What Is an Ozempic Plateau?

How to Overcome an Ozempic Plateau

When people switch up their eating and exercise habits to lose weight, overcoming a plateau requires decreasing calories or increasing physical activity.

But ultimately, the best way to overcome an Ozempic plateau starts with seeing your doctor, says Amanda Velazquez, MD, an assistant professor and the director of obesity medicine at the center for weight management and metabolic health at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. Depending on your exact circumstances, they might adjust your medication dose or recommend that you make lifestyle changes like focusing on getting more sleep, managing your stress better, or increasing the number or intensity of your workouts.

One thing people shouldn’t do is stop taking Ozempic, Haynes-Ferere says.

“There are many different views about the long-term use of these medications, but we do not ask the patient with hypertension or diabetes to discontinue their medications when they become controlled,” she explains. “The very mechanisms of the medication that are so effective in weight loss are key for continued management of obesity.”

Beyond this, there are lots of other things people can try to help them overcome an Ozempic plateau, Haynes-Ferere says, noting that it’s necessary to push past the plateau if you still need to lose a significant amount of weight. “Staying in the state of not losing over time is disheartening and disappointing, and may lead to discontinuation of the weight loss journey.”

Here are some tips to break through a weight loss plateau.

Eat More Protein

Protein helps build muscle mass, which helps you burn more calories. Research suggests that those who take GLP-1s often consume less than the recommended amount of protein.

Drink More Water

Drinking more water can help suppress your appetite and boost your ability to exercise.

Set a Regular Sleep Schedule

Getting more sleep helps you consume fewer calories. Not getting enough sleep while taking GLP-1s can undermine your weight loss efforts because it can lead to insulin resistance and increased hunger, according to a joint advisory from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the American Society for Nutrition, the Obesity Medicine Association, and the Obesity Society.

Change Your Exercise Routine

Devoting more time each week to exercise, switching up your workouts, and adding weight lifting to build muscle can all help you overcome a plateau.

Consider Your Eating Habits

Cutting more calories can also help jump-start weight loss, but you shouldn’t consume fewer than 1,200 calories a day. Because the actual number can vary between individuals, experts say it’s best to talk to your doctor to understand how many calories you should aim for each day.

Start Small

It may be easier, and more sustainable over time, to make small adjustments rather than massive changes, Haynes-Ferere says.

“I had to stop stepping on the scale every day, and instead rely on how my clothes fit. I also had to remind myself frequently that strength training was adding muscle tone, and the scale might not be my best friend,” Haynes-Ferere says. “I have experienced several plateaus in my weight loss journey, and I chose to focus on making small adjustments and reminding myself that this is not a race.”

Ask for Help

When you try everything you can to overcome a weight loss plateau and the numbers on the scale still won’t budge after several weeks of effort, your healthcare provider might be able to help you assess whether there’s still room for changes to your eating or exercise habits, for example. You may also need to reassess your weight loss goals and determine whether you need to revise your target weight to make it more realistic — especially if you’re already pretty close to your goal and have already achieved numerous health benefits from weight loss.

The one thing you absolutely don’t want to do is get so discouraged that you stop trying to lose weight at all, and revert to your old eating and exercise habits. This can result in regaining weight and reversing improvements to your health.