The Rise of GLP-1 Medications in Weight Loss
Originally developed to treat Type 2 diabetes, GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro have completely reshaped how people think about weight loss. What was once framed as a matter of discipline is increasingly becoming understood as something far more complex — and, for many, treatable with medical support.
You’ve likely seen the dramatic weight-loss transformations from celebrities and personal friends alike. But those glossy before-and-after photos don’t capture the day-to-day reality of taking GLP-1 medications, and the range of mental and physical side effects they can bring on. That’s why we recently asked members of the Community who’ve taken GLP-1s to get brutally honest about their experiences.
The post gained so much traction that more people shared their personal stories about the myriad ways GLP-1s changed their lives, for better or worse. Here are 35 of them:
“I am so overjoyed taking a GLP-1 because I finally feel like a normal person. Zepbound allows me to NOT think about food ALL the time. I highly recommend taking the medication with a full nutritional team. I have an obesity doctor, a nutritionist, and a behaviorist, and I lift weights two to three times a week. I feel better at 70 than I did in my 40s. But it’s not all easy; it requires work. I have to watch my calories, the types of food I eat, and work out regularly.”
“I did lose weight on GLP-1s, but I had to stop taking them because I’m hypoglycemic, which is the opposite of diabetes. My A1C is 4.7%. When my blood sugar crashes, it goes down below 4%. It was crashing all the time.”
“I’ve been on Ozempic since the pandemic. I went from 300+ to 190 pounds. One side-effect I’ve got is ‘Ozempic butt.’ I miss my ***, LOL. I use mints to help calm sulfur burps. I don’t have as much energy as I did in my 20s, but I’m enjoying life once more, and clothes are starting to make me feel happy again. Bottom line: Ozempic isn’t for everyone, but if it’ll help control your diabetes, I say go for it, but don’t treat it like a weight loss ‘miracle’ drug.”
“Sulfur burps are caused by the slowing down of digestion, usually of meat. I have had sulfur burps since I was a kid, and I am almost 50 years old now. Mounjaro did not help that at all. Sometimes I have them so bad I get nauseous. Pepto Instacool helps some when it gets too bad. Eating less meat and chewing the meat very thoroughly helps, too. Yet I would still not give up the Mounjaro. I have not lost any weight, and I am at a high dosage, but that doesn’t matter to me. It has lowered my A1C levels. I went from an A1C of 14% down to 8%.”
It has also helped with my autoimmune triggers. I have not had a Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) flare in months. My sarcoidosis is under control. I have energy, and I am no longer using a cane everywhere. I have more good days where I do not need the cane than days when I do. Now that I feel better, I am moving more, so hopefully I can start an exercise plan and lose some weight soon.
“I started on GLP-1s after being diagnosed with hyperinsulinemia and fatty liver disease. I guess you could call it pre-pre-diabetic because I had normal A1C and glucose tolerance. I experienced the worst vomiting 48 hours after my first dose — every hour for 8 hours. I got better at avoiding foods that triggered it and taking Zofran to mitigate symptoms of nausea. I’m at the maximum dosage now, and still vomit from time to time — once a month or less. I stay with it because my liver looks better, and my pancreas isn’t overproducing insulin anymore. I attribute the weight loss to my habits and no longer being hindered by my physiology.”
“GLP-1s have been a literal lifesaver for me. Every single person in my family is/was a diabetic. No matter how many ‘right’ things I did, like diet and exercise, the chances of me developing it were extremely high. I lasted until my 30s. I’ve been on every medication you can name, and while they helped keep me out of the danger zones, my labs were always terrible. Ozempic has been a miracle. It’s the only medication that has improved anything. My last A1C earlier this month was 4.7%, which is outrageously normal even for non-diabetics. Some people worry about continuing to lose weight and becoming too thin on the medicine. I have been on it for several years, and while I did lose quite a bit of weight the first year, it eventually settled. If I were to up the dose, I would likely lose more, but there is no need.”
“I’ve been on the lowest dose of GLP-1 medication for two years. I never needed a dose increase. I’ve lost 45 pounds, no longer snack constantly, and have no food noise. Eating was something I did with family, making dinner every evening and cooking satisfying meals everyone liked…except me. I’ve never been a foodie; I just gained satisfaction from feeding everyone. Now, my kids are grown and gone, my husband has passed, and I maintain a weight of 100 pounds without even trying. I plan on staying on my GLP-1 medication for life.”
“I was on Wegovy for some time and lost over 100 pounds, which I have never been able to do in my life! I have tried Jenny Craig, Nutri System, Weight Watchers, paleo, Mediterranean diet, and countless others. This was the only way I was able to accomplish such a weight loss. I went off the meds because my insurance ended with retirement, and the food cravings and weight gain were so unexpected! I gained back 25 pounds in 5 months! I am starting to take the meds again now, and I will be on them for the rest of my life, which is fine because I am in the best health that I’ve ever been in.”
“I am on Zepbound, and while I knew constipation and stomach issues were common, I was not prepared for the constant stomach pain. I feel so full 99% of the time, even though I hardly eat any food. I’ve tried gas pills and peppermints, but nothing really alleviates the pain and fullness. Since I started several months ago, my stomach pain levels have stayed between 6 and 8. I just went up to a higher dosage, hoping to take off the last 15 pounds! I will say, before I started taking the medication, no diet or amount of exercise could bring my pre-diabetic numbers down. So, to me, the pain is worth it. Thirty-five pounds down in 10 months!”
“I was in my late 60s when my endocrinologist prescribed Ozempic for diabetes. I could deal with the nausea and constipation because my A1C was coming down. I had this ‘sunburn’ feeling on my arms and back, so I saw a neurologist and an allergist. When I stopped taking the injection due to developing pancreatitis, the ‘sunburn’ sensation went away. Then my daughter found a study done in England that many people using Ozempic also developed the strange side effect of feeling like they had gotten sunburned! Oh, and I had only lost 5 pounds with the medication, but gained 20 pounds after I stopped taking it.”
“I take Wegovy because I have a cardiac condition and struggled to lose weight the conventional ways. I’m nauseous ALL the time, and I’ve developed what’s called allodynia, a skin sensitivity to light touch, clothing, air, etc. It feels like a chronic sunburn. My dermatologist said it isn’t a common side effect, but I’ve read three research studies about it so far. I’ve lost 25 pounds so far, but I’m not interested in cooking, smelling food, or eating.”
“I had been taking Zepbound for 4 months, and in that time, I lost quite a bit of weight. I had far more energy and felt better about myself. The one side effect I had was severe constipation — so bad that it sent me to the ER. It was miserable and so painful. The straining was unbearable and caused me to have ruptured hemorrhoids. My provider referred me to a colorectal surgeon, and I will be running tests on my colon now. I’ve not taken Zepbound for over 7 months now, but I’ve been able to maintain my weight loss! I still find myself falling back into overeating at times, but I catch myself and get back on track. It’s not been easy. I am proud of myself for how much weight I’ve lost and kept off, but it definitely has come with a BIG PRICE!”
“I just started taking a GLP-1 in pill form. Right away, I noticed I was no longer interested in food (YAY!). Then, I got diarrhea. No painful gut, just liquidity. I wasn’t getting enough fiber. I don’t usually eat until the afternoon, so I had to change my routine. I added a small bowl of oatmeal or Raisin Bran in the morning, and that nonsense stopped. I’ve lost 7 pounds in the last two weeks. At this rate, I should be back to a normal weight by September. I did intermittent fasting back in 2020 and lost about 50 pounds. I maintained that for a couple of years, but I stopped being rigorous about the eating plan. Then, I had a few crises, started back into bad eating habits, and gained 30 pounds back. I am happy with this medication for now and will continue to use it for as long as possible.”
“I have been taking Mounjaro now for almost a year. After taking it for three months, one of the side effects was small bowel obstruction. I was in the hospital for three days, costing $24K total, $2,500 out of pocket. All the doctors that treated me told me to stop taking it. I have decided not to take it any longer. I just can’t afford to go through that again. I will deal with my Type 2 diabetes another way. I take insulin daily.”
“Taking Zepbound completely removed my desire for alcohol. I wasn’t a heavy drinker, but I enjoyed hitting the bar occasionally or having a beer here and there. It doesn’t sound appealing at ALL anymore.”
“I started Semiglutide with an online pharmacy because going through insurance was prohibitively expensive. I had been pre-diabetic for years, but insurance wouldn’t cover it at all, until I was fully diabetic! I initially lost about 20 pounds and stalled out, then switched to Zepbound and lost 50 more pounds. I had a few side effects, like serious heartburn if I ate greasy meat or too much fat and sugar. I’ve learned just to stay away from the greasy stuff, and to stop eating immediately when I start to feel full.”
(Cont’d) “One unexpected side effect was going down half a shoe size! I think it’s related to the reduction of inflammation. When I had my babies, my feet got a full size larger, which is fairly common. I found out when I went to buy new running shoes, because I’m running regularly now that don’t have joint pain!”
“Facial muscle loss is a problem for older adults over 70 years of age. On Mounjaro, I lost 50 pounds but gained 10 years in wrinkles. Collagen helps but doesn’t solve the problem, and I can’t afford a facelift!”
“In some rare cases, the GLP-1 drugs actually cause cravings. No one told me that until I mentioned to my doctor that I was craving carbs, and she replied that this was odd because for the folks who do get cravings, it was usually for fruit. I had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and had already lost 45 pounds on my own by eating healthier and exercising more before my doctor prescribed Ozempic. The side effects weren’t the greatest, but what was even worse was that while the Ozempic did lower my A1C levels, I ended up GAINING back 25 pounds of the weight while taking the drug.”
“So I went off the Ozempic, and the weight is still slowly coming off, but my A1C is slowly climbing back up again, too. According to my doctor, I am the third person she knows of who gained weight on these types of medications. It’s really rare, but yeah, it can happen.”
- “I have not seen this in any comments, but I am currently using Ozempic, have lost a decent amount of weight, my A1C is 5.7%, but I have this incredible craving for APPLES…ALL THE TIME! I don’t know if this is normal.”
“One thing I’ve noticed after starting GLP-1s is a change in my dreams. They are all dramas, not fun comedy, not **; just like watching non-stop cop shows. Really odd.”
“When on the lower doses of Mounjaro, I had non-stop nightmares. Every single night. They were really brutal, but seem to have vanished on the higher doses, thankfully. I’ve also noticed that I can finally stomach sweeteners without becoming very ill, which has done wonders for my diabetes! So, positives and negatives, each person will react differently.”
“The only ‘side effect’ I’ve encountered isn’t considered a scientific side effect. But for the 30 days that I’ve been taking GLP-1s, I’ve been experiencing vivid dreams (and sometimes nightmares) that wake me up drenched in sweat. I’ve always been a ‘dreamer,’ but the only time I’ve perspired like this was 40 years ago when I took aerobics! Now, I wake up, change my sleep shirt, and go back to bed. It also means showering, washing my hair, and changing my bedding more frequently. But as long as my cat doesn’t mind, neither do I! Six pounds down and 11 more to go!”
- “I took Wegovy before it became a viral sensation and lost 110 pounds in only 9 months! I had always been clinically obese, but nobody would have ever called me that just looking at me. But in reality, that weight was literally and figuratively weighing me down in life. Before taking Wegovy, I would work so hard at diet and exercise and lose 40 pounds over and over again. Any time I took my eye off the ball and enjoyed something that wasn’t low-carb, I would start to put that 40 pounds back on again. I started Wegovy and learned what food noise was and that it wasn’t about my willpower at all! There was definitely something wrong with my metabolism that Wegovy just fixed. It was amazing, and I felt free for the first time in my life. My only side effect was nausea and constipation. I learned to manage the nausea with small meals, and Miralax fixed the constipation completely.”
(Cont’d) “It was early on, so no one knew about that yet, and it felt like my doctor and I were learning as we went with very little help and support. I eventually switched to a 10 mg dose of Zepbound instead of the highest dose of Wegovy and have been able to maintain my weight loss with almost no side effects. At the lower dose, the food cravings start to come back at the end of the week when it’s time for my shot, but I’m still able to maintain the weight loss. I use Miralax daily for constipation and have no issues with nausea if my meals are small.”
“I experienced no muscle loss at all, but did strength training during the entire process while monitoring my body composition on my smart watch to maintain a consistent percentage. That’s the most essential thing: do strength training so you’re losing fat, not muscle. I wish I had known that some people get extreme fatigue at first, but I still wouldn’t have done anything differently. I’m still surprised sometimes when I look in the mirror and see the size two me instead of the size 20 woman I had become, but that has gotten better with each passing year. It’s definitely NOT a shortcut or taking the easy way out!”
- “I’ve had a problem with the nerves in my face my whole life, but it was minor. At 49, it went off the rails. Nothing helped it. I was also going through perimenopause, and my thyroid, after ailing for most of my 40s, died. My women’s health specialist treated me with thyroid drugs, and after my blood pressure shot up, she offered a GLP-1. I was heavier than I’d ever been, though still on the low scale of overweight. The GLP-1 is the only thing that did anything for my facial nerves. Three neurologists and two muscle relaxers were useless, but it’s much better now. It’s also brought my weight back to a normal level for me. No side effects at all. I threw up once after being on it for almost a year, and that was probably because I ate something bad.”
“My insurance doesn’t cover most of what I take for perimenopause, and it sure doesn’t cover GLP-1s. But I’ll pay vanity prices for the rest of my life to stay on and maintain a normal weight. I had a consultation with a pain specialist for my nerve issue, and he also prescribes GLP-1s for these conditions. Being thinner helped lower my blood pressure, and, in general, I feel like myself for the first time in years. I still need some additional treatment for the nerve thing, but if I don’t get it, that’s still ok. These drugs should be affordable and more widely available. I have fewer side effects than people who take blood pressure medications. I wish someone had warned me that this would give me my old life back. I would have asked to take them way sooner.”
- “I’ve always been obese, even with exercise. During COVID, I wasn’t getting as much exercise and also wasn’t eating as well, and managed to gain 40 more pounds. Then I found out that I have heart disease, which my family has a long history of. I completely changed my diet and increased my exercise to one to two hours per day, and I managed to get back to my pre-COVID weight. But I was still obese — no matter how well I ate or how much I worked out, I just could not drop any more weight and was stuck on addressing my heart disease risk factors like cholesterol, blood pressure, and triglycerides. Then I found GLP-1 medication, which I’ve been taking for about 2.5 years now. I kept up my exercise and eating healthy, but now I was ‘magically’ eating less! For the first time in my life, I knew what it was like to eat a reasonable amount of food and then feel full.”
(Cont’d) “I realized very quickly on the starting dose that I’d gone my entire life being able to eat basically a limitless amount of food without feeling full, and GLP-1 medication completely changed that. Now, when I eat a reasonable portion, I feel full, and the idea of continuing to eat after that just feels disgusting. I dropped 60 more pounds over the next several months and have maintained that weight ever since. My blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, and other factors are the best they have ever been in my life. I’ve been able to completely stop some medications and reduce my dosage of others.”
“Yes, there were some negative side effects, but I hardly deal with them, and the overall benefits for my health outweigh the minor inconveniences. I’m very thankful for GLP-1 medication and what it’s done for my overall health. Hopefully, someday, insurance companies will realize that taking this medication may help keep me from having a heart attack or stroke, and they’ll begin to cover the cost!”
“I didn’t expect the intense food aversions. Especially after eating something, you can become very averse to that food even if it was something you liked previously and enjoyed eating at the time. Not that you just don’t want to eat it, but the thought of it turns your stomach. Sometimes the aversion goes away, but not always. I used to love leftovers, but now I can rarely eat the same meal again the next day. Same for prepping a large portion of food for the week. And I still overshop for groceries because it seems like I should buy food, but then I don’t actually want to eat it.”
“Not a side effect, but no one warned me about how clueless so many medical professionals are about how GLP-1 medication works. I have had several doctors and a nutritionist express surprise that I am on Ozempic because ‘I am at a normal BMI.’ Like duh! How do you think I got here, and haven’t you been reading about what happens if you stop taking it?”
“I’m taking Wegovy. I recently had to go back down a dose after spending three weeks alternating between sitting on the toilet and sticking my head down it. The side effects have been pretty brutal. But I’ve lost 2.5 stone (16kg), and I’m happy with that so far. I’ve still got a long way to go, but I’m determined to do it. When I’m eating, it can be like flicking a switch. All of a sudden, I’m not hungry anymore. Sometimes I think I’m really hungry and then I start eating and realize I just don’t want it. I have no interest in fast food or takeout anymore. I still need to readjust my thinking a bit so that I don’t pile it all back on later. I’ll get there.”
“I wish someone had told me people would ask questions like, ‘Are you ok? You’ve lost a lot of weight, and your face looks skinny.’ I still have a lot left to lose to be truly healthy, too. I wish even more, though, that my mother could have taken GLP-1s. Her entire world would have changed, and she would probably still be alive today. I think of that so often. Remember, skeptics, obesity can be deadly. These medications can be lifesaving.”
“For the most part, I enjoyed my short time on the medication. I saw results within the first 4 weeks, and my joint inflammation decreased significantly. However, I would not describe myself as an anxious person. Still, while on the medication, I became anxious. I also started to experience bouts of hives, which I had never experienced before taking the medication. Needless to say, I stopped taking the medication, and the hives stopped, my anxiousness went away, and of course, I gained the few pounds I lost right back.”
“I have lost quite a bit of weight — close to 25% of my starting weight — taking Wegovy and then Zepbound, and I’ve hardly had any negative side effects. Interestingly, it has also reduced my interest in alcohol nearly to zero and has also eliminated any urge I had to bite my nails. I was a nail-biter in my youth, and have felt the impulse to bite daily until I started the GLP1s.”
“I’ve been on both Wegovy and Zepbound and I’ve lost 80 pounds with minimal side effects. I wish someone had told me it’s okay to be on a GLP-1! It’s not cheating, it’s not taking the easy way out. I was told by my cardiac specialist to lose weight for better heart health, and my general practitioner talked to me about the options for weight loss medications. At first, I was embarrassed, but after losing 80 pounds and going down 6 dress sizes with minimal side effects, it’s changed my life. I can shop for clothes wherever I want, and I still enjoy food and cooking; it just looks a bit different now. I prioritize protein and track everything, and work with a nutritionist to ensure I’m eating enough good foods daily.”
“I did not know that I would vomit during exercise when taking the medication. Several times while playing pickleball, I would have to run off the court and puke. Super embarrassing and totally uncontrollable. I have tried all sorts of anti-nausea meds, but it still happens.”
- “And finally, ‘I have lost 125 pounds in one year while taking GLP1s. It has been amazing, but I cannot poop. I have been to the ER once with impacted bowels. Even medication doesn’t help as much as I want it to; sometimes, it just causes so much pain that I vomit. The weight loss makes this side effect worth it, though.’”
You should always consult your doctor before making medical decisions. That said, we hope these stories made you feel seen if you’ve experienced something similar, or more informed if you’re deciding whether GLP-1s may be right for you.
