Jump to: How much weight can I lose in a month on Wegovy? | How quickly do you see weight loss with Wegovy? | How much weight do people typically lose with Wegovy? | Do you gain weight after stopping Wegovy? | Is Wegovy worth it for weight loss?
A recent paper published in The Lancet showed that 87% of patients on Wegovy lose more than 10% of their body weight, around 10% lose between 1-10%, and less than 5% gain weight.
In comparison, nearly 20% of participants in lifestyle interventions without medications gain weight, around 40% lose between 1-10% of their body weight, and just 13% lose more than 10%.
So, 47% more people lose more than 10% of body weight on lifestyle interventions with semaglutide compared to lifestyle interventions alone.
How much weight can I lose in a month on Wegovy?
Based on data from randomised controlled trials, you can expect to lose up to 5% of your weight in a month on Wegovy. After two months on Wegovy, you could lose up to 8%.
Interestingly, this initial weight loss is no different to other weight loss treatments or the impact of diet interventions on weight loss. The real effect of semaglutide is seen beyond 3 months.
Wegovy is a long-acting medication that’s started at a lower dose to reduce the number and severity of side effects as it’s built up to a higher maintenance dose.
Wegovy can take 4-5 weeks to reach a level in the body we call a steady state. A steady state is when the drug’s levels in the body remain consistent rather than spiking and falling.
How quickly do you see weight loss with Wegovy?
According to randomised controlled trials, you start losing weight almost immediately after taking Wegovy (semaglutide). Patients on semaglutide lose an average of around 5% of body weight after one month and 8% after two months.
Semaglutide reduces appetite and hunger, helping you eat fewer calories; this effect is almost immediate.
However, you might notice the effect of lower hunger wearing off after 4-5 days post-injection in the first month of taking Wegovy due to the time it takes to reach its steady state that we described above.
How much weight do people typically lose with Wegovy?
Research has shown that semaglutide (semaglutide 2.4 mg) can lead to a weight loss of around 16% of your body weight, or 16-17 kg, after 68 weeks.
Most of this weight loss occurs in the first 32 weeks (9 months) and plateaus as the body adapts to the medication and patients find a sustainable way of eating.
Do you gain weight after stopping Wegovy?
Weight regain is significant after you stop taking semaglutide. The greater the initial weight loss, the more significant the weight regained.
However, those who lose more weight initially maintain more significant weight loss compared to baseline than those who lose less before the medication is withdrawn.
In this post-analysis of 327 participants, the average weight loss after 68 weeks was 17.3% with semaglutide and 2% with placebo.
After 52 weeks of follow-up, after the medication was withdrawn, the average weight loss was 5.6% with semaglutide and 0.1% with placebo.
A weight regain of 11.6% in the semaglutide group and 1.9% in the placebo.
However, weight regain isn’t inevitable. Long-term sustainable weight loss can be achieved, but you need the proper support.
Is Wegovy worth it for weight loss?
Wegovy is designed as an additional tool for weight management and shouldn’t be considered a lifelong medication.
Instead, it should be used to help you kickstart your weight loss and healthy journey while you commit to living a healthier lifestyle.
Ideally, we’d be able to lose weight without medication and lifestyle changes would be enough to support weight loss in the long term.
We’d generally recommend trying Second Nature’s weight-loss programme before considering a weight-loss jab.
Changing your habits is the most sustainable way to achieve long-term weight loss, and it’s also less expensive.
At Second Nature, we’ve been trusted by the NHS since 2017 to support people with type 2 diabetes and obesity to lose weight, manage their blood sugar levels, and lead healthier lifestyles for the long term.
In 2022, the NHS published data in the BMJ that compared the weight loss outcomes of five providers in the National Diabetes Prevention Programme.
Second Nature was more than twice as effective at supporting weight loss than the other four providers.
However, if you’ve decided to try semaglutide (when it’s available) but need support in making positive changes to your lifestyle, Second Nature could be an option for you. But it’s worth noting that we have strict eligibility criteria.
