Not losing weight on Wegovy

[Anonymous]

DH is morbidly obese. He needs to lose at least 270 lbs. I’m not sure exactly when he started Wegovy but he has been at the full dose for at least a month. He is down zero lbs. I expected the weight to come off quickly at least initially because he is so overweight. Has this happened to anyone else? Did it eventually start working? (He is going to discuss this with his doctor at his appointment next month.)

[Anonymous]

Did he ramp up on the dosing? I know that the first few months weight loss may be slow as your body becomes used to the medication. However, if he maxed out on the 2.4 mg dose he should be losing. What is his diet like? Getting enough protien is key.

[Anonymous]

I havent lost much either. There are alternatives, like Mountjaro (sp?).

Is he eating less? The same calories in calories out logic applies, I guess.

[Anonymous]

It only works if he eats less/healthier. Have you asked him if it has impacted how hungry he feels or how quickly he feels full? If he's still eating the way he was before he started then I wouldn't have expected him to loose weight. It helps you change your eating behavior by changing the signals you get from your body. It doesn't just make your body loose weight while you keep eating poorly.

[Anonymous]

It is ineffective for the purpose of losing weight for something like 10-15% of people. If it's not working for him and he's really at the "full dose" (2.4), then I'd stay the course for 2-3 more months and ask for a Mounjaro subscription.

I also know that some people pair Oz/Weg with metformin, phentermine, and maybe some others I'm forgetting. If he's truly almost 300 lbs overweight you need to consider drastic measures like that.

[Anonymous]

If he’s at full dose then this is at least the 5th month. Does he talk to you about food and weight loss? I’m on it. I’d be curious how he feels, side effects, etc. I lost weight bc it killed my appetite and cravings but maybe that’s not happening for him and he needs to try a different medicine.

[Anonymous]

If this post is accurate and not a troll, are you saying that he started at 2.4? Also, are you saying he has lost zero weight on this drug but yet his doctor kept prescribing him a higher dose each time? Usually you have to see the doctor before you get the next higher dose and they would notice that he wasn't losing weight. Usually your insurance won't cover it if that's the case. So something's wrong with this story.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If this post is accurate and not a troll, are you saying that he started at 2.4? Also, are you saying he has lost zero weight on this drug but yet his doctor kept prescribing him a higher dose each time? Usually you have to see the doctor before you get the next higher dose and they would notice that he wasn't losing weight. Usually your insurance won't cover it if that's the case. So something's wrong with this story.

This isn't necessarily true. You do have to see your doctor for the next dose, but it's not true that all doctors will refuse to prescribe if you aren't losing weight. The lower doses are loading doses, and any weight loss you see on them is a bonus. My insurance will not let you stay at a loading dose for more than 4 weeks without a doctor intervening - you have to move up.

All insurances operate differently, and they've all started changing how they approve/deny these drugs. You can't make a blanket statement like "this story doesn't make sense because my insurance doesn't work like that."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If this post is accurate and not a troll, are you saying that he started at 2.4? Also, are you saying he has lost zero weight on this drug but yet his doctor kept prescribing him a higher dose each time? Usually you have to see the doctor before you get the next higher dose and they would notice that he wasn't losing weight. Usually your insurance won't cover it if that's the case. So something's wrong with this story.

Not a troll. He did the customary ramping up over several months. He is at the full dose now and has been for at least a month. I think this is 2.4 but I’m not sure. I’m also not sure how many times he has seen the doctor. What I do know is that it doesn’t seem to be taking away the urge to binge eat, which is why he isn’t losing any weight. He is still eating all of the junk that he was eating before and just as much.

[Anonymous]

I've been on it since January and have lost only 16lbs. Sometimes I will go weeks without losing anything.
It's different for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Not a troll. He did the customary ramping up over several months. He is at the full dose now and has been for at least a month. I think this is 2.4 but I’m not sure. I’m also not sure how many times he has seen the doctor. What I do know is that it doesn’t seem to be taking away the urge to binge eat, which is why he isn’t losing any weight. He is still eating all of the junk that he was eating before and just as much.

things to discuss with doctor: mounjaro; ; wellbutrin; naltrexone. The latter two are a few medications that are effective for some people with BED. Perhaps there are more.

[Anonymous]

I just started Wegovy so not a ton of experience with it yet, and haven’t lost any weight yet.

But I notice it does help to diminish my appetite and specifically my craving for carbs and sweets. Sweets taste metallic to me right now so I just don’t want to eat them.

So the cravings are gone and the appetite is diminished but I do have to stop myself from habit and or emotional eating. It’s easier to do that now with the drug, but if someone is going to overeat and eat when they aren’t hungry then that’s a strong drive that needs to be dealt with.

I watch Dr Now (600 lb Life) and the common theme with the people who fail to lose weight is that they don’t want to, at least they don’t want to strongly enough. And aren’t willing to face the emotional reasons that drive them to get really obese in the first place.

How long has your DH been overweight? If he’s 250lbs overweight probably a long time. That’s not 30-50 lbs of Covid weight, that’s really obese. He’s dealing, or not dealing with some stuff. Did his doctor make him go to counseling before prescribing the meds?

I don’t think there are any shortcuts to dealing with your stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just started Wegovy so not a ton of experience with it yet, and haven’t lost any weight yet.

But I notice it does help to diminish my appetite and specifically my craving for carbs and sweets. Sweets taste metallic to me right now so I just don’t want to eat them.

So the cravings are gone and the appetite is diminished but I do have to stop myself from habit and or emotional eating. It’s easier to do that now with the drug, but if someone is going to overeat and eat when they aren’t hungry then that’s a strong drive that needs to be dealt with.

I watch Dr Now (600 lb Life) and the common theme with the people who fail to lose weight is that they don’t want to, at least they don’t want to strongly enough. And aren’t willing to face the emotional reasons that drive them to get really obese in the first place.

How long has your DH been overweight? If he’s 250lbs overweight probably a long time. That’s not 30-50 lbs of Covid weight, that’s really obese. He’s dealing, or not dealing with some stuff. Did his doctor make him go to counseling before prescribing the meds?

I don’t think there are any shortcuts to dealing with your stuff.

OP here. I think you probably hit the nail on the head with the bolded. He has been overweight for years, but the weight gain increased drastically in the last 7-10 years. It has been a source of contention. I’m very fit and active. I’ve essentially checked out at this point but hope that my kids will one day have a dad who can do more than sit in a chair.

[Anonymous]

My mom didn't see loss until she hit the 2mg dosage.

My neighbor probably has at least 150 to lose and he hasn't lost in the 6 weeks he's been on it either. I keep telling his wife to be patient, so will remind you too that the beginning doses may work for some people, but for many are just not effective.

[Anonymous]

9 months and down 40 pounds. Some weeks I lose 1-2, some weeks I lose nothing (esp week before my period, but week after is always 2 pounds down). I eat much less because I feel full after eating much less. And I don't eat because I'm bored (I *think* that's what people mean by saying Wegovy stops the food noise - I'm just not thinking about food all the time). I would like to lose 5 more pounds, and then attempt maintenence. Went from a size 10-12 to a size 2-4 (which I still cannot believe)