How Does Semaglutide Work for Weight Loss?

Ozempic®. Wegovy®. Rybelsus®. What do these medications have in common? They all contain the active ingredient semaglutide.

Semaglutide can help people with excess weight and obesity lose significant amounts of weight, but what exactly is going on there? How does semaglutide work for weight loss?

The short answer is that semaglutide suppresses appetite, makes you feel fuller, and curbs food cravings, helping you stick to nutritious food choices and avoid overeating.

The long answer? Keep reading. We’ll cover the different ways semaglutide promotes weight loss, who can take the medication, and how much weight you can expect to lose on it.

Here’s a quick biology lesson on semaglutide’s mechanisms of action (stick with us — we promise it’s brief).

Semaglutide belongs to a class of medications called glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, or GLP-1s. These prescription drugs mimic the GLP-1 hormone, which is made naturally in the gut.

When you eat, your gut secretes GLP-1. The hormone triggers a release of insulin, which helps glucose (blood sugar) move from your blood into tissues, where your body uses it as a source of energy.

GLP-1 drugs follow the same process. They bind to GLP-1 receptors in the pancreas, triggering a release of insulin and lowering blood sugar levels.

Semaglutide also delays gastric emptying — in other words, it slows down the rate at which food leaves the stomach. This can increase satiety (feelings of fullness) and help you feel fuller for longer after meals.

Semaglutide Can Reduce Food Noise and Cravings

One more important factor for weight loss: GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide can activate GLP-1 receptors in the brain. This can reduce appetite and the reward value of food, curbing cravings and dialing down food noise (obsessive thoughts about food).

This was found in research funded by Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of the diabetes and weight loss drugs Mounjaro® and Zepbound®.

What does semaglutide do to your body? In real-life terms, here’s what you might feel when you take semaglutide:

• Less hunger

• More fullness or feeling fuller sooner

• Fewer food cravings

• Less food noise

All this helps you stick to nutritious food choices and avoid overeating, promoting a calorie deficit (when you eat fewer calories than you burn). When your body doesn’t get all the energy it needs from food, it burns body fat for fuel instead. And voila! — weight loss.

“The goal of GLP-1 drugs is to decrease hunger. It’s the change in diet that actually causes the weight loss,” explains Craig Primack, MD, a physician specializing in obesity medicine.

Things can get a little more complex than that, of course. We’ve covered more about how weight loss works in our blog.

Also, FYI, the effects of semaglutide can work long-term to help with chronic weight management after you’ve reached your goal weight.

In general, you may qualify for semaglutide if you have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. Patients can also be eligible with a BMI of 27 or more with a weight-related health condition like:

• Type 2 diabetes

• Hypertension (high blood pressure)

• Dyslipidemia (high cholesterol)

• Sleep apnea

• Heart disease

Semaglutide may be prescribed for different reasons and some forms may be more suitable for you than others:

• Ozempic. Ozempic is approved by the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) for type 2 diabetes. But it’s sometimes prescribed off-label to people with excess weight or obesity who don’t have diabetes.

• Wegovy. Wegovy is FDA-approved for those who have excess weight and obesity with the BMI qualifications we mentioned above.

• Rybelsus. Rybelsus is an oral form of semaglutide. It’s FDA-approved for diabetes, but (like Ozempic) it’s sometimes prescribed off-label for weight loss.

• Compounded semaglutide. Compounded semaglutide isn’t FDA-approved, but it contains the same active ingredient as Ozempic and Wegovy. It's typically prescribed for weight loss.

There are a few cases when you shouldn’t take semaglutide, like if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding.

A healthcare professional can give you medical advice that takes into account your weight, goals, current health, and medical history to let you know if you’re a good candidate for semaglutide.

Semaglutide, just like any drug, comes with potential side effects. The main ones reported in Ozempic trials include nausea, diarrhea, and constipation, but you can learn more about semaglutide side effects in our guide.

The amount of weight you can lose on semaglutide varies from person to person. It’s based on numerous factors, like genetics, how your body reacts to the drug, the lifestyle changes you make, and more.

But in general, you can expect to lose a significant amount of weight. A 2021 study funded by Novo Nordisk (the manufacturer of Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus) looked at almost 2,000 people with excess weight or obesity, but not diabetes.

Participants took Wegovy (that’s a 2.4-milligram dose of semaglutide) or a placebo each week for 68 weeks. They also made healthy lifestyle changes to their diet and exercise routines.

At the end of the study, the group taking Wegovy lost an average of almost 34 pounds and almost 15 percent of their body weight — significantly more than the placebo group.

Not bad, huh?

When it comes to compounded semaglutide, Hers customers report an average weight loss of nine pounds in their first month taking compounded GLP-1 injections.*

FYI: Compounded drug products aren’t approved or evaluated for safety, efficacy, or quality by the FDA.

*Based on self-reported data from approximately 2,100 Hers customers on a personalized treatment plan, including compounded GLP-1 injections, along with a reduced-calorie diet and exercise. Customers reported their weight at their initial medical consultation and their first check-in approximately four weeks later. Stopping weight loss treatment has been shown to result in weight regain.

Semaglutide can be an effective weight loss tool when diet and physical activity aren’t enough. How does semaglutide work for weight loss? It works in a few ways to help you achieve your weight loss goals.

Here’s the TL;DR version:

• Semaglutide mimics a natural hormone made by the gut. GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide mimic the GLP-1 hormone. They bind to receptors in the body, triggering insulin secretion and lowering blood sugar (among other things).

• Semaglutide lowers hunger. It acts on parts of the brain linked to appetite and reward. And it slows gastric emptying, making you feel fuller for longer. You might find it easier to eat fewer calories when taking semaglutide, promoting weight loss.

• It also curbs cravings and turns down food noise. It’s not just your hunger levels. Semaglutide can change how you think about and crave food, making it easier to stick to nutritious choices and avoid overeating.

If you’re considering weight loss medications, you can take our free online weight loss assessment to find out if you’re a good candidate.

A licensed healthcare provider on our platform will go over your answers and recommend a weight loss treatment plan to suit your needs. That may include semaglutide or a more suitable treatment option for you.