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Gabrielle Morreale
2 days ago6 min read

Avoiding the Misuse of Weight Loss Medications like Ozempic and Enduring Diet Culture Pressure in the New Year

By: Rachel Dodson M.S. RD. LDN.

This blog is for informational and educational purposes only. This is not a substitute for medical advice. Consult your individual medical providers for your individual needs.


As we transition into 2025, the media begins to buzz with the false hope that dieting and obtaining a "perfect body” will make all of your hopes and dreams come true this year. As the avenue of “how” changes year to year, the consistent messaging of “new year, new you” tends to remain the same. Every year the cycle persists  - give in to the pressure to diet at the turn of the calendar year, hyper-fixate on restricting food and exercising more, maybe lose some weight, burn out, then gain weight back. The weight cycling continues, you feel like you failed because the behaviors weren’t health-promoting nor sustainable, and you're back to square one. This wasn’t always the case when it came to New Year’s resolutions. Traditionally, New Year’s resolutions were organized around improving the community around you. Over time, as our culture has become more individualistic, so have people’s goals. What people may not realize is that the “wellness” industry is worth approximately $648 billion dollars. Gaining popularity over the last few years among wellness trends is the use of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, leaving people wanting that “new me” to be found through the use of these drugs. 


Ozempic and Wegovy are part of a class of medications known as GLP-1 agonists and contain Semaglutide. While Ozempic is traditionally prescribed for diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss, the medications work to regulate insulin and hormones that control our hunger and satiety signals. GLP-1s (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists) are a drug class that helps diminish appetite and create a feeling of fullness. The injection of the drug activates the GLP-1 receptors in the pancreas and insulin is released in order to lower blood sugar. Glucagon, which raises blood sugar, is also suppressed. We have GLP-1 receptors in our brain and on our GI tract. These are activated, reducing appetite and hunger levels. So GLP-1 drugs effectively inject that sense of satiety, and also slow the rate at which food empties out of the stomach.


Ozempic was initially tested and approved by the FDA to, along with nutrition and exercise, lower hemoglobin A1C levels in Type 2 diabetics. Hemoglobin A1C measures your average blood sugar levels over a 3 month period. When taking the drug, food will sit in your stomach for a longer amount of time, leading to feeling physically fuller for a longer time. It also may grow more of the cells that produce and release insulin. For those with diabetes, these medications have been significantly helpful in managing blood glucose and reducing A1C.


Possible side effects of Ozempic, as listed on the drug’s website, include:


  • Possible thyroid tumors, including cancer; “In studies with rodents, Ozempic and medicines that work like Ozempic caused thyroid tumors, including thyroid cancer. It is not known if Ozempic will cause thyroid tumors or a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) in people.” 

  • Pancreatitis 

  • Changes in vision 

  • Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) 

  • Kidney failure 

  • Allergic reactions; Symptoms may include swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat; problems breathing or swallowing; severe rash or itching; fainting or feeling dizzy; or very rapid heartbeat

  • Gallbladder problems

  • Nausea

  • Vomiting

  • Diarrhea

  • Abdominal pain

  • Constipation


In addition to the side effects, we do know that Ozempic is a relatively new drug. We only have 2 years of research of these drugs at the dosage for weight loss, so we don’t know what will happen if you take this dose for the rest of your life. Some people don’t lose weight on the drugs and some people lose weight but gain it back when they stop using the drug. Weight loss can be maintained while taking the drug but the long-term safety of the drugs is not known. What we do know is one study found that more than 17% of patients taking this class of drug developed masses of undigested/partially digested foods in their GI tracts. This puts someone at risk for GI obstructions. Gastroparesis is a more common side effect of GLP-1 agonists when compared to other diabetic and weight loss treatments. In 2023 as the popularity of these drugs increased, medical professionals said GLP-1 patients were experiencing severe gastroparesis.


Epic research recently conducted a review finding that of 12 million diabetic patient records, researchers found delayed gastric emptying happened more often for those taking GLP-1s compared to those not prescribed GLP-1s. 3 other studies done on large groups of patients showed that those taking GLP-1 agonists are at a greater risk for gastroparesis in comparison to those who are not. Studies have revealed that the risk of gastroparesis is consistent - those taking GLP-1 medications had about a 50% higher risk of being diagnosed with gastroparesis. Those taking GLP-1 medications were more likely to have their gallbladders removed, GERD, nausea and vomiting, and experience pancreatitis from the drug.


We know that diets don’t work. Your body doesn’t know the difference between a self-induced restrictive diet and a worldwide famine, so your cells go into survival mode - experiencing dieting as starvation. Your metabolism slows down and food cravings increase. As your body adapts from each diet it embarks on, rebound weight gain is a result. Weight cycling, the repeated gaining and losing of weight, may increase the risk of developing heart disease, inflammation, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes. Christy Harrison cites, “one large-scale, long-term study followed more than 3100 people over 32 years. The study found that weight cycling correlated with an increased risk of death from all causes and an increased risk of developing coronary heart disease, even after controlling for BMI and other potential confounding factors like preexisting conditions and smoking.” 


Further research supports that dieting promotes weight gain:


  • Up to ⅔ of people regained more weight than they lost according to a review of 31 long-term studies on dieting 

  • A 5-year study done on teens, who weighed the same at baseline, observed dieting teens had twice the risk of gaining more weight than non-dieting teens

  • One study conducted on sets of twins ages 16-25 years old found that dieting, independent of genetics, is associated with accelerated weight gain when comparing a dieting twin to their non-dieting twin counterpart 


Dieting increases your risk of an eating disorder which can lead to a multitude of medical complications and a disordered relationship with food. Remember, weight is not a behavior. So in order to improve health outcomes, it’s important to focus on behavior changes and not just changing your body size. So what if this year, instead of focusing on restricting your intake, shrinking your body or trying to make your hunger cues disappear, you sought to create a healthy relationship with food and your body? One that is sustainable and doesn’t change with the turn of the calendar every year? Think about what you want your individual nutrition and health-related goals to be to improve the way you feel. Healing your relationship with food is not black and white - but I promise it leads to a much more colorful life. 


Whatever your opinion is on these drugs, please remember, you are not your body - you have a body and it’s important to steward it and care for it well. Your relationship with food and your body are not problems that need to be solved. But your relationship with food and your body may be areas in your life that have been wounded and need healing. 


References used throughout this blog / helpful educational resources:



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