Ozempic with BMI 26 & blood sugar issues

[Anyoneelse1]

I’m sure I will be berated for this but here goes:

firstly I don’t live in the UK, so follow different guidlines.

I am in the (slight) pre diabetic range for blood sugar, with significant family history of type 2. My BMI is around 25.5/26. In my country Ozempic is allowed for weightloss with BMi of 27.

I am about 7 kg off my “happy / healthy” weight and despite healthy diet and 6+ hours per week exercise, I can’t shift the scales.

I don’t (according to blood test) have insulin resistance but my blood glucose is on the high side.

my dr recommended a short course of ozempic - 2/3 months to 1) lose the weight which may lead to 2) lowering blood sugar levels. Usual routes to bring these numbers down haven’t worked.

has anyone else used ozempic with this BMI? I feel nervous to go on serious medication for 5kg - but I do have to consider the pre diabetes implications if I can’t lower naturally.

sorry for the long post!

thanks

Hi, sorry no as in UK that would not be prescribed by a GP. Whether some people have bought it privately, online, would be a different matter.
has the Gp not suggested other options - a dietitian, exercise first?

My dr has taken into account my exercise level and my diet habits before recommending this. I could starve myself but I’d rather not!

Ozempic works for weight loss by making you feel full so that you eat less. Can you not just reduce portion sizes without it?

One thing to consider if the now confirmed rebound effect of Ozempic. You regain the weight after you stop, even when you keep the eating and exercise regime.
Try to lose it without the injections, because you have higher chances of keeping it off.

My BMI is 21 so thankfully no issue there but once I did 2 weeks of Bootcamp (say fit camp or similar) and I lost over 5kg. Could you do that instead? I mean ozempic is still a drug. The bootcamp is good fund intense and super healthy. A friend did a full week fast and she lost eve more and hasn't put it back (fast was last year). So many easy ways to lose that sort of weight without drugs.

Yes, that’s my hesitation. If I did an extreme diet then I’m sure some weight would shift. But that’s not healthy either.

I can’t do more exercise realistically. My Apple Watch is generally 800-1200 calories daily. I’m working hard!

i haven’t drank alcohol in 2024. I eat well. Maybe I just need to really restrict the food.

you can see why it’s tempting to try ozempic…

*Maybe I just need to really restrict the food.

you can see why it’s tempting to try ozempic…*

Not really. Ozempic is essentially going to result in you restricting food anyway. It'll just make the process easier on you, because you won't feel hungry. But how does that help you once you stop taking it? And is it really worth the possible side effects? Just accept you're going to feel hungry and reduce your calorie intake. And cut back your exercise to a more manageable level for calorie restriction, because you should be exercising for health not to lose weight.

Fair points. I don’t want to restrict my exercise though. I do it for enjoyment.

but maybe I need to experiment with calories a bit more seriously.

Could you do some different exercise for a short period? I'm in a similar boat to you although with more to lose.
However low your calories are, and/or however much you exercise, the body adapts. So the alternative to Ozempic would be either a crash diet of fewer calories, or a short ramp up in exercise (like bootcamp as others suggested). Surely the exercise boost would be healthier than a crash diet, and also more likely to work.

What are your prediabetes numbers, OP?

Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with using Ozempic in your situation under supervision from your doctor. It's the high dozes with Wegovy that you have to be careful of weight-gain bounce back, not the lower Ozempic doses, especially not at the starter doses for you.

However, whether it's worth it for you is something you have to judge. Using a drug can feel drastic when not very overweight.

The Calories in/Calories out theory of weight gain has been definitively debunked and probably severe calorie restriction and a lot of exercise is preventing progress for you. Have you considered changing your diet? Low carb, high protein? I know that a lot of people reject this idea out of hand, but it's worth looking into as there is a lot of research to back up this approach.

If your doctor has recommended it and will supervise it and guide and advise then Im not sure what the problem is. Whats his advice about when you come off it again.

I was 1 over the borderline hbAc1 (5.7) and my fasting blood glucose was 114( supposed to be under 100). Insulin fine.

I know I’m borderline - but this is me at my fittest. I have a family history of diabetes without being overweight - so I’m trying hard to fight it!

Low carb is a great way to lower blood sugar levels.

Get off the drugs and stop eating carbs, crap and seed oils. All carbs (complex and refined sugars) raise insulin levels. Insulin tells the body to store excess energy as fat. Keeping insulin low alleviates this. The food you’ve been eating has made you sick - stop eating it and your health will improve immeasurably. Most people don’t want to give up the carbs unfortunately.

I did try ozempic when I was a lot larger and to me the side effects were not worth it, I was only low dose so do not overlook these. Constant nausea, couldn’t sleep, stomach pains. I stopped taking it and it’s been easier for me to count calories and reduce carbs than tolerate these. You may also not be a ‘super responder’ and find it does absolutely nothing for your appetite until you go up to higher doses, which brings even more side effects. There is also the rebound to consider because all that is happening is that a drug is making you feel full up. Once the drug is gone and you stop… the feelings come straight back. I have a lot of things to say about this issue as absolutely no one has a contingency plan apart from to keep taking a low dose forever, and the low doses are not very effective - learning to eat well and manage hunger is ultimately the only option anyone has for life after ozempic.

I was also pre diabetic and managing carbs intake has worked well for me too.

@Striving4Better please please can you post the debunked ‘calories in vs calories out’ study that is peer reviewed and not sponsored by someone with their own health company?

As ozempic is essentially putting you into a chemical calorie deficit by making you feel full up so your post makes no sense.

I ignore all of these posts citing that calorie deficit has been 'debunked'. Its nonsense

However, just to pick up, ozempic (and the like) doesnt 'put you in a chemical calorie deficit'

It doesnt use its chemistry to change whether you are in calorie deficit or not, it simply has the effect (for most people) of them eating less, and its not even about feeling 'full up', you just dont crave the foods or fancy high carb/high fat foods as much as you did, so you therefore eat less overall and are therefore in a calorie deficit.

Im sure for some people who dont respond to it, they can continue to be in a calorie excess.

I am type 2 diabetic and took Saxenda (the precursor to Wegovey, Ozempic, etc) for months with the aim of losing weight and keeping my blood sugars low. It was far better than Metformin for this. I did lose a stone and kept it off, using the lowest possible dose. When Saxenda became unavailable in July last year I had to fall back on Metformin and have gradually put back most of the weight and my sugars are considerably less well-controlled.

my diabetes nurse k ew what I was doing; I paid privately for the Saxenda.

Rebound weight gain happens with ozempic as well as with wegovy so that's a real risk. As a diabetic I expect to be on ozempic or similar lifelong.

Are you eating a low carb diet? That's one of the simplest interventions for diabetes and I'd try that if I were pre-diabetic rather than resorting to an expensive drug with side effects. Not everyone gets those side effects though and you might be one of the lucky ones.

@soupfiend i do not believe that calories in vs calories out is bullshit. Ozempic is literally a combination of chemicals that affect the body’s chemicals and hormones to affect it to want to eat less. I agree that anyone trying to debunk calorie deficits is just practicing pseudo science. I was rushing when u replied my point was the poster was advocating for eating more calories but also supporting ozempic which makes you eat less

@Menora Calories in/Calories out myth - start at Gary Taubes, move through Stephen Finney, Zoe Harcombe, Eric Westman etc. Plenty of studies there.

Yes I know?

I am agreeing with you, but I get that you described it wrongly rather than misunderstanding the chemistry behind it.

Ultimately you have to eat less to lose weight and no fancy words or programme or tools that someone uses (clubs, surgery, medication etc) changes that, the overall effect for any tool to effect weight loss is that you eat fewer calories.

Reduce portion sizes? What a fantastic idea, I can't believe that nobody has ever thought of that before, what great advice.

@soupfiend i did describe it wrongly i was in a rush!