Weight reduction with Ozempic or Wegovy comes with a logical, however doubtlessly jarring change in consuming habits.
Each medicines comprise semaglutide, which mimics a hormone that tells the mind you’ve had a meal. Sufferers taking the medication really feel much less starvation and so they can expertise negative effects similar to nausea, affecting how a lot meals they’ll tolerate.
Jeannine DellaVecchia says she would generally pressure herself to eat when she was taking Ozempic as a result of she would have “completely no urge for food,” was “fully nauseous” and “vomiting on a regular basis.”
“Some days, I’d have omelets simply to attempt to get one thing into me,” DellaVecchia, 40, who works for a hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, tells TODAY.com.
“You don’t really feel like consuming… it simply wasn’t good for me.”
DellaVecchia was prescribed the Sort 2 diabetes therapy Ozempic to deal with signs associated to insulin resistance attributable to congenital adrenal hyperplasia and polycystic ovary syndrome. Weight reduction wasn’t a precedence though she says she was intrigued that the drug may additionally assist her slim down.
It did simply that, with DellaVecchia dropping 30 kilos between August 2022 and February 2023, when she stopped taking the drug as a result of she couldn’t tolerate the negative effects, she says. DellaVecchia is at present nonetheless at her lowest weight of 152 kilos and making an attempt to take care of the load loss with a nutritious diet and the assistance of her registered dietitian, Emily Rubin.
“I’ve seen sufferers with power nausea and vomiting on (semaglutide), which may trigger dehydration and malnutrition for those who can’t get sufficient energy or fluids day by day,” Rubin, director of scientific dietetics within the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at Thomas Jefferson College Hospital in Philadelphia, tells TODAY.com.
How you can eat whereas taking Ozempic and Wegovy
Wegovy, which is authorized for weight reduction by the U.S. Meals and Drug administration, ought to be used along with a decreased calorie weight loss program and elevated bodily exercise, the company notes. Ozempic shouldn’t be authorized for weight reduction by the FDA, although many individuals are utilizing it off-label for that objective.
Sufferers making an attempt to shed extra pounds with both drug ought to work with a dietitian for a guided meal plan, however generally, they need to purpose to eat 1,200 to 1,800 energy a day relying on their preliminary weight, Rubin says. A rule of thumb is that consuming 500 fewer energy a day than typical will result in a weight lack of about 1 pound every week, she provides.
Eat a variety of totally different greens and wholesome proteins as the inspiration of your weight loss program, advises Dr. Louis Aronne, an weight problems drugs doctor and director of the Complete Weight Management Middle at Weill Cornell Drugs and NewYork-Presbyterian.
“We’ve accomplished research displaying that for those who eat greens and protein first, after which have carbs in the direction of the tip of the meal, it really is helpful to your blood sugar, most likely to your weight as properly,” Aronne, who’s a scientific adviser for Novo Nordisk, the corporate that makes Ozempic and Wegovy, tells TODAY.com.
“The cornerstone of the weight loss program needs to be actual meals… wholesome meals.”
Essentially the most excellent state of affairs can be to decide to consuming more healthy meals as semaglutide is lowering starvation and cravings for unhealthy choices, says Dr. Zhaoping Li, professor of medication and chief of the division of scientific vitamin on the College of California, Los Angeles.
“You possibly can have the prospect to make the fitting selections — to eat good meals,” Li tells TODAY.com. “There’s nothing higher than you not solely shedding weight, but additionally total consuming a lot more healthy meals.”
For these on the drug, Rubin recommends growing your consumption of lean protein similar to hen, turkey, fish, eggs, beans, soy and low-fat dairy. You probably have no urge for food or nausea, strive low-calorie protein drinks, she provides.
She advises a minimal of 60 grams (about 2 ounces) of protein per day, ideally unfold out over meals and snacks. Protein preserves muscle mass and supplies amino acids wanted for progress and growth, says dietitian Kristin Kirkpatrick.
Greens and fruits, that are stuffed with nutritional vitamins, minerals and fiber, are important for a wholesome weight-loss program, Rubin notes. She additionally recommends one to 2 day by day servings of wholesome fat similar to avocados, nuts and seeds.
Select a small quantity of entire grains — a half-cup serving per meal — similar to whole-wheat pasta, whole-wheat tortillas, quinoa or candy potato, Rubin advises. These are advanced carbs which might be excessive in fiber.
How you can handle nausea whereas taking Ozempic and Wegovy
The most typical negative effects of Ozempic and Wegovy embody nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, abdomen ache and constipation, in line with Novo Nordisk.
Rubin suggested sufferers to speak to their physician about any bothersome signs and talk about one of the best dose of every drug to reduce negative effects.
Sufferers begin with the bottom dose and steadily work their method as much as larger doses, Aronne says. Medical doctors know how you can handle the issue of nausea, he provides.
Some sufferers obtain anti-nausea medicines, however Li cautioned towards taking one other drug. Most anti-nausea medicines carry important negative effects, she notes.
“We name (nausea) a aspect impact, however really that’s how the drug may work — by making you are feeling you don’t need to eat,” Li says.
Usually, if the dose is raised slowly and medical doctors advise sufferers to not eat previous the purpose of fullness and to note which meals might exacerbate their signs and eat much less of these, the negative effects are properly tolerated, says Dr. Ania Jastreboff, director of weight administration and weight problems prevention on the Yale Stress Middle in New Haven, Connecticut. She serves on the scientific advisory board for Novo Nordisk.
For instance, DellaVecchia likes hoagies, but when she would attempt to eat one, it could make her sick, she says. A greater possibility was yogurt with almonds, peanuts and a few cinnamon, which she discovered scrumptious and filling.
One other Ozempic affected person beforehand advised TODAY.com that greasy meals generally was “actually arduous” for her to eat after beginning the medicine.
Li factors out that is not a foul factor.
“In the event that they really feel nauseated with high-fat meals, that’s really nice, proper? We don’t need saturated fats. We don’t need an excessive amount of oil. That’s good,” Li says.
“There are additionally individuals who really feel sweets will not be as pleasurable as they was once. I’d say, OK, nice with that as properly. For those who’re probably not having fun with your typical American weight loss program — that may be both ultra-processed carbs or high-fat weight loss program — that’s an important factor.”
If a affected person nonetheless experiences a variety of negative effects after altering the meals they eat or how a lot they eat, it might be time to again down on the dose of semaglutide, Li says.
Rubin provided these tricks to cut back nausea:
- Keep hydrated by ingesting eight cups of fluids similar to water or calorie-free electrolyte drinks per day.
- Drink ginger or peppermint tea.
- Attempt ginger chews or capsules.
- Eat smaller, extra frequent meals.
- Don’t eat or prepare dinner strong-smelling meals.
- Keep away from sizzling, fried or greasy meals.
- Don’t eat too shortly and don’t have a big drink with meals.
- Don’t lie down quickly after consuming.
- Don’t put on tight garments round your waist.
Novo Nordisk had these extra ideas:
- Eat bland, low-fat meals, like crackers, toast and rice.
- Eat meals that comprise water, like soups and gelatin.
- Go exterior for contemporary air.
DellaVecchia says as quickly as she stopped taking Ozempic, the starvation got here again. She’s been capable of preserve her weight reduction up to now.