By now, most of us have become at least passingly familiar with weight loss medications, like Ozempic (semaglutide) and Zepbound (tirzepatide), which can help overweight people lose weight and achieve their health and fitness goals.
However, weight loss medication alone may not be sufficient to help you achieve your goals or keep the weight off in the long term.
Why is this the case, and what other steps are necessary to keep you fitter longer?
How Do Weight Loss Medications Work?
Weight loss medications like semaglutide and tirzepatide work in a number of different ways. According to Dr. Michael Snyder of FuturHealth, "There are currently innumerable weight loss drugs, medications, and supplements available, most of which have a combination of effects."
These effects could include the following:
- Decrease appetite. Some medications work by decreasing your natural appetite. This can be an effective way to facilitate weight loss, especially if you find yourself overeating because of constant cravings or hunger. For many people, the temptation to eat is too powerful to overcome, so decreasing that physical temptation is a reasonable strategy to facilitate greater weight loss.
- Increase satiety. Other medications work by increasing your satiety, or the degree to which you feel satisfied after eating a meal. When some people eat, they don't feel a complete sense of fullness until they're past the point of overeating, or that feeling of fullness is so delayed that it causes them to overeat. Increasing satisfaction with these types of drugs can also be effective in promoting weight loss.
- Block fat absorption. Other drugs work by blocking fat absorption in the body, precluding or minimizing fat storage directly. However, there are significant limits to this effect, and it isn't always helpful in eliminating fat that already exists.
- Delay gastric emptying. Other types of medications work by delaying gastric emptying. In other words, it slows down how your body processes various types of foods so that you feel fuller and longer, and so you're less prone to overeating.
- Increase metabolism. There are also medications that facilitate weight loss by increasing your metabolism, which essentially means ramping up your body's ability to burn energy. If you can burn energy faster and more efficiently, you may be able to lose weight more easily.
Although these effects are powerful, they may not be enough by themselves to help you achieve your fitness goals.
Why Medications May Not Be Enough for Your Goals
These effects can be powerful, especially if you stack multiple effects together. However, they may not be enough for you to achieve your goals. For example, it's still possible to eat more than you should, even if your appetite is lower or if you feel more satisfied with what you eat. Additionally, these effects aren't always very powerful, and they can sometimes have only a limited impact on how your body stores fat.
No amount of weight loss drugs can overcome poor lifestyle habits. That said, if you already have decent lifestyle habits in place and if you're willing to improve those habits, weight loss medications can facilitate greater weight loss.
How to Make Weight Loss Medications Work
In addition to taking weight loss medications, you should focus on the following:
- Diet. One of the most important factors to consider in pursuit of weight loss and greater health is your diet. In addition to taking weight loss medications, you should strive to eat smaller portions of healthier foods. Cutting out junk foods, eating more fruits and vegetables, and eating less overall can help you here.
- Exercise. Physical exercise helps you burn calories, relieve stress, and build muscle, all of which can help you look and feel healthier. Every adult should aim to get at least some physical exercise every day, even if it only amounts to a brisk walk.
- Rest and recovery. Your body needs to rest and recover if you want to continue losing weight in pursuit of your goals. That means getting enough sleep at night and giving your body ample breaks from heavy exercises.
- Stress. Too much stress can make it practically impossible for you to lose weight or even cause you to put on additional pounds. Use exercise and healthy coping strategies to reduce the stress in your life.
- Long-term management. It's also important for you to have a strategy for long-term management. Weight loss drugs can help you lose weight initially, but it's on you to maintain the healthy lifestyle necessary to keep that weight off.
Weight loss medications can have a significant impact on your ability to lose weight and keep that weight off. However, they aren't silver bullets, nor are they going to help you lose a lot of weight purely by themselves. If you want the greatest chance of succeeding in your weight loss goals, you need to incorporate weight loss drugs into an ongoing, healthy lifestyle.
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