In a marketplace that can sell you ‘get thin quick’ pharmaceutical injections that require little or no effort on the part of the consumer, where is the incentive to make the slow progression towards a healthy weight achieved by naturopathic, holistic nutrition- and lifestyle-based approaches? After all, one sounds easy and the other hard. And us humans don’t like hard.

Since time immemorial, there have been numerous fad diets or diet pills on the market that promise rapid weight loss. Some of them even work – after all, calorie restrictive diets like Weight Watchers offer, will get results.

So how do weight loss jabs like Wegovy and Ozempic work? These kinds of drugs are called semaglutides and mimic a naturally occurring hormone in the body called GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1), which is released in the gut after eating. They have several effects that promote weight loss such as appetite suppression, maintaining the feeling of ‘fullness’ after eating, helping with blood-sugar control and fat metabolism.

Besides the side effect profile that I’ll discuss later, the main problem with them, like all previous short-term interventions, as well as being quite tricky to stick to, is that they only offer those results while in use. Once stopped, the weight inevitably goes back on, as lasting changes to diet and lifestyle have not taken place. A recent study showed an average of 2/3 of weight lost was regained within a year of discontinuation. Longer-term studies that show weight gain over a longer period have yet to occur, but it is reasonable to assume that all of the weight could be regained over a longer period since appetite returns to pre-drug levels, and in some cases has been found to increase, making them an ineffective intervention in terms of maintaining a healthy weight and body.

Indeed, the jabs do not do anything to address the underlying causes of obesity. Nor do they do anything to promote health in and of themselves, except insofar as to help with obesity-related conditions like Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and other cardiovascular risks if, and it’s a big if, those are in fact present in the person taking the drug. In England, the NHS will not prescribe these drugs unless the patient has a BMI of over 35 and at least one diagnosed comorbidities. For everyone else who just fancies shedding a few pounds, it’s a bit of a Wild West scenario where injections can be purchased online, with few checks involved, meaning that people may be taking the injections without needing to and certainly without medical supervision. Or that they may be taking dosages far higher than they should.

Nor do they come without side effects. In fact, as drugs go, they have quite the side effect profile. Gastrointestinal effects such as indigestion, nausea, constipation and diarrhoea are very common, and there is a rare but serious risk of pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). Up to 29 January 2025, there were 82 deaths reported in the UK linked to GLP‑1 drugs overall. While these deaths have not been definitively attributed to the use of such drugs, the proven link to more serious gastrointestinal complaints surely places them under the spotlight when it comes to fatality.

Also, several nutrient deficiencies have been linked to use of weight loss drugs. B9 (folate), B12, iron, zinc and vitamin D have all been linked to their use, possibly due to dramatically lowered food intake, but also effects on the gastrointestinal system that impair digestion and absorption of these nutrients. Additionally, many users have found they are not taking in enough protein, affecting muscle tone. This is serious problem as GLP-1 drugs can result in rapid weight loss, making dramatic loss of lean muscle more likely. In some people muscle can make up to 30-40% of total body weight loss while on these drugs. This is far from ideal, and can lead to further health problems such as frailty and lowering metabolism – which in turn leads to higher likelihood of weight gain once the drug has been discontinued. In fact, this loss of muscle tone leads to poorer metabolic health overall – the very thing these drugs were initially designed to help with.

Having worked with clients who have weight loss as a primary concern, it is wonderful to be able to help them reduce their weight and overall body fat with diet and lifestyle strategies, and careful judicious supplement recommendation. Seeing tangible results over the longer-term, although not a ‘quick fix’, can really boost someone’s confidence as they see definite positive changes because of their own efforts, rather than the end of a needle. I recently worked with a woman who lost 4 inches off her waist in the first 6 weeks of following my advice along with rising energy and better sleep.

Much of what I suggested was about the types of foods she was eating and the timing of meals, rather than following any dramatic calorie decreased diet. I helped dispel some myths about what constituted healthy foods and made recipe suggestions that I knew would lower her overall fat and sugar intake, while upping the satiating fibre and protein necessary to change her metabolic profile in the longer term. Exercise and activities to calm the nervous system were also part of the plan, since stress is the absolute enemy of weight loss! Together we explored the reasons for her weight gain and occasional bingeing, getting to the root of why she had put on so much weight, rather than treating it as a disconnected problem. By addressing the whole person, I was able to effect more significant change in the context of overall improved health. Now she has the knowledge to help herself in this goal of gradual – because it needs to be – weight loss, but with proper consideration of her nutrient needs, general health and wellbeing.

Ultimately, you need to make informed decisions about what best suits you and your health. If you are someone who recognises that there is rarely such a thing as a ‘miracle’ drug. Or if you see that taking charge of your own health requires some time and effort, but you are willing to put both in for healthier, sustainable, lifelong results, you may wish to explore naturopathic nutrition and lifestyle interventions. If weight loss is your goal but you also want to be a healthier you, I’d be happy to discuss how I can help. Just email at jop.naturalnutrition@gmail.com or comment below to book in a FREE 15 minute call.