The Truth About 'Weight Loss Drugs'—What Are Ozempic and Mounjaro That the Internet Won't Tell You?
Introduction
'Lose weight just by injecting it'
Along with such words, there are drugs that have spread rapidly in the last few years.
These are Ozempic and Mounjaro.
It is rumored that celebrities and influencers are using them, and social media is overflowing with personal accounts.
Cases of them being easily prescribed at beauty clinics are also increasing, and many people may now recognize them as 'diet drugs'.
However, I want you to stop and think for a moment.
Do you know what these drugs were originally created for?
This time, I will share information that I want many people to understand about the currently trending drugs, Ozempic and Mounjaro.
Please read until the end.
The original role of these drugs—diabetes treatment
Both Ozempic (generic name: semaglutide) and Mounjaro (generic name: tirzepatide) were originally developed and approved as treatments for type 2 diabetes.
Both belong to a category called 'GLP-1 receptor agonists'.
GLP-1 is a hormone secreted from the small intestine when you eat, which promotes insulin secretion and lowers blood sugar levels.
These drugs artificially reproduce and extend the effects of that GLP-1.
To mention just one difference, Mounjaro is a 'dual agonist' that acts on both GLP-1 and another hormone receptor called GIP simultaneously, and because of that, its blood sugar-lowering and weight-loss effects are considered to be stronger.
Use for diet purposes is off-label use in Japan.
Nevertheless, the current situation is that they are being prescribed for beauty and medical diet purposes.
Benefits—they are effective.
Let's be honest.
These drugs are indeed effective.
Appetite is powerfully suppressed, and weight drops.
In clinical trial data, an average weight loss of 13.7% has been reported for Ozempic and an average of 20.2% for Mounjaro.
In diabetic patients, improvement in blood sugar levels has also been confirmed, and studies have shown a reduction in cardiovascular risk as well.
It is also a fact that many people feel they have 'finally conquered their appetite'.
However, behind the benefits, there are serious risks that cannot be ignored.
Risks—what is happening to the body
Side effects to be concerned about
Gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation are the most commonly reported side effects, appearing particularly prominently in the early stages of administration.
Additionally, an increased risk of alopecia, pancreatitis, and gallbladder disease has been reported.
The FDA continues to investigate the link to suicidal ideation (though a causal relationship has not been confirmed at this time).
Loss of Muscle Mass
One of the things I find most serious as a trainer is the loss of muscle.
There are reports that approximately 40% of the weight lost through GLP-1 drugs is muscle mass.
In other words, even if the number on the scale is going down, you may be losing a significant amount of muscle inside your body.
Is it okay to lose muscle?
Muscle performs many functions in the body simultaneously.
Stabilizing blood sugar levels, supporting posture and joints, protecting bones, regulating body temperature, maintaining immune function, providing physical protection for internal organs, and acting as a pump to assist the return of lymph and venous blood.
Furthermore, by secreting hormones called myokines, it is deeply involved in positive effects on the brain (promoting the production of BDNF) and mental stability.
Muscle is Infrastructure
Muscle is, so to speak, the infrastructure that supports life activities.
As muscle mass decreases with age, the risk of falls and fractures increases, cognitive function declines, and independent living is threatened.
That is precisely why it is discussed in the context of sarcopenia and the risk of needing long-term care.
There are reports that approximately 40% of the weight lost through GLP-1 drug-induced weight loss is muscle mass.
If the number on the scale is decreasing, but the functional foundation of your body is being lost at the same time—that cannot be called 'becoming healthy'.
And Rebound
What happens when you stop taking the medication?
Data from clinical trials (SURMOUNT-4) reports that 82% of people regained 25% or more of their initial weight loss within one year of discontinuation.
It is not uncommon for 50% to 70% of the weight lost to return.
This is because the medication was only controlling appetite, and neither eating habits nor metabolic structure had changed.
What does the feeling that 'I cannot change myself without medication' bring to a person's brain and heart? I will write honestly.
The Price Extends to the Heart
The impact on the body alone is serious enough.
But there is something that concerns me even more than that.
'Without medication, I cannot change.'
It is the fact that this feeling becomes ingrained in a person.
Loss of Self-Efficacy
There is a concept in psychology called 'self-efficacy'.
Simply put, it is the feeling that 'I can do it.'
It could also be rephrased as a sense of self-trust, believing that 'if I do it, I can change' or 'if I take action, I will get results.'
This feeling serves as the foundation for when people take action, change their habits, and transform their lives.
And this is nurtured through the accumulation of successful experiences.
'I tried it, and I did it.'
'I kept at it, and I changed.'
'I overcame it through my own power.'
Every time such experiences accumulate, self-efficacy increases.
What GLP-1 drugs do to self-efficacy
So, what happens with dieting using GLP-1 drugs?
Appetite is suppressed.
Weight drops.
There is a sense of 'having changed.'
But what brought about that change was not your own willpower, habits, or choices.
It is the effect of the drug.
'I lost weight thanks to the medicine.'
When this experience and feeling are imprinted on the brain, people unknowingly learn the following:
'I couldn't change it on my own.'
This is not merely self-deprecation.
It means that the agent of change has shifted outside of oneself.
The structure of dependency
If you stop the medicine, you will rebound.
Therefore, you must keep taking it.
This structure is a physical dependency as well as a psychological one.
'Without the medicine, I cannot control my appetite.'
It is natural for someone who has begun to feel this way to become unable to let go of the medicine.
And that feeling extends beyond the realm of dieting, influencing how one approaches life as a whole.
'To change myself, I need some external force.'
The more this belief is reinforced, the harder it becomes for a person to believe in their own potential.
What is a true transformation of the self?
As a trainer for 43 years, I have worked with the bodies and minds of many people.
There is one thing I am convinced of through that experience.
People who have truly changed always have the experience of having 'accomplished it themselves.'
Movements they couldn't do at first became possible through repetition.
They changed their eating habits little by little, and their bodies changed after half a year.
Once they got through the tough times, they realized it had become a habit.
Such a accumulation of 'dialogue with oneself' and 'trial and error' changes not only the body but also that person's way of thinking and mindset.
If you look only at the numbers, weight loss through medication might be greater.
But if you learn nothing in the process, change nothing, and return to your original state the moment you stop the medication—can that really be called 'change'?
I do not mean to condemn medication
I will write this so there is no misunderstanding.
Using Ozempic or Mounjaro under a doctor's judgment for the treatment of type 2 diabetes—that is a completely different story from what I have written so far.
It is very important that necessary medical care reaches those who need it.
What I am concerned about is the situation where medication is easily chosen as a 'means of dieting.'
I want people to think more seriously not only about the physical risks but also about the risk of losing the 'sense that you are the agent of your own change.'
And that the weakness of heart of those who make such easy choices is being exploited by 'someone' to line their own pockets...
In conclusion
Changing your body is changing your life.
It might take time.
There will be days when things don't go well.
But that 'time spent' and the 'experience of overcoming' are what build your mindset.
I hope that as many people as possible will realize that the true 'evil' is the suspension of thought that relies easily on medication and seeks immediate results.