Semaglutide for Weight Loss: Here’s How It Works

Most adults in the United States find it challenging to maintain a healthy body weight — nearly 1 in 3 American adults (30.7%) are overweight (BMI of 25 to 29.9), and more than 2 in 5 adults (42.4%) are obese (BMI of 30 or higher). 

The bigger picture behind these troublesome statistics? 

As more Americans than ever before find themselves burdened by excess weight, the serious, preventable health conditions that so frequently come with it — including heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes — are also on the rise.   

As a family medicine provider and medical weight loss specialist, Tyneza Mitchell, FNP, and our team at Comprehensive Care Clinic in Spring, Texas, know that when you have obesity, losing just 5-10% of your body weight can make a real difference to your health. 

For decades, FDA-approved weight loss medications have played a pivotal role in helping people shed excess fat and reach a healthier BMI faster. Today, we’re going to explain how the latest advancement in anti-obesity medication — semaglutide — works. 

Anti-obesity medication basics 

For people with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above, or those who have a BMI of 27 or above along with weight-related comorbidities like diabetes or hypertension, anti-obesity medications (AOMs) can make weight loss headway faster than lifestyle modifications. 

 The FDA has approved six weight loss medications for long-term use. Most prescription weight loss drugs work by making you feel fuller faster or less hungry overall; one FDA-approved medication affects the way your body absorbs fat from your diet. 

 Rather than offering a miracle solution or an easy way out of making healthy changes, however, weight loss medications are a tool that supports your efforts to make the necessary dietary and activity changes that can lead to sustainable long-term weight loss.       

A short tutorial on semaglutide

Initially approved under the brand name Ozempic® as a treatment for type 2 diabetes in 2017, semaglutide is an injectable peptide medication that activates receptors for a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). Released within your gut when you eat, GLP-1 prompts your pancreas to release insulin.   

Essentially, semaglutide mimics GLP-1, prompting your body to release enough insulin to control your blood glucose (sugar) levels after a meal.

Beyond blood sugar control

After noticing that weight loss is common among people who take semaglutide for type 2 diabetes, researchers discovered that at higher amounts, this GLP-1 agonist interacts with the parts of your brain that regulate appetite and satiety.

Not just a matter of willpower

Semaglutide is now the most recent addition to the FDA’s list of approved AOMs. Approved under the brand name Wegovy® in 2021, semaglutide is still making waves three years later: Its proven efficacy for weight control has led to repeated shortages as well as a scramble for unauthorized alternatives. Semaglutide aids weight loss by:

• Suppressing appetite and food noise, or the constant thoughts of food
• Prompting your stomach to empty itself more slowly after mealtime
• Making you feel satiated (full) more quickly and for longer with less food

By highlighting the value of treating obesity as a chronic and complex metabolic disease, semaglutide and other AOMs help bust the myth that “willpower” and lifestyle changes are all it takes for anyone to lose weight. 

How effective is semaglutide?

When combined with diet and exercise, semaglutide can help you attain significant weight loss — and lower your risk of the serious health conditions that commonly occur alongside obesity, including cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. 

A recent study of 2,000 adults with obesity compared people who used semaglutide to support their weight loss efforts (dietary and exercise changes) to those who made the same lifestyle changes without semaglutide. After 68 weeks (17 months), researchers found that the GLP-1 agonist had substantial effects. 

Specifically, the average adult using semaglutide lost 15% of their body weight, or about 35 pounds with an average starting weight of 231 pounds. About 1 in 3 adults achieved a 20% weight loss, dropping an average of 46 pounds in the same amount of time. Those who took the placebo only lost about 2.4% of their weight (an average of six pounds). 

Can you benefit from semaglutide?

Semaglutide is a long-term medication, meaning most people who start a weight loss plan that includes these weekly self-injections must take the medication for many years — or indefinitely — to maintain effective weight control.  

The bottom line? There’s no single “best” way to manage obesity; just as every person is unique, so is every long-term weight management plan. To find out if semaglutide may be right for you, call or click online to schedule a consultation at Comprehensive Care Clinic in Spring, Texas, today.