Ozempic is one of the biggest beauty revelations of 2024. From Oprah to Sharon and Kelly Osbourne, Hollywood comes clean on weight loss drugs. But would you do it? Fiona golfer a – this is his story, one year later.
The latest diet? A Deep Dive into the Ozempic Experience
“So how long are you going to be there?” This is a question I’m used to hearing over the past year. This is almost always accompanied by a raised eyebrow. I have been taking weight loss medication for a year. It changed my body, my mental health and my life. My answer to this question is: never; I have no plans to stop anytime soon.
When I first heard about the “wonder” drug Ozempic – designed for type 2 diabetes – which works by mimicking the action of a natural hormone, GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1), to delay the digestion process and thus manage hunger, I was curious if it could work for me, someone who has struggled with weight problems for years, even more so after menopause.
I heard from friends that people were seeing surprising results, but I didn’t think it was something I would even consider taking, until I talked to my gynecologist who confirmed that she thought it was a miracle drug for women struggling with menopause. weight gain.
I wasn’t obese, but I was easily carrying 15-20 pounds more than I should have. I had worked for a fashion magazine for years and loved clothes, and I had to make decisions about what I would wear based on what would suit me rather than what I wanted. I felt heavy and sluggish; my thighs were rubbing together, I had back boobs and wide hips, chubby arms and my face was swollen. Getting dressed had become a minefield. Yet I didn’t get rid of any of my clothes because I clung to the dream that one day I would go back to dieting. I’m 62 years old and even though I live in the age of body positivity, I haven’t seen anything happy about my extra pounds. I didn’t feel my body bloated.
Oprah is part of the Hollywood group who took Ozempic for weight loss reasons (c) Shutterstock
I started the course in December 2022, injecting the “pen” into my stomach once a week as directed (at first I was so nervous I didn’t remove the plastic tip from the top of the little needle and I wasted a dose). I took 0.25 mg and worked my way up to 1 mg over several months, increasing the dose very slowly. I had looked at the side effects – nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation – as well as the possible health risks, but I thought they were risks worth taking. I made sure to take a good probiotic, Symprove, and magnesium citrate, which takes good care of my colon. I felt a little nauseous at times, but it came in waves and it wasn’t violent and passed like mild motion sickness. My appetite has diminished; I ate the same foods but in smaller quantities. I stopped thinking about controlling my food all the time.
I had a mixed reaction from my friends about my weight loss. Some were happy for me, knowing it had always been a struggle. Some were very critical because of shortages and the much-publicized difficulty for diabetics to obtain them. Others happily listed possible health risks. I often wonder why they suddenly felt the need to become health experts. Sometimes I think there was a touch of jealousy. But in reality, most of the raised eyebrows were over the idea that losing weight was something I wasn’t disciplined enough to do without sticking a needle (even a small one). I can’t deny the truth in that. But it’s not for lack of having tried every diet on the planet over the years. Peer group judgment is something I have no problem with – I can laugh about it – but I have friends who take Ozempic and keep it a secret.
One morning I was sitting in bed and my husband said to me, “Oh my God! Your back has lost so much weight. Your size is back! » He was trained never to comment on my weight and I realized he was delighted for me – his judgment came from the heart.
As for the pounds lost? I never weigh myself. This is the path to madness. However, I let my clothes tell me how I’m doing and they gave me a resounding “Welcome Back” as I donned pencil skirts I bought in the early 2000s.
Ozempic melts muscle as well as fat, and adding weights to the workout is highly recommended. I adapted my exercise to include higher resistance, which paid off because as I got leaner, my body started to look defined. My self-esteem sent me trotting to the gym with a brisk step, which had never been the case before. My diet is essentially Mediterranean, including lots of meat, fish and fiber-rich vegetables. I didn’t become a healthy eater overnight. I still crave the foods I love – Chinese and Thai – but I eat much smaller portions.
Sugar was the biggest obstacle. I wanted it and I heard other “Ozempic” friends who were doing it too. It took me a year to finally give it up; I’m amazed that after ten days without treatment, I feel so much clearer in my head.
People warned me that the “Ozempic face” was a thing. It is. I lost a lot of volume in mine and saw my aesthetic guru, Dr. Maryam Zamani, who put light amounts of dermal filler on my cheeks, which had hollowed out and made me look look a little gaunt. “I have also seen a loss of facial volume in patients taking Ozempic,” she says. “I tend to use gentle fillers like hyaluronic acid as well as biostimulation which helps the skin regenerate.” Dr. Zamani also sometimes uses lasers to tighten the skin. The results from the gentle amount of filler she used on me have been amazing and I will be refreshing them about once a year.
I have noticed some slight sagging of the skin on my thighs, breasts and armpits, but at my age, frankly, that’s the skin’s problem and I accept it. There are options but they involve surgery and I don’t want that.
Taking Ozempic freed me from constant anxiety about my weight and improved my health. I have a lot more energy and I have regular blood tests to make sure everything is working well – it is.
I think a lot less about the things I can do to feel better. I edit less, work out more, and shop less because I love wearing all my old favorite things so much. I got a new pair of hips last year and started dancing again, putting on a pair of leggings and a black t-shirt and going to a class where I could stand to look at myself in the mirror. All these things I would never have dreamed of doing before.
Studies show that if you stop taking Ozempic, you may gain some weight back. I think this happens with any of the billion diets I’ve been on. But even though I’m not losing any more pounds, I’ve stabilized at a weight I’m happy with and plan to stay that way. If it means continuing to take what I consider a miracle drug, I will. I no longer worry about the judgment of others.