Struggling with food noise on Ozempic.

[Gingerkittykat]

I have been on 0.25 Ozempic for 4 weeks, prescribed by the diabetes clinic. I have been able to reduce my insulin by 20% and have lost 6lb. I will start the 0.50 next week. I had gained weight since starting insulin in December and have lost that, but still have a lot more to lose.

My appetite suppression has varied, sometimes I have seemed to have no restriction. Other times, like today, the thought of eating anything makes me feel sick as my stomach feels uncomfortably full, probably due to the roast dinner I ate last night.

I am struggling with head and mouth hunger (is this food noise?). I am craving food so badly, I have nice food in the fridge ready to cook, but I'm not physically able to eat it. I would love to taste it.

Does anyone else experience this, and if so, how do you cope with it?

Also, how was the transition between 0.25 and 00.50? I don't currently want more appetite restriction, but the main aim of me taking them is to reduce and maybe eventually cease insulin.

Can you switch to Monjauro? I had horrendous nausea on Wegovy (same as Ozempic), despite removing fatty foods, alcohol and fizzy water (reduction is recommended to counteract the nausea). I felt so ill I could barely move and would spend my spare time slumped on the sofa, not ideal for weight loss! I switched to Monjauro which has been a breeze, I feel normal and the only symptom is appetite suppression. It’s also been much more effective for weight loss.

I'm prescribed it on the NHS, so Mounjaro is not an option. The diabetes nurse made it very clear that medicines are prescribed for diabetes and not weight loss so they won't give me a medicine for better weight loss.

If I don't settle on Ozempic, the next option is another GLP-1 called Trulicity, which is good for blood sugar but not for weight loss. If that fails, they can prescribe Mounjaro bt I would rather try and make the Ozempic work for me.

I had massive success on Mounjaro (over 8 stone lost in 18 months). But as soon as I switched over to Wegovy (Ozempic), every benefit just fell away and I gained back 4 stone.

My experience is that there are no tips to make Wegovy (or any WLI) work better for you. They either work really well and you don’t need to do anything aside from eat how you want (because they make you want to eat smaller portions and take away food noise). Or they don’t work or have minimal effect and are just a small help with traditional dieting methods.

Ozempic is, I believe, the same as Wegovy, the food noise will suppress more as you go up the doses. 6lbs in a month is amazing but remember that amount is just to get your body used to the medication. Stick with it.

Not everyone gets, or wants, the appetite suppression people on GLP1s talk about. I had it for the first month or so and didn’t enjoy it, then never had suppression again, but I have still lost significant weight in the last 2 years.

What I’d did find is if I worked with it and followed the basics, it helped me sustain the changes for longer than I ever did before -

Lots of protein, at every meal, starting with breakfast
Fibre (if low increase gradually)
Minimise simple carbs/sugar/sweetener/UPF (I find these increase my cravings/hunger - even sweeteners, which doesn’t happen to everyone - so I only enjoy occasionally, mostly when out)
Eat whole foods that take time to chew to improve satiety signals
Eat mindfully and stop when full / or for me I never feel full and I stop when I lose interest in the meal and stop enjoying it (I find this happens with whole foods)
Hydration (Varies for everyone, I aim for a minimum of 2L a day)
Move if you can (walking for 15 mins or so after meals improves health, digestion etc)

The biggest lessons I had that the way I eat was contributing to my issues was the last two Christmas periods, when I slipped out of routine the cravings and bad habits came back hard, even when still on the GLP1 and it took a good 2-3 weeks to get back into it. They are amazing, but for me at least, I need to work with them.

If you are doing these already then great! If not they are all worth working on as they work with the GLP1 to help reduce cravings and reduce some side effects.

Going up a dose will hopefully also help, but as your medication will be titrated only as high as needed for your blood sugar rather than weight loss you might find you need to work with its more subtle benefits a little bit more than those with the option to increase further, but take the opportunity to try to use it alongside diet changes.

Good luck 🍀

Would you consider using Mounjaro to lose the weight as it’s far more effective than Ozempic for most people, then going back to Ozempic for maintenance?

Thanks for the advice. I was feeling miserable yesterday but woke up really hungry and had a small meal and was satisfied. My stomach does feel a bit too full still, so I need to revise my portion sizes.

I do generally eat fairly well but could definitely make some improvements. I also intend to go swimming once the local pool opens after it's been closed for maintenance.

I can't take Mounjaro because the pharmacies can't sell it to diabetics, as it needs to be supervised by a diabetes specialist.

I've started on Ozempic yesterday for diabetes. The specialist nurse prescribed it as I have a rising blood sugar, but I'm hoping to lose around 3 stone. I was given the choice of Ozempic or Mounjaro.