Experts pinpoint formula for preventing one of Ozempic’s most feared side effects – it just involves a simple lifestyle change
Experts have revealed the simple lifestyle change that can prevent dreaded side effects of weight loss jabs such as frailty and ‘Ozempic face’.
Muscle loss is one of the most common problems associated with taking the ‘game-changing’ weekly injections — which happens as a result of rapid weight loss.
When the body shifts weight quickly, it breaks down muscle in order to boost energy levels in the absence of extra calories.
However this can result in disastrous consequences including poor balance, increased risk of bone breakages and cosmetic problems like loose skin on the face and body.
Studies suggest muscle loss can constitute up to 39 per cent of the person’s total weight loss while on the drugs — which work by mimicking the ‘fullness’ hormone GLP-1.
But now, specialists have told of a highly effective way to prevent muscle loss while taking the jabs, which involves a simple tweak to the daily diet.
According to obesity experts based in the US — Dr Caissa Troutman and Dr Anila Chadha, upping your protein intake will limit the ill-effects of the drug.
Dr Chadha told Medscape she advises eating at least 30g of protein with every meal — roughly 7g more than the recommended amount for those who don’t take GLP-1 drugs.
The ‘game changing’ weekly injections have helped thousands of people who need to lose weight and improve their health. But it’s not just fat patients taking GLP-1 drugs lose, it can also make them lose muscle
This is the equivalent to around one chicken breast with every meal, or two tins of chickpeas.
Patients should also ‘plan each meal around a high-quality protein source’, she added.
The general population is advised to eat roughly 0.8g per kg of their weight in protein a day.
This translates to roughly 70g of protein for a 90kg person, or two chicken breasts.
Experts also say those on weight loss drugs should exercise more to maintain muscle.
‘Studies have shown that exercise contributes very little to weight loss, but it’s very important for cardiovascular health, mental health, weight maintenance, and preventing excess muscle mass loss,’ said Dr Catherine Varney, obesity specialist based in Virginia, the US.
‘So, when looking at the risk/benefit of exercise, we sometimes hold off on cardiovascular exercise in the beginning but always stress the importance of strengthening training.’
Strength training involves any exercise that works the muscles, including weight lifting, pilates and cycling.
Walking can also help build muscle mass, added Naveed Sattar, Professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow.
Patients can also lose muscle mass by not eating as much protein, the building block of muscle, as before taking the drug
Dr Troutmad advised patients to engage in 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as a brisk walk, a week.
These simple lifestyle changes could also help prevent some of the aesthetic side effects of the drug.
Users of the slimming jab have previously warned about unwelcome consequences such as ‘Ozempic face’ and ‘Ozempic butt’.
The buttocks are one of the main areas where subcutaneous fat — fat directly beneath the skin — accumulates.
As a result, fat in this area is among the first to be lost following rapid weight loss.
It also contains a group of three large muscles, called the glutes, which may also shrink if someone takes the drug without exercising and eating a high-protein diet.
In one video posted to TikTok under the hashtag ozempicbutt, social media user @jocelyngarcia3514 shared a full body video showing loose skin around her bottom.
‘What does an ozempic/semaglutide butt look like?,’ she wrote in the caption.
‘Keep in mind I had a BBL about seven years ago and this is what my butt looks like after my 16th injection of compound semaglutide,’ she added. ‘What does an ozempic/semaglutide butt look like?,’ she also wrote. ‘You guessed it? loose skin and cellulite (nothing to brag about, results vary)’
‘You guessed it? Loose skin and cellulite (nothing to brag about, results vary).’
Those taking the drug may start to develop thinner arms and legs and an overall less curvy physique.
‘Ozempic can change appearance and for some people that may not be welcome,’ warns Professor Alex Miras, consultant endocrinologist at Ulster University.
He previously told MailOnline this wasn’t a side-effect specific to semaglutide — the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy — and similar effects were seen from other types of calorie-restrictive weight-loss such as gastric bypass surgery.
‘The appearance changes, such as what people call Ozempic face, Ozempic bottom, is not just an Ozmepic effect, that can happen with any form of weight loss,’ said Prof Miras.
‘It doesn’t matter what has caused it, but the weight loss changes the facial appearance because you lose predominantly fat, the same thing happens to the butt and it happens throughout the body.’
