Is Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro Worth It for a Few Pounds? Why Press Pause Before Starting

Stephanie vom Hagen
Aug 7
3 min read

Every week, someone asks me if medications like Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro are the answer to unwanted weight. Sometimes it is a client who has seen a friend slim down fast. Sometimes it is a group chat lighting up with talk about the “miracle jab.” If you feel the pressure, you are not alone. There is a real sense that everyone is trying it, and some admit to bending the truth about weight or height just to order the medication.

It is easy to see the attraction. In clinical trials, people lost between 8% and 22% of their body weight during the first year on these injections. For those with serious health risks from excess weight, these results are truly encouraging. But there’s more to the story.

Behind the Headlines: What Happens After a Year?

Research now shows weight loss with these medications is rarely permanent. Many people are already regaining weight in the second year, even if they stay on the medication. In the largest studies, stopping the treatment led to most of the lost weight coming back, and even those who continued saw much slower progress or reversals. This rebound is not a failure of willpower—it’s how the body tries to return to its old “normal,” especially when nothing about daily habits or stress has really changed.

Another detail that is not getting enough attention: some of the lost weight is healthy muscle. Estimates from recent research suggest up to 40% of what is lost may be muscle, not just fat. This is important, especially as we get older. Muscle keeps us strong, active, and helps maintain a healthy metabolism.

Remembering Lessons from the Past

There is a pattern that repeats every decade or two: a new weight loss drug arrives, it seems safe and powerful, doctors and clients embrace it, and after a few years, hidden risks emerge. In past decades, drugs like DNP, Fen-Phen, Meridia, and Acomplia all rode a similar wave of excitement. Until people started experiencing heart problems, dangerous changes in mood, or other serious side effects. Each was eventually taken off the market for safety. Today’s medications are more carefully researched, but it is honest to admit: we still do not know all the long-term effects for people using them to lose just a few kilos.

Why Behaviour Change Is not Glamorous, But It Works

If you are under encouragement (or pressure) from your friends to join in - pause to consider what you want most. Is it truly health, strength, and confidence? Or is it fitting an ideal that keeps shifting year to year?

Long-lasting change always comes back to the basics: understanding your personal triggers, the reasons you reach for comfort food or drink, and the impact of stress on your routines. Small, daily habits - moving more, preparing real food, handling tough feelings - may sound simple, but they have a deeper, far safer, and more lasting effect than any shortcut.

Medications, when needed for medical reasons and prescribed by a specialist, deserve respect. But if your biggest dream is to “finally lose that last few pounds,” focusing instead on steady routines and honest self-reflection will serve you better in the long run. You get the benefits of energy, confidence, and better sleep, and you keep your muscle, your health, and your peace of mind.

The Question Worth Asking

There is no shame in searching for something that works. But the truly healthy question is: “How do I want to live, not just what do I want to weigh?” When you are ready to tackle the habits and patterns that have kept you stuck, without shortcuts or regret, I am here to help you build a life and body you truly enjoy.

Sources for Your Confidence

Wilding JPH et al., NEJM 2021 (semaglutide/GLP-1 results)
Jastreboff AM et al., NEJM 2022 (tirzepatide/GLP-1)
STEP 4 trial (“Effect of Continued Weekly Subcutaneous Semaglutide vs Placebo...”)
“Weight regain and cardiometabolic effects after withdrawal of semaglutide: The STEP 1 trial extension”
Cushman TR et al., Diabetes Care 2023 (muscle mass loss with GLP-1 drugs)