Wegovy is an FDA-approved prescription drug for adults struggling with obesity. It is also recommended for overweight adults with one weight-related health condition, such as diabetes or high blood pressure.
Although the semaglutide medication has proven effective in helping individuals manage their weight, it isn’t a miracle cure. In fact, this is the mistake that many people who have been on Wegovy for some time but don’t see results make.
Simply taking Wegovy won’t help you reduce weight. You need to take it in conjunction with other lifestyle changes, such as eating a healthy diet and prioritizing daily exercise, getting enough sleep, taking the right dose at the right time, and reducing stress levels.
Keep reading on Wegovy to find out 5 ways to increase weight loss.
5 Ways to Increase Weight Loss on Wegovy
Following are 5 ways to increase weight loss on Wegovy:
1. Consume a Nutrient-dense Diet
Wegovy reduces your appetite. This makes it easier to cut back on food and increase weight loss. However, you need to ensure that what you are eating is nutritionally rich. Health experts recommend being on a 1200-1300 calorie diet on Wegovy. Since this is not a very large caloric intake, ensure that all these come from healthy food sources. Here are some things you must include in your diet.
Eat More Fiber
Fiber helps you lose weight by increasing your satiation after meals. Fiber-rich vegetables, like carrots, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower, improve your digestion and lower cholesterol. Besides vegetables, it’s recommended to include fiber-rich fruits, such as guava, blackberries, raspberries, and durian, and fiber-rich whole grains, like whole-wheat crackers, whole-wheat tortillas, and high-fiber cereals.
Prioritize Protein
Eating more protein moves your body into a fat-burning mode. High-protein diets often lead to an increase in weight loss because of this reason. Aim to get around 20% of your daily intake through protein. A diet rich in this macronutrient also keeps you fuller for long.
Some good high-protein foods to include in your diet are eggs, beans, seafood (such as omega-3 fatty acid-rich fish), lean meats, nuts, seeds, and tofu.
Increase Your Water Intake
Finally, supplement your healthy diet with lots of water. Hydration causes increased lipolysis. It’s the metabolic pathways that break down the fats. When you drink plenty of water, you feel fuller and are less likely to snack between meals.
Moreover, drinking adequate water flushes out toxins from your body and supports the healthy function of vital organs like the kidneys. Health professionals recommend drinking 13 ounces of water daily for men and 9 ounces for women. You may need more or less water depending on your body’s specific requirements.
2. Exercise Daily
Wegovy’s effectiveness increases significantly when you combine it with daily physical activity. You’ll notice results quicker when you prioritize exercise. If you haven’t been active for some time, start with low-intensity workouts, such as a walk or a light jog. Finding an activity you like, such as dancing or hiking, and doing it daily will also help you reap the weight-loss benefits quickly.
Health professionals also suggest adding strength training to your exercise routine. This is because Wegovy can cause you to lose muscle mass, too, which is not good for the long term. Strength training at least twice a week helps preserve muscle.
Whatever you do, stick to it and make it a part of your routine to notice visible results.
3. Get Enough Sleep
Quality sleep is crucial when it comes to losing excess weight and maintaining it. Our bodies secrete two hormones: Ghrelin, which increases appetite, and leptin, which suppresses it. Sleep deprivation increases ghrelin production, causing you to feel hungrier and snacking on unhealthy foods. It, in turn, reduces the effectiveness of Wegovy.
Some tips to get adequate sleep each night are given below.
- Create a sleep schedule. Set a time to sleep and a time to wake up, and stick to it every day.
- Set aside some time to relax before hitting your bed on the pillow. Unless you are very tired, it’s not easy to fall asleep immediately. So, set aside 20 to 30 minutes to relax, where you can do some deep breathing exercises to calm down your nervous system and induce sleep.
- Reduce your caffeine intake. Consuming too much of it throughout the day can mess up the quality of your sleep, making you hyper-alert during bedtime.
- Turn off all devices that emit screen light 30 minutes before you go to sleep. Stop using your phone, computer, or laptop, as the glow from their screens can interfere with melatonin, the sleep hormone inside our bodies.
- Keep your room’s temperature cool and comfortable. If it is too hot or cold, you’ll find it difficult to sleep quickly and soundly.
4. Take the Right Dose Consistently
It’s important to take Wegovy consistently on the most suitable day and time. Stick to the time and dosage prescribed by your doctor. Consider your weekly schedule and tailor your routine so you can take the drug at the right time every day without forgetting. Consistency is crucial to getting the desired results.
The recommended beginning dosage of Wegovy is 0.25 mg once a week for the first month (four weeks) of treatment. If you can tolerate this dosage, your doctor will increase it to 0.5 mg for weeks 5 to 8, I mg for weeks 9 to 12, and 1.7 mg for weeks 13 to 16. Wegovy can be taken as long as needed for weight loss if your doctor thinks it’s safe for you.
5. Reduce Stress
Being chronically stressed is detrimental to your health. It increases your cortisol, which negatively impacts your metabolism. Greater production of cortisol causes you to overeat or crave unhealthy foods. It also causes abdominal fat to be easily accumulated, further hindering your progress on Wegovy.
To reduce stress, get enough sleep and set time aside for relaxation exercises like deep breathing, meditation, and yoga. Exercising regularly is also effective in lowering stress levels.
Summing Up
Wegovy has shown remarkable results in overweight and obese adults. Reducing your weight to an optimal range helps you live a long and healthy life. However, to maximize the effects or notice visible differences, it’s important to take the drug with a low-calorie, nutritious diet, engage in physical activity, and get adequate sleep. These changes will ensure that you reach your weight loss goals and sustain them for the long term.
