As my panel of patients at Prestige is increasing, my belief that we are all so unique and yet so similar is gaining strength. While the needs of our bodies and minds are bioindividual, the roadblocks and challenges definitely seem to be similar.
We all get in our own way.
We all have very similar big picture goals.
We all worry about the other side of success.
So when I am meeting with patients interested in semaglutide, they all have the same concern…. “What happens when I come off it?” Or worse, “My neighbor came off ozempic and gained all the weight back and now she’s going back on it. Is that going to happen to me?”
What I want to point out here is that this type of worry is not just limited to semaglutide or Ozempic. For those that read my last blog “So Maggie How Did You Do It?”, I talk about how I did not have the benefit of semaglutide when I lost weight. And yet that worry was (and is still) there.
And I guess that’s the important thing to note. How life looks after we’ve hit a goal is, well, entirely up to us. Sure, wegovy, mounjaro or ozempic may help you get across the finish line, but it will be you that did the work. Semaglutide is more like the running shoes on your feet helping you get there more efficiently.
But semaglutide or not, you got yourself across the finish line. So how do you not gain weight after stopping Ozempic or semaglutide?
One of the surprises I had in my weightloss journey, was that I had subconsciously been expecting a “Welcome to HealthyTown” sign as if all I had to do was arrive. The work was done so surely I could just sit back and enjoy the better body and lab work right? Nope. Sit back and relax is not happening. And honestly, I’m happy about that.
I worked hard to feel good in my skin.. And I’m dedicated to keeping it that way. Sure there will be ups and downs in life and on the scale, but having done the work means I have a hand on the control dial. It’s still up to me.
And so it is for you, my friends on semaglutide. It’s up to you.
Working closely with Dr. Rob Hamilton and Alison Piltz FNP-BC at Prestige Regenerative Medicine, we’ve come up with what we’ve named The Exit Strategy. Before I even knew what dosing looked like, they’d mastered the art of dosing so semaglutide comes on easy instead of strong. This means reducing the potential side effects we hear the stories about.
And that’s because there is no shortage of people getting hit with full dosage right out the gate. Yes they lose weight quickly but ultimately look and feel ill or worse.
It doesn’t take more than “oze” in a google search bar to get you to the term “ozempic face”. We see those faces everywhere now.
Friends, this is not a win.
At PRM, that’s just not happening and we encourage you to find providers with an ethical and holistic approach. Again, semaglutide is simply the running shoes.
We encourage you to make important lifestyle changes.
Work with a nutritionist (It’s me…Hi!) and pursue a low carb - high protein - high fiber diet.
Get into resistance training to prevent muscle loss while you're losing weight.
Unpack what might have got you into an unhealthy state before so you can avoid it in the future.
And finally, when it’s time to come off the medication, have an Exit Strategy.
When I first came to Dr. Rob with idea of The Exit Strategy, he was all in. We agreed to take 6 weeks. Taper off the first 4 weeks and then do two weeks of MIC injections. Think of it as slowly taking off the training wheels.
Meanwhile, we adjust your daily carb intake and ask you to brace yourself with high fiber supplements as your appetite resumes its normal fluctuations. And as always, water, sleep and exercise are your best friends.
We set you up with nutrition consults every other week so we can set goals, offer accountability and support while you move into what we call “maintenance mode”. That’s you going solo and putting into practice all the new routines, habits and learnings you gained while you were on semaglutide.
Afterall, there is no “Welcome to HealthyTown” where you get to just sit back and relax. And actually, now that you’ve hit your goal weight and you’ve come off semaglutide, it's when the rubber meets the road. It’s your time to shine.
So, let’s go back to those ups and downs. They're coming. I have my own fluctuations with seasons and well, life. I can’t count how many times I got real into my workout groove just to have it come to a screeching halt because of an injury or illness. But I’ve learned to embrace it. If I have to slow my roll, I try to enjoy things I don’t often have time for.
And I intentionally try to balance things out.
If I truly can’t be active, I double down on low carb.
If I truly can’t be low carb (50g or lower for me), I double down on activity.
If nothing else, just doing that keeps my chin up because I know I'm making the effort.
I’m still showing up.
So bottom line.. The Exit Strategy is a 4 week tapering off of semaglutide plus 2 weeks of MIC injections along with biweekly check ins with our nutritionist (It’s me, Hi!) and a whole lot of cheerleading and grace.
And then you're on to “Maintenance Mode.. Life after semaglutide”.
Stay tuned…
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