Weight Loss Drugs Didn’t Work. Now What?

You’ve tried Ozempic or other second-generation weight loss medications, and you’re disappointed with the results.

Maybe you didn’t lose as much weight as you wanted to. Or maybe you lost weight, but eventually you hit a plateau. Or maybe you lost substantial weight when you were on the medications, but as soon as you went off of them (perhaps due to the cost or severe side effects), the scale started to creep back up.

And now you’re wondering: what’s next?

If this is you, please understand that this is perfectly normal. Lots of people who struggle with obesity are tempted to use weight loss drugs, but many of them find—often after shelling out tens of thousands of dollars over the course of years—that they still aren’t down to their goal weight. It can be frustrating. But the good news is that, if you want to lose weight and keep it off and get back to the wonderful and radiant life that you deserve, there are other options besides weight loss medications.

Why Didn’t Weight Loss Medications Work for Me?

Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy can help some patients to lose substantial weight. Patients who take semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy) lose 12-15% of their total body weight, and patients who take tirzepatide (the active ingredient in Mounjaro and Zepbound) can lose up to 20% of their total body weight. For patients who just want to slim down, this can be plenty. But for patients who suffer from obesity, this often isn’t enough. If a woman weighs 250 pounds, then Tirzepatide might help her to lose 50 pounds at the high end. That can still leave her a long way from the body and health that she dreams of.

The other problem is that even these modest benefits generally cease as soon as patients stop taking the medication. These drugs make patients less hungry and feel full for longer, which leads to weight loss. But as soon as you stop taking the medication, your hunger can revert to pre-medication levels, which is why patients often and tragically see the scale start to creep back up as soon as they stop taking these medications.

New oral weight loss GLP-1 medications called Orforglipron and Amycretin are due to hit the market later this year or early next year. There’s a lot of buzz around these medications, but the truth is that early studies show that they’re not any more effective than existing medications like Ozempic. The unfortunate truth is that if you suffer from obesity and want your best chance of getting down to your ideal weight in the long term, current weight loss medications are unlikely to get you there.

So, what are your alternative weight loss options if medications haven’t worked? Medical weight loss isn’t the only way to lose weight. There are two other alternatives: lifestyle modification techniques such as changing your diet and moving more, and bariatric surgery (which is generally paired with lifestyle modification techniques for maximum effectiveness). One of these is far more likely to deliver the lasting weight loss and health improvements that you deserve.

Diet and Exercise

Many people think that diet and exercise are the key to helping them to lose weight. The truth is that, while making dietary changes and moving more can be great for your physical and mental health, on their own these changes are unlikely to produce the lasting weight loss that you deserve. Most dietary philosophies (including Mediterranean, Atkin’s, Keto, and vegetarian) yield an average of 8% weight loss. Exercising can improve this number a little bit, but the truth is that exercise often doesn’t contribute a lot to weight loss.

These changes are essential to losing weight; and when paired with other weight loss strategies such as weight loss surgery, they can be powerful. They can also help you to live longer, have more energy, and feel better in your own skin. But on their own they are unlikely to help you get down to your ideal weight.

Bariatric Surgery

If weight loss drugs, and dietary and exercise changes alone, aren’t sufficient to help you win your battle with obesity, then what does work?

Weight loss surgery is a powerful solution to help you lose weight, keep it off, and get your life back. 

How effective is bariatric surgery compared to weight loss medications? Weight loss medications can help you lose 12-20% of your total body weight, and the benefits only last as long as you keep taking the medications. Weight loss surgery is a much more powerful solution. Weight loss surgery has helped many patients just like you to lose 65-90% of their excess body weight and keep it off. That means you get a one-time lifelong treatment which helps you avoid the continual expense and dependence on medications which can have side effects that are more common than surgery. You can also avoid all of the other challenges that keep people from being able to reliably get these medications. Bariatric surgery can mean durably losing 100-150 pounds or even more while living the life you’ve always dreamed of living.

At the BMCC, we care deeply about you. We know that you deserve to live the beautiful and radiant life that you were born to live. No matter how long you’ve struggled with obesity, you deserve to be free of that struggle. You deserve to lose the weight and to stop suffering from weight-related comorbidities like sleep apnea, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. You deserve to have a fresh start and a new beginning.

Many of our patients report that the decision to undergo weight loss surgery was one of the best decisions they ever made.

“The life changes though have been worth every second. My advice: Stop waiting. Don’t blame yourself. Find a care team you can trust. Play with recipes. Play outside. Find protein you love. Include your friends and loved ones on your journey. Don’t give up.”—Angie Goodger, gastric bypass patient.

At the BMCC, we are now accepting patients from Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming. If you’re suffering, don’t wait. Contact our Denver office today.