Medical Review by Jennie Stanford, MD, FAAFP
Summary:
- GLP-1 medications (like Ozempic® and Wegovy®) can help with weight loss, but plateaus are a normal part of the process.
- Metabolic adaptation and changes in appetite regulation can slow weight loss over time.
- Lifestyle changes, including a high-protein diet and resistance training, can support continued progress.
- Avoid adjusting GLP-1 doses independently; always consult a healthcare provider for guidance.
- Regular check-ins with a healthcare provider can help refine your strategy and maintain long-term success.
Use these steps to move past weight loss plateaus while taking GLP-1s
GLP-1 medications, including Wegovy® and Ozempic®, have become exciting new approaches to weight loss for many people. But, like other ways to lose weight, it’s important to know what to do if your progress slows down or stalls.
Instead of getting discouraged by a weight loss plateau, it’s helpful to understand why this happens—even with GLP-1 medications—and what you can do to get back on track afterwards.
This article explores why plateaus occur and offers practical tips to overcome them safely and effectively. We’ll also show you when to talk to your healthcare professional about medical support for weight loss and how they can help.
Why weight loss plateaus happen—even on GLP-1s
To tackle a weight loss plateau, it’s essential to understand why they happen. Research shows that as you lose weight, your metabolic rate often slows down. This is sometimes called metabolic adaptation.
But your metabolism isn’t the only thing that changes when you lose weight. Changes to your behavior, neuroendocrine, and autonomic responses also occur. This combination of processes is called adaptive thermogenesis, and it creates ideal conditions to gain back the weight you’ve lost or at least slow down your progress. As you lose weight, you might find yourself becoming hungrier or not feeling full as often.
Simply put: the fewer calories your body requires to function, the harder it becomes to continue shedding pounds. This process takes place no matter what approach you try for losing weight—but the good news is that certain methods can slow down the rate at which your appetite adapts to weight loss.
For example, GLP-1 medications have been shown to weaken the mechanism that makes your appetite increase as your body weight decreases. So while your weight loss can still plateau if you’re taking Ozempic® or Wegovy®, it probably won’t happen as quickly as it would if you were just cutting back on calories.
Still, it helps to know what to do if you’re taking GLP-1 medications to lose weight and noticing that they’re becoming less effective. That’s what we’ll cover next.
Lifestyle changes to overcome GLP-1 plateaus
The following lifestyle changes can support your use of GLP-1 medications so that they keep working effectively for as long as possible:
Eat a healthy & protein-rich diet
Eating a high-protein diet has several benefits that may help you keep making progress as your body adapts to the weight you’ve lost using GLP-1 medications. For example, eating protein can:
- Increase the amount of energy your body burns
- Make you feel more full than eating foods rich in carbs or fats
- Decrease your fat mass and prevent you from losing lean mass (improving your body composition)
It’s also important to understand that Ozempic® and Wegovy® are branded injectable forms of semaglutide that are meant to be used in combination with a healthy diet. When you talk to a healthcare practitioner about taking these medications, they will recommend a low-calorie, low-fat diet that you should follow during treatment.
Learn more: What should I eat if I’m taking Ozempic®?
Make a workout plan
Changing what you eat may not be enough by itself to help you break through a weight loss plateau. Certain types of exercises can also be helpful. Specifically, resistance training and strength-building exercises that promote muscle growth improve your basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the amount of calories you need to maintain your metabolism while you’re at rest.
In other words, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn—even when you’re not exercising. This can help counteract the effects of metabolic adaptation that cause plateaus during weight loss.
Avoid independent dose adjustments
If you’re facing a weight loss plateau while taking GLP-1 medications, you might assume that increasing the dose will help. However, this approach can be risky and counterproductive.
Taking too much semaglutide can come with several undesirable side effects, including severe nausea, vomiting, and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). In some cases, hypoglycemia can have serious consequences such as coma or even death. Other serious side effects are also possible.
For this reason, taking too much of any GLP-1 medication should be considered an emergency and may require help from a toxicologist or a poison control specialist. You should only ever take the amount of Ozempic® or Wegovy® that your healthcare provider has prescribed to you, and go to the nearest emergency room or call an ambulance as soon as possible if you believe you may have overdosed.
Work closely with your healthcare provider
Healthcare providers play a critical role in helping patients overcome plateaus. Checking in with your care provider regularly during your weight loss journey makes it easier for them to assess your progress, identify potential challenges that may be causing plateaus, and recommend safe, personalized adjustments to your weight loss strategy.
To help you overcome a plateau while losing weight, your healthcare provider may recommend:
- Changes to what you eat
- Adjustments to your exercise routine
- Behavioral techniques (including self-monitoring, goal setting, and cognitive behavioral therapy)
- Appropriate medication or other interventions like bariatric surgery
At Lemonaid Health, we specialize in providing accessible, ongoing support for patients using GLP-1 medications. Our team works with you to develop a comprehensive plan that integrates medication with lifestyle recommendations, setting you up to achieve long-term success in the safest and most sustainable way possible.
Keep making progress towards your weight loss with Lemonaid Health
Medication can help support your efforts to lose weight, but plateaus still occur. View them as a natural part of the journey, and as opportunities to reassess and refine your approach. The more you know about why plateaus occur, the more you can do to create a plan with your healthcare provider that keeps you on track to move past them.
Diet, exercise, and following the advice of your care provider can all help you keep making progress towards your weight loss goals. Above all, avoid the temptation to make independent dose adjustments or adopt extreme measures. Trusting your care provider is the best way to ensure that your plan remains safe and effective.
Lemonaid Health is here to help you navigate every step of your weight loss journey. Our US-based medical team can provide guidance to help you overcome plateaus, maintain your motivation, and achieve lasting progress. Get started today.
Ozempic® and Wegovy® are registered trademarks of Novo Nordisk, A/S.
