The holidays can be strange for people taking Ozempic and other popular weight loss medications.
It is the most food-focused time of year, but these medications reduce appetite.
Chocolate, cookies and cakes are everywhere, but too many high-fat, high-sugar treats can cause nausea and stomach problems in patients taking these medications, doctors say.
Some of the joy of the season can disappear, or feel different, when eating habits change.
“Food is comfort, food is pleasure. So, for some, there may be a sense of loss if they can’t eat all the things they would normally eat,” Dr. Christopher McGowan, a gastroenterologist who runs a weight loss clinic in North Carolina, tells .com. .
“Many different cultures place a lot of emphasis on food being part of celebration and partying,” adds Dr. Cecilia Low Wang, a UCHealth endocrinologist and professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
“And sometimes it can be very difficult if you don’t enjoy the food or you don’t have an appetite, or maybe certain things are causing more side effects.”
Journalist Johann Hari lost 42 pounds on Ozempic, but was surprised when he didn’t feel happier.
“I realized it had to do with my inability to eat for comfort and how bad that made me feel,” she told .com. “With Ozempic, you can’t overeat.”
Weight loss drugs silence the noise of food and have side effects
About 12% of Americans have taken a GLP-1 medication, according to the KFF Health Tracking Survey.
This class of medications includes Ozempic and Mounjaro, which are approved to treat type 2 diabetes but are sometimes prescribed off-label for weight loss. Wegovy and Zepbound have been approved to treat obesity.
The most common side effects of all of these medications include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, and stomach pain, according to their manufacturers. More serious side effects are possible.
GLP-1 drugs mimic at least one hormone produced by the gut to signal satiety, so people have less appetite and feel full sooner when they eat.
Medications can stop “eating noise,” or constant intrusive thoughts about food. Dr. Maria Daniela Hurtado Andrade, an endocrinologist in the Precision Medicine for Obesity program at the Mayo Clinic, says one patient told her: “I lived to eat. Now I eat to live.” Hurtado Andrade is a consultant for Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical company that manufactures Ozempic and Wegovy.
Patients also say they can’t eat as much as they used to.
Medications to lose weight and eat at parties
“Some people are really happy to be able to get through the holidays without being tempted by all the things that normally tempt them,” says Low Wang.
“Instead of the enormous amount that perhaps one might have wanted to have in the past, now just a little is enough.”
Low Wang, who chairs the FDA’s Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee, says he is expressing his own opinions and not speaking on behalf of the panel or the FDA.
Pepper Schwartz, who has been using Ozempic since 2022 and lost about 25 pounds, says she is relieved that she doesn’t want to overeat during the holidays.
“I look forward to the holidays; I don’t see them as a hell of temptations. “It’s not that hard to navigate when your cravings calm down,” Schwartz, 79, who lives in Snoqualmie, Washington, tells .com.
“I like to try everything, so I’m going to try a bite. “I just don’t eat everything… You learn that you don’t have to eat everything on your plate.”
He recalls a recent gathering where an “amazing” key lime pie was served. Schwartz says she ate three bites, left the rest and didn’t feel deprived.
Jamel Corona, who has been taking Wegovy since December 2021 and lost about 50 pounds, describes his Christmas diet as “very minimal.” He says he physically can’t eat much food, so he immediately turns to leftovers.
“That way I can keep trying everything, just at a later time,” Corona, 38, who lives in Chicago, tells .com.
“I miss eating homemade desserts in real time. I feel sorry because I would love to eat them, but then I will feel very bad with stomach pain and nausea.”
Stop and restart Ozempic
Some people stop taking weight-loss medications for trips or special occasions, a practice doctors warn against.
About 12% of U.S. patients taking GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy plan to skip their doses over the holidays, according to a survey from Levity, a weight-loss monitoring service.
The top reasons cited were enjoying holiday foods, including cookies and candy, and avoiding the side effects of rich foods.
Corona says she sometimes skips her dose so she can eat a little more and drink alcohol, which she has trouble tolerating while taking her weight-loss medication.
One of Hurtado Andrade’s patients is a food lover who confessed that she skips her dose before trips with friends so she can enjoy eating in restaurants. “You don’t find that pleasure while taking the medication,” says the doctor.
Hurtado Andrade advises against it.
Patients who stop taking the medication for a few weeks and then restart it are more likely to suffer side effects, he says.
They will need to reduce the dose and begin the medication titration process, which involves slowly increasing the dose in small amounts, again, McGowan says.
“I would discourage discontinuation of GLP-1 therapy for any reason,” he cautions. “Instead of stopping treatment so we can overindulge, let’s look for ways to overindulge in a healthy way.”
Eating during the holidays while taking weight loss medications
If you’re spending the holidays and eating during the holidays while taking weight loss medications, doctors share these tips:
- Nothing is prohibited as long as it is in moderation, McGowan points out. Eat small portions, taste a little, and enjoy small bites.
- Focus on foods that are easy to digest, like turkey and other lean proteins, he says. Avoid heavier, greasy or high-sugar foods. “Those foods will sit like a rock in your stomach and make you feel sick, causing nausea,” says McGowan.
- Pay attention to your hunger and fullness cues, and don’t try to eat past the point of fullness, advises Low Wang. If you’ve been eating less and suddenly consume a lot of rich foods, you’ll probably feel worse, he adds.
- The most important thing is to eat carefully, says Hurtado Andrade. Eat slowly and don’t overindulge to the point of discomfort, “because your stomach really can’t handle that much food when you’re on one of these medications,” McGowan says.
- Reframe the celebration. Instead of focusing on food, enjoy being with the people you love; go for a walk with family and friends; and enjoys music, old movies and board games, says Low Wang.
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