There are many ways to lose weight. Change your diet, move more, or start using special weight loss products. I have been advised by my doctor several times in the past to try treatment with GLP-1 injections. But I never resorted to anything like that. And for several reasons. In addition to the fact that these products are quite expensive and their effectiveness is not guaranteed, once a person comes off them, the weight usually comes back on. And modern analyses describe why this is so.

GLP-1 stands for glucagon-like peptide-1. It’s a hormone that’s made by the gut after meals and that helps the body work with sugar. This substance is now well known, but not only because of diabetes drugs. It is also used to deal with obesity problems and to reduce appetite.

The drug alone won’t save you

I’ve received several flyers for GLP-1 injections from doctors. But they always ended up in the trash. Doctors always say, when recommending this substance, that of course one must first of all want it. One needs to exercise, eat better, injections can then promote weight loss. And although it sounds tempting, I prefer to lose weight on my own. That’s not to say that others may not really benefit from this help, but personally I needed to set up my regime a little differently.

I’ve been changing my diet for a long time and it took me to gradually cut out all the bad things. Similarly, I started very slowly with sports and it took me months to get to the lifestyle I have today. But since I worked my way up to it on my own and gradually, I believe it is now a regimen that I won’t just break. I won’t go back to the old ways. And that’s where I see the problem with injections, which you come off after a while.

Losing weight doesn't always have to be so difficult. But keeping it off afterwards? That's often a struggle. ━━ Losing weight doesn't always have to be so difficult. But keeping it off afterwards? That's often a struggle. ( Source: Huha Inc. /  Unsplash+ )

Fast weight loss, fast yo-yo effect

It’s true that patients who use GLP-1 lose up to a fifth of their body weight, according to research. But the yo-yo effect after you stop taking the medication is also immediate and huge. Researchers compared the results of 37 studies involving a total of over 9,000 people. And it turned out that after stopping GLP-1, it led to a very rapid return to the old weight.

People who managed to lose weight with just physical activity and dietary changes lost weight more slowly. But their lifestyle changed. And while in some cases there may still be a yo-yo effect, it is not usually the case. Analyses show that very strong appetite returns after GLP-1 withdrawal, among other things.

“We know that weight regain is common after weight loss, but we were surprised at how quickly people regained weight after coming off these drugs,” comments Sam West, lead researcher in the GLP-1 withdrawal study. So, although these drugs may help with weight loss in some ways, it turns out that what matters most is what a person does at baseline and how they are able to maintain their new lifestyle.