an upcoming event, such as a wedding. In a trial with Ozempic, which lasted 1 year and 4 months, some people took longer to lose weight, but most people began to lose weight in the first four weeks. Semaglutide is approved for people who need to lose weight because excess body fat has a negative impact on their health and quality of life.
From the graph below, you can see that patients who switched from semaglutide to tirzepatide, either because of the increased side effects of semaglutide or because they felt that they had reached a dead end with semaglutide, continued to lose weight with tirzepatide. That said, in theory, Ozempic could be used to lose a smaller amount of weight, but it's not recommended, says Dr. Kunal Shah, adjunct professor in the endocrinology division at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center.
