PRESS RELEASE: What you need to know about the ‘wonder’ weight loss drug: Ozempic.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sydney, NSW – Ozempic. is it effective for weight loss? What are the risks? Ozempic has become one of the most talked about medications globally in recent months So much so that there have been periods of worldwide shortages. However, the focus has been on how effective it is in reducing weight rapidly rather than its main role in treating the symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes. For people taking it for weight loss what are the risks? And is it effective long term?
How does Ozempic work?
Ozempic encourages weight loss as it contains the active ingredient semaglutide, which induces satiety, suppressing your appetite. Semaglutide also helps to produce insulin which is how it helps manage Type 2 diabetes. The Semaglutide is successful in achieving rapid weight loss as it mimics GLP-1(glucagon-like peptide-1) which tells your body you have eaten and prepares it to use the energy that comes from your food.
What are the risks?
Monique Etkind, a qualified practicing dietitian and nutritionist and co-founder of ME for Me said, “I have always been a firm believer that how a person loses weight needs to be complementary to how they will maintain it. That is why people need to be educated on what they should be eating to optimise their nutrition and receive the necessary support to achieve their weight loss goals. There has to be a behaviour change in their everyday eating to ensure long-term success. Healthy dietary changes have few risks in terms of side effects. However, with anything rewarding in life, the positive weight responses will take more time and effort so requires patience, which is often the reason why people deflect from this method.”
Is the risk greater than the risks of health-related issues due to obesity?
In contrast to the limited risk factors associated with dietary changes, Ozempic can result in nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and issues in organs such as pancreatitis. Also, research is showing that when you lose weight through Ozempic two-thirds of that loss is lean body mass rather than fat. “My major concern though,” added Monique, “is that when you stop taking the drug, the feelings of suppressed appetite will start to go away, and people will start to feel hungry at their old levels. If the weight had come off quickly, you may feel even hungrier than before and because there has been no behaviour change the weight will escalate rapidly.”
“It’s important to remember that weight is only half of the health equation. If you suppress your appetite but maintain a diet high in processed foods, low in micronutrients, you could lose weight but not increase your actual nourishment. That is why support to improve dietary choices is needed, regardless of medication use or weight loss, for true health improvements.
“Medical practitioners need to ensure patients receive nutrition education in conjunction with Ozempic to ensure they can maintain their ideal weights once they wean off their weekly injections and be able to improve their overall health long term. Those patients choosing Ozempic, or other pharmaceuticals to lose weight, have a multitude of options they are being bombarded with on a daily basis,” cautions Monique.
The dangers of obesity are known, the treatments and management protocols well documented. New drug therapies and surgeries continue to improve outcomes but the broad solution remains the same.
Eat healthy,
Exercise regularly,
Hydrate and get a good night’s sleep.
However, this complex facet of our lives consumes us all to varying degrees. Getting healthy, staying healthy, being healthy… sounds simple enough but what about your mood and energy levels each day?
More than 1/3 of Australian adults are classified as obese and this number is predicted to double by 2030. For every obese person the physical, mental, and social struggles impact all areas of their life. The toll this takes is substantial and cannot be understated.
Professional practitioner supported weight management provides sufferers with more than a directed eating program. Dietitian’s guide and support their clients through the myriad of information, dietary options and health issues. Although there is much information available online, many people struggling with their weight have reached their capacity to make this change and taking on new information is difficult. Some of the barriers to accessing professional help from a qualified dietitian are cost, logistics of getting to appointments, shame and not wanting to admit there is a problem.
The ME for Me solution. A digital dietitian available 24 hours a day.
ME for Me is a digital dietitian. An online application based on Monique Etkind’s life’s work with her clients in private practice. The ME for Me app combines Monique’s successful framework of coaching, professional resources and unique brand of care and personalised management plan available digitally 24 hours, 7 days a week.
ME for Me has been created to help those who have not been able to find an eating and health plan that works for them. People disenchanted with poorly developed diet programmes, food delivery services, fad diets, tracking tools, unused gym memberships and everything in between.
The carefully researched app, based on years of successful application for thousands of clients, is for anyone who is struggling to feel good about themselves and their body and wants and needs help. You won’t need to travel to an appointment or get time off work to do it. We have removed any social or cultural pressure you may have about talking to someone about your weight or your eating habits. You won’t feel embarrassed talking about how much you weigh or how hard you find things.
You certainly don’t need to worry about “stripping off” in front of a stranger.
ME for Me has been developed to help people overcome the struggle with weight by providing something that speaks to all aspects of the challenge. The food, its nutritional value, your tastes, how you feel, how you live, what you do and who you are. The professional support of the app will help you overcome the struggles you may face to make healthy changes with an evidence-based framework, motivation, food ideas and inspiration. Probably most importantly of all, your digital dietitian in the ME for Me app is a non-judgmental carer and never runs out of steam. ME for Me is for everbody. Uniquely engineered so it can be personalised to every body, because everybody is unique.
Tackling the struggle with weight and obesity – one day at a time.
What really matters is how you feel when you wake up every day. What your energy and mood is like through the day. How you cope when difficult things happen. How you feel in, and about, your body can be the make-or-break card here.
The weight is a number a dietitian uses as a guide, but how you feel matters more. The scales don’t tell the whole story. There is not a lot we can control around us, but we can control what we eat and drink. Fueling yourself with nutritious food will fill you up in every way. Your hard days will still come but you will feel better because you made a good choice with your mind and your body will know it and show it.
ME for Me is personalised support for your life and goals: your weight, your energy, your mood, your sleep.
The 4 components of wellbeing (your ‘vitals’) – your weight, your mood, your energy, and your sleep – are managed and supported through individualised meal plans based on your food preferences, shopping lists with recommended products, a daily diary and texts from Monique Etkind with supporting coaching videos and audios on every topic and situation she knows (from practical experience) when you feel you need extra support. Advice on eating out, holiday indulgences, travel, food on the go, afternoon snack attacks…. you name it, she’s thought of it and the ME for Me app includes a coaching tool and an informative resource library to give you more than a little help. The app is designed to be used all day, at each meal and at any time you need to make a choice or need support for whatever reason.
Contact
For more information about ME for Me and the practitioners and provider partnerships
visit www.meforme.com.au/ (link to blog covering this topic)
Please use the website contact form to connect with the founders and directors: Monique Etkind or Stacey Key.
