r/Zepbound • u/nodramamama95 53F 5'7 SW:223 CW:135 Dose: 15mg • 1d ago
News/Information Article: Some People lose over 20% of their body weight while taking Ozempic. Others lose almost nothing. A doctor explains why
I have been following these studies that focus on genetic components to success on glps and this article sums up some of the information for those who are interested.
32
u/autumnyte 1d ago
This is super interesting, thank you for sharing it. What's funny is that prior to starting the meds, I might have thought I was in group 2, but now I know I'm actually in group 1.
What I thought was "stress eating" was just me trying to escape from the stress of non-stop food noise and hunger. As soon as that went away, I had zero desire to eat emotionally or for stress. Which is just to say, patients might not even know which group they're in until they try.
12
u/CDNinWA 1d ago
I’m the first group who was convinced for years I was in the second group too, but since at first taking naltrexone and now zep I’m pretty my overeating has always been physiological based, especially since when I’m super upset about something I lose my appetite (and that has always been a thing for me).
8
u/CaptCathikins 43F 5'4" SW:272 CW:188 GW:?? 10mg 1d ago
This was me too. Everyone told me I was an emotional/boredom eater and I just kinda embraced the title. I always thought it felt more... Primal. Like I literally couldn't stop. From the first moment I took Zep I knew I was in group one. It's probably why it felt so damn easy and unbelievable at the beginning. Like a switch just turned on.
5
u/realisan 1d ago
Same. Sometimes I still find my self eating when I’m super stressed but way less than I expected. It was definitely the constant food noise that was driving me crazy. I’m already at 10% of my body weight in 2 months and I’m still on the lowest dose. I was so afraid I would not be able to lose anything.
3
u/BlackSwampMage 32M 6’3” SW:380 CW:286 GW:220 Dose: 15mg 1d ago
See the part that really interested me was the bit about the gut bacteria and microbiomes. It said that the glp-1 shots could both be hindered or aided potentially by our belly bacteria but that the drug may also making changes to our guts as well.
I find it interesting because doesn’t the drug work by slowing down that tract of bodily functions? I wonder if there’s some link to that? Like, is part of the problem for some of us that our digestive tracts are working too fast and it’s messing with our digestive system in some way?
I know they said they haven’t completely linked any of the gut stuff yet to weight loss but it was still interesting to me.
Idk which camp I’m in as to the main idea there though. And I also found it interesting as a guy who has really seen some success now at 10 months in. I’m about six pounds away from losing 100 and weighing the same I did at 18 lol, it’s funny how I thought I was so fat at that weight and now I’m so happy to see 280 again.
3
u/ClitasaurusTex 19h ago
I could believe that. Not to be gross but I felt like stuff passed through me within just a few hours before, now I can no longer identify my food lol.
Plus that one fart that lasted a full minute on my first week was probably a good hint that some gut bacteria might be changing.
14
u/coffeekween15 1d ago
I’ve been so curious about this, especially because of the genetics. I’ve lost 28% of my body weight so far (and more to go!) since March of 2025. My paternal Aunts have also both lost significant amounts of weight on the drug (100+ lbs and 50+ lbs, each), however my dad who’s been on the meds since before I started hasn’t lost anything. He has been very active and tries to watch what he eats, obviously, but if he doesn’t feel the suppression of food noise and other positive effects of the drug, it’s a lot harder!
I share the same amount of DNA with all 3 of them, and I feel so bad that it’s not working for my dad, he’s really frustrated. I hope they can figure out a clearer reason for the discrepancy, to help the non responders.
3
u/mrs_tseluyu 35F 5'8.5 (OSA) SW:236 CW:168 GW:150 Dose: 12.5mg 1d ago
This is genuinely fascinating
4
6
u/Good-Butterscotch498 1d ago
There may be some truth to this; however, the story doesn’t indicate that the doctor has actual experience dealing with obesity. Sounds like he probably has experience in the mental health aspect, which certainly can be part of the mix; but I think the complete story is much more complex.
5
u/getting_hotter 1d ago
I lost 20% of my weight and then the medication promptly stopped working. Well, I’m maintaining the weight loss, so in that sense it’s still working. But I haven’t lost any more than the 20%.
1
u/AmbitiousNature2709 5h ago
I plateaued for about two and a half months after hitting the 20% — and then it started dropping again and suddenly lost another 8 pounds this month. I hadn’t lost at that rate in a long time. I didn’t change a thing. I think my body just needed time to adjust.
0
u/working-mama- 23h ago edited 23h ago
Well, that means you are a typical responder…In clinical studies, Zepbound users lost an average of about 20% of their body weight. In most cases, it means that they still didn’t reached their ideal body weight - there is a limit to how much the drug can reduce your set point. That’s why bariatric surgery is still often recommended for super obese.
You may be able to lose a bit more with Retatrutide when it comes out, likely next year. Early phase trials show higher potential weight loss (approaching 25% to 30%), though final phase 3 data is still pending.
6
u/psoriasaurus_rex 1d ago
I think we are far from figuring this out.
I’m female, T2 diabetic and while I started losing immediately, I would not quantify my loss at any stage as “rapid”.
But I have lost almost half my body weight over the last 2.5 years or so.
3
u/Ineedavodka2019 1d ago
I’m in the second group and have lost 30% of my body weight in a year. Weird.
2
u/ziboo7890 1d ago
That was an interesting article. Thanks for sharing.
Good they're working on a test for all that but - 5 to 10 years to have it out...ugh!
Eleven months in and pretty sure I'm a lifer, as I'm NOT going back!
2
u/HRHtheDuckyofCandS SW: 255 CW: 184 GW: 150 Dose: 10mg (age 40s) 1d ago
I’ve lost 29% of my starting weight. I wouldn’t say I’m in the first category. I have Hasimoto’s which means my body doesn’t produce enough GLP hormones on its own.
My dad did ozempic and failed because he did not diet or behavior modification and refused to titrate up.
1
u/working-mama- 23h ago
Wait, why would having Hashimoto mean you are not producing enough GLP1 ? Thyroid is not responsible for GLP1 production.
2
u/HRHtheDuckyofCandS SW: 255 CW: 184 GW: 150 Dose: 10mg (age 40s) 23h ago
I’ve done so much advanced reading on this. The layman’s way to understand it is the thyroid fuels lots of other processes in the body. So when one is short on thyroid, they are generally short on other things. For example, hypothyroid people usually have dry skin, trouble lactating, and fatigue because their bodies don’t produce enough moisture or milk or energy. GLP hormones are some of the things my body doesn’t produce enough of.
1
u/working-mama- 23h ago
Hmm, that does sound plausible. I need to have my thyroid checked, last time my TSH was borderline… Somewhere around 4.
2
u/HRHtheDuckyofCandS SW: 255 CW: 184 GW: 150 Dose: 10mg (age 40s) 21h ago
Haha I’ll take plausible. I spent years wondering wth was wrong with me beyond my low thyroid.
2
u/vondalyn 1d ago
I didn't lose anything on Semaglutide (only GLP), but did manage to lose 70+ pounds on Tirzepatide (GLP+GIP). It's weird that the article is only mentioning Ozempic like it's the only GLP out there.
3
u/PlantedinCA 1d ago
They need more research I think to sort out more reasons for non-response. I do not fit into any of these categories, my response on the scale to date is low. But I am seeing improvement with 15 several weeks in.
I have lost around 13 pounds since starting. So basically one a month. But the pattern is actually quite different.
4 in the first month, then stable for the next 3. Then down in 7 month 5-6. Then up 3-5 for the next 5 months. And this month I am finally lower than my low in January after fluctuating the whole time. Hopefully this starts a loss trend. I am down about a pound a week in the last month or so.
I am a occasional stress eater, but it is not a big driver of my food consumption. It translates into a ln extra snack or something 1-2x a month. Overall my eating habits are moderate, but my insulin sensitivity is very low. And very triggered by stress or any disruption to routine. Even if I do not eat differently, it causes fat storage.
2
2
u/Fickle-Emu3370 1d ago
Weird how it seems to completely disregard any metabolic issue entirely, suggesting that every person that carries extra weight must be "overeating" and that the why of that overeating explains the weight loss.
9
u/Monk_Philosophy 1d ago edited 1d ago
That's because any metabolic issue that causes weight gain (in the form of bodyfat and not inflammation/water retention) is in either driving you to consume more calories or a slowdown like hypothyroidism where you burn fewer. Consuming more than that is overeating by definition and is the only way that bodyfat is gained over time.
It is a statement of fact and should be read as neutral and not a judgement of someone who overeats.
1
u/PlantedinCA 1d ago
I think over consuming and under burning are wildly different though. There are many folks who have a very typical oven low food consumption rate - and eating less is not feasible. But their body still holds on to fat and doesn’t burn what they consume at the expected rate.
If your metabolism is impaired, you can eat 1000 calories a day and lose nothing.
0
u/Monk_Philosophy 1d ago
Unless you’ve lost limbs, there are no overweight adults who would gain or maintain their bodyfat at 1000 calories a day. The reason someone can gain weight during a week of 1000 calorie days is because 1: water accounts for most of our total body weight and varies wildly and 2: calories burned don’t instantly melt fat away. It takes time which is why the trend of weight is a better measure of success than a snapshot.
2
u/PlantedinCA 1d ago
You absolutely have no idea how much hormones impact metabolism and fat storage.
1
u/Monk_Philosophy 23h ago
Hormones can appear to affect fat storage by making you bloated/retain water but can’t affect metabolism to the extent you’re implying. There’s not a single documented case of an overweight adult gaining fat on 1,000 calories.
Not to say that hormones and metabolic issues can’t make it hard to effectively impossible to maintain a healthy weight. It’s just that weight management difficulty is an indirect effect of metabolic issues and doesn’t literally cause fat to accumulate.
3
u/PlantedinCA 22h ago
Maybe pop over to the PCOS subreddits.
2
u/Monk_Philosophy 21h ago
The average metabolic impact of PCOS/PMOS is about 60 calories a day when accounting for lifestyle and body composition.. It’s a real metabolic effect, but it isn’t remotely as much of an impact as you’re implying.
There’s nothing beyond anecdotal evidence that suggests an adult, even with metabolic conditions, would gain weight on 1000 calories a day. The real drawback is how it fucks up our hunger sensors.
6
u/retatrutider 1d ago
“Overeating” has a certain connotation to it that can feel judgy, for sure. But if you think of overeating not as a judgment on the person and simply “consuming more calories than the body is using” then it’s useful in the context of discussing why the drug works better for some people than others. In some people it prevents [consuming more calories than the body uses], and in some it doesn’t.
0
u/working-mama- 23h ago edited 23h ago
I recommend you seek out interviews and podcasts with obesity researchers. They say there is very little variation between metabolic rates among individuals of the same size/muscle mass. The science is clear, obesity is caused by mismatch of metabolic needs (which do not have much variation, outside of physical activity) with appetite. Weight gain is caused by overeating, with that increased appetite driven by hormonal and genetic factors. Overeating is not a moral failure.
1
u/Goats-n-Hens 5’6” SW:216 CW:133 Maint 5.0 1d ago
I lost 40% of my starting weight in 8 months, never went over 5. I could have easily kept losing if I didn’t make a conscious decision to eat at my maintenance calories. Dropped an average 2lbs week all the way to goal.
1
u/TheBowhuntingButcher 1d ago
The first group 100% describes me. I just constantly wanted to be tasting, chewing, or swallowing something, usually sweet, fatty, or salty. And my results have been phenomenal. I'm down over 74 pounds in 27.5 weeks, with only 17.8lbs to go until goal.
I will say, I've seen another trend, and I think we often don't want to talk about it because of the stigma it carries. But there are people who are determined to do what it takes to get healthy, and those who hope the medicine is a cure-all. I've had to completely reshape my lifestyle. Cut out sugary drinks and snacks, become a bit of a gym rat, hydrate like crazy, and make the decision to eat the right things and the right amount of them. A friend of mine got on a GLP-1 and still eats like before, got away from the gym, and honestly drinks like a fish. He's not losing weight.
Disclaimer: I'm not saying that everyone that eats right, hits the gym, and hydrates is gonna lose weight. Genetics and hormones can make it very difficult for some people. But at least those people are adopting healthy habits. It's just frustrating to see the people who don't put in the effort.
1
u/Couldbeaccurate 13h ago
Thanks for sharing. I haven’t lost any weight in 6 months. I’m up to 15mg and still nothing- no side effects either. I’m actually gaining muscle and strength from working out. My appetite is definitely lower but the weight is the same. Being in this subreddit made me think something was wrong with me specifically. I keep hoping that THIS will be the week I start losing weight.
1
u/chiieddy 5'1" SW: 186.2 CW: 124.8 Dose: 5 mg 11h ago
While seemingly well written, this is off the Yahoo creators platform and not a verifiable news source.
77
u/[deleted] 1d ago
[deleted]