Unless you are from another planet, you’ve heard all about the new weight loss medications taking the world by storm. These weight loss injections, GLP-1s like Wegovy, (same drug as Ozempic), and Zepbound (same drug as Mounjaro), are offering hope to millions, raising concerns for others, and creating insurance nightmares. They are shifting the entire weight loss industry.
As someone who has been maintaining a 100+ pound weight loss and leads thousands of women in weight loss programs, I’ve received many questions asking for my opinion. Let’s break down what’s involved in taking these medications, questions to ask your doctor, how this will affect your healthcare, and more. As a Christian, I’ll share what the Bible says about how we care for our bodies in places like this where faith and science connect.
Heart Check with Sara: Whether you agree or disagree with people taking GLP-1 medications, they aren’t going away. Be informed, because they will impact society, including how your healthcare and tax dollars are spent.
- Key Take-Aways About Weight Loss Meds
- What Are GLP-1 Weight Loss Injections and Why Is Everyone Obsessed?
- Wegovy and Zepbound – The Good (Because They DO Work)
- The Bad & Ugly about Weight Loss Drugs
- Honest Talk: How I Lost 100 Pounds Naturally
- You Can’t Inject a New Identity
- Where Faith + Science Meet: A Christian Perspective
- What's Next for Weight Loss Drugs
- FAQs about Weight Loss Injections
Key Take-Aways About Weight Loss Meds
- Weight loss drugs are a serious tool, not a shortcut. They are not a quick fix or vanity solution.
- Weight loss medications are not an easy fix. They involve risks, complications, and side effects. The need for healthy habits when taking them is just as important, if not more so.
- Approach the subject with compassion and faith. Weight loss isn’t a competition.
What Are GLP-1 Weight Loss Injections and Why Is Everyone Obsessed?
GLP-1s (short for glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists) are medications originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes and have been in use since 2005. They help regulate blood sugar and slow digestion, which also reduces appetite.
GLP-1s, both name-brand and compounded, are only available with a prescription.
Studies show that when people stop taking the medication, they gradually regain the weight they’ve lost. The medications needs to be continued long-term, similar to a blood pressure or thyroid medicine.
Some people can wean to a lower maintenance dose, while others must take a higher dose to see continued positive results.
Heart Check with Sara: The medications seem new because they’ve had a massive rise in availability, but they’ve been in use for two decades.
Wegovy and Zepbound – The Good (Because They DO Work)
Let’s talk about the positive and negative aspects of GLP medications.
1. They Work
Here’s what’s different about GLP1s: They work. Up until now, most weight loss medications:
- Had massive side effects
- Produced poor weight loss results
- Effects wore off over time
These new injectable drugs provide much more significant results and as long as the person keeps taking them, it appears that the results are long-lasting.
GLP-1 is a hormone your body naturally produces after you eat. The medications give you a much larger dose, which results in:
- Decreased appetite
- Fewer food cravings
- Slowed digestion, so you are less hungry between meals
2. Food Noise
“Food noise” means a constant internal chatter driving you to get food.
All of us have a drive for food since that’s what keeps us alive. If you had no desire to eat, you’d be dead within a month or two, so this isn’t a bad thing.
The trouble is that for some of us, due to genetic variation, early trauma, and other reasons, our internal “dial” on our food drive is turned up full blast. It feels like other people have a food dial turned to 3, and mine is set to 50.
Our environment allows us to get highly calorie-dense foods with one click on a smartphone app. It’s no wonder obesity rates are skyrocketing.
Many people report that GLP1s turn down the food noise to a manageable level for the first time in their lives. These drugs allow them to make the healthy choices they’ve always wanted to make but couldn’t seem to stick with.
3. Other Health Benefits
New studies are showing that GLP-1s have other benefits like:
- Reducing the risk of heart disease
- Because losing weight naturally decreases them: sleep apnea, arthritis
- Decrease in other addictive drives like for smoking and alcohol
- May help with binge eating
Drug companies are racing to get GLP-1s approved for these conditions so that insurance companies will be forced to pay for the treatment.
Heart Check with Sara: Obesity rates are rising to insane levels (and affecting younger children). Obesity kills. As a society, we need to do something. If these medications work, we must give them serious consideration.
The Bad & Ugly about Weight Loss Drugs
While the new weight loss injections show great promise, there are big concerns, too.
Side Effects
Common side effects include:
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Heartburn
- Total lack of appetite
Some people have mild side effects that quickly go away, and a few have no side effects at all. Others have such severe side effects that they have to stop taking the medication.
I’ve already read about people who have serious side effects, to the point that they cannot function for a few days each week, but they still continue to take them because the resulting weight loss is worth the trade-off.
Long-Term Risks
More serious complications are rare but possible, like:
- Vision problems
- Gallbladder and pancreas inflammation
- Mental health issues like depression
While these medications have been studied for almost twenty years and used to treat diabetes for almost a decade, their widespread use in the population is relatively new. They are being used to treat teen obesity, which means a person could be on them for 70-80 years. The effects of lifetime use are unknown.
Cost
The cost of four injectable pens of a GLP-1 is about $1,200 per month. For most individuals, this is outside of their means. These drugs are available for the rich, a limited few with insurance coverage for obesity, and diabetics who are also obese. The majority of the population does not have access.
Many people are turning to compounded medications, which are unregulated and potentially dangerous. The FDA recently ruled that pharmacies can no longer compound semaglutide (Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro). Programs like the WW Clinic and others face legal issues if they continue to distribute compounded GLP-1s. However, many companies are circumventing this ruling by changing the dosage slightly or adding other components such as vitamin B12.
Currently, government-funded programs like Medicaid do not pay for weight loss drugs, but that may change. If that shifts, billions of dollars of tax dollars will go to pay for weight loss medication.
Currently, billions of dollars are being spent on obesity-related diseases, so we as a society will be faced with important decisions.
Misuse of Weight Loss Drugs
Celebrity hype has shown stars who misuse weight loss injections to lose 10 to 20 pounds. These are serious medications and not meant for someone who needs to drop a few pounds or desires to be stick-thin.
People who work with individuals with eating disorders are concerned that this could exacerbate the issue and lead to abuse of these drugs to perpetuate unhealthy food behaviors.
Shaming and Discrimination
Many of us have experienced discrimination because of our weight.
Heavier people are more likely to be turned down for jobs or paid less for equivalent work. People assume that overweight people are lazy or gluttonous. Doctors are more likely to misdiagnose medical conditions because they assume the problem is weight-related.
Now, many people who are taking GLP-1s hide their use because people shun them for taking medication. It’s created a darned-if-I-do, darned-if-I-don’t scenario.
Heart Check with Sara: “Losing weight without drugs” has become the new buzz phrase. We assume that people who do it without drugs are superior in their drive or willpower. But weight loss isn’t a competition. If you choose not to use weight loss drugs, I support you. If you decide to use them, I support you, too. Let’s help each other, not tear others down for their choices. Weight loss is hard enough, and people’s judgments make it more difficult.
Honest Talk: How I Lost 100 Pounds Naturally
I lost 100+ pounds almost 20 years ago, and I’ve been maintaining since then. I didn’t use injections to lose weight because they weren’t available. Because of that, many people assume that I’m opposed to weight loss drugs, but I’m not.
Weight loss medication, just like weight loss surgery, diet programs like The Holy Mess membership, Weight Watchers, food tracking apps, and many others, are tools in the toolbox.
There is no easy button for weight loss. Being overweight isn’t easy, either. Pick your hard.
True Confession about Weight Loss Injections
How do I feel about weight loss meds? Honestly? Plain old ugly jealous is how I’ve felt since GLP-1s became popular. If these drugs make weight loss easier, I want what she’s having.
You’d think I would be shouting from the rooftops that I have a drug-free solution. But how can I fault people for taking a medication that might help save their lives? Former me would have taken it in a heartbeat. (The irony is that my 100-pound-heavier self might have qualified for insurance coverage, and current 125-pound me does not.)
If you, together with your medical provider, choose to take weight loss drugs, I’m here to support you. I know weight loss and maintaining aren’t easy, because I’m living it every single day.
Heart Check with Sara: I get the pull to drugs. I want an easy fix, too! The reality is there is no weight loss easy button, and committing to an expensive, life-long medication with side effects isn’t easy, either.
You Can’t Inject a New Identity
Over the years, I’ve developed hundreds of healthy habits and boundaries around food. I’m incredibly thankful to God for the food freedom He’s given me, but my food cravings didn’t disappear with the snap of my fingers.
The strategies I’ve developed are what I teach in our women’s weight loss program. Finding this kind of real information is hard in today’s give-me-easy world.
We all know the first-world diet is terrible. The food industry sells us junk food, which we grab it and run. Now we have drugs that curb our appetite so that we can eat the same terrible foods in smaller portions. While I support the use of these medications, I am concerned about the long-term complications of our approach.
Heart Check with Sara: As powerful as these drugs are, they aren’t a magical solution. Drugs won’t fix deeper things that are broken. If you overeat because of trauma, emotional eating, boredom, or to cope with stress, those problems will still be there. You can be an unhealthy thinner person if you keep eating a crappy diet.
Where Faith + Science Meet: A Christian Perspective
In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, the Bible says that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Weight loss is about more than vanity or achieving a specific number on the scale. God gave you your body as a gift, and you are called to steward it well.
If you are considering taking a GLP-1s (or using any other weight loss strategy), follow these steps.
1. Pray
Seek God’s direction. The book of James says that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. The Holy Spirit gives us direction. God won’t come down with a lightning bolt, He will guide you when you are seeking His voice.
Read Scripture and be diligent in asking God to lead you.
2. Seek Wisdom
A conversation with a doctor who knows your medical history is critical. He or she should continue to monitor you during treatment. GLP-1s start with a low dose and are gradually titrated as your body adjusts. It’s also important to monitor side effects and weight loss.
Research the medications on your own, too. While there’s a lot of hype online, in-depth, helpful information is also available.
Seek Godly counsel from mentors such as faithful friends, family members, or your pastor.
3. Discern
Hosea 14:9 says, “Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the Lord are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.”
When you have taken these steps, move forward with confidence that you’ve made the best decision possible. Remember that God promises to work all things together for good (Romans 8:28), and this gives us so much peace. God’s will is not thwarted by one decision you make. His power is so much bigger than any one decision in our lifetime.
Medical information is protected and confidential, so you don’t have to share your choices unless you choose to.
Medication or not, focus on making the healthiest choices possible, which means eating a diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, protein, and whole grains. Stay hydrated. Cut back on soda, sugar, processed food, junk food, and fast food. Move your body daily.
Check out our resources like the 3-day meal plan and 7-day anti-inflammatory plan for guidance.
If you need help making these choices regular habits in your life, join us in The Holy Mess Membership, where we give you a monthly roadmap for how to make wiser decisions that honor the body God gifted you with.
Heart Check with Sara: God has given you a body as a gift to steward. If you take a GLP-1 or not, a question to reflect on is, “Am I taking care of the body God has given me?” In our Christian weight loss membership at The Holy Mess, we take you deeper into what this looks like in everyday life.
What’s Next for Weight Loss Drugs
Like it or not, these weight loss medications are not going away. A new drug currently in trials, Retatrutide, has even more potential, with average weight loss of 24.2% in clinical trials.
As society is shifting toward acceptance of people of all races, genders, and neurodivergences, the body acceptance and body positivity movements are becoming more popular.
These new medications build on that, marketing that obesity is a disease and not the person’s fault. Weight Watchers even issued an apology, stating that for years, they gave the wrong message.
Heart Check with Sara: No one should ever be shamed for the body they have. While I appreciate the goals of the body positivity movement, I don’t agree that we should give up all personal responsibility. Obesity is complex and in involves many factors, some outside of our control and some within it.
FAQs about Weight Loss Injections
My doctor suggested I start taking Ozempic, but I feel like such a failure. I’ve been trying to lose weight for years. I should be able to do it on my own.
Obesity is complex and involves many factors, some outside of your control and some within it. If your weight is impacting your health negatively, and you can afford it, consider weight loss medication as one helpful tool you could use. It doesn’t mean you’ve failed.
I want to try a GLP-1 but my doctor refuses.
If your primary care doctor won’t prescribe a GLP-1 for you, consider making an appointment with an obesity specialist or an endocrinologist, who are more informed about weight management.
I want to take Wegovy or Zepbound, but my insurance won’t pay for it, and I can’t afford it.
You aren’t alone. While many people turn to compounded options, these are risky. One of the first GLP-1s, Liraglutide (brand name: Victoza) is now available in generic form, and Lilly Direct is offering lower-dose Zepbound without the injector pen, and the savings card offers a discount. The medicine is still expensive, but might be affordable for some. Zepbound was recently approved for the treatment of sleep apnea, and approval for other conditions (such as arthritis and heart disease) are currently in trials.
Do I have to take Ozempic forever?
Studies show that patients regain weight after stopping GLP-1 medications, although some report being able to maintain their weight without them or at a lower dose.
I am taking Mounjaro, but it’s not helping me lose weight/stopped working.
While the new drugs are highly effective for many individuals, weight loss plateaus are common. Keep a food log to see how many calories you are consuming. For a small percentage of people, the drugs aren’t effective at all.
Need help navigating this journey? Join the Holy Mess Membership for faith-filled support, a guided path, and expert leadership that walks with you, no matter what choices you make about medication.
Heart Check with Sara: I would love to hear from you. This is a safe place. Share your thoughts in the comments below.
More Weight Loss Articles You’ll Love
Why You Are Overweight – and it’s not the reason you think.
5 Things I’m Embarrassed to Tell You About My Weight Loss Journey – I don’t want to share these, but I have to be honest.
How to Maintain Weight You’ve Lost – 7 Lessons I’ve Learned from 20+ years as a maintainer.
When You Have a Lot of Weight to Lose – Feeling overwhelmed? Read more here, and check out the Endurance Weight Loss Journal for Christian support.
I looked into this for binge eating disorder and was told that diagnosis is not eligible for the drugs. This does not appear to be a very diversified medication for those who struggle with BED.
GLP-1s are currently being tested for many other diagnosis but it will still be a long time before many are approved. There is a medication currently approved for BED, which is Vyvance.
This is very informative and it’s nice to see the pro’s and con’s of these meds. I have been on a slow journey of losing weight myself, I follow WW, down about 50 pounds from my highest weight. I will get there with better food choices and less processed foods and God’s help. Thank you for being a fantastic role model.
You addressed this with so much Grace. As a woman that has been morbidly obese and still is obese I have faced so much prejudice and judgement from the world. I love that you do not pit women against women or make a healthy weight goal a competition. My struggle is uniquely my own. Now I have finally found out what it means to have the “food noises” hushed with compounded glp-1 I am sad to see the government cutting off my access. I felt free of food for the first time ever! My weight loss has been slow bc and stray at 20 pounds over 4 months. I fear the future. Thanks for your thoughtful article.
My doctor have me two months of samples of Ozempic just to try. I knew I couldn’t afford to take it forever and was really afraid to do so. I was able to lose a few pounds and it really cut my appetite. The. Several months later she gave me another sample but it did absolutely nothing. I didn’t want to take it indefinitely but was curious why the first two doses helped and the third didn’t. I think it is better to stick with what I know works. I’ve been on WW for years and with the guidance of The Holy Mess I know I can continue to lose.