A woman who has been overweight “her entire life” has documented her journey with Ozempic, including the debilitating side effects of hair loss, diarrhea and severe fatigue.
And a leading dietitian examined their diet while taking the drug and warned that many could be lacking vital protein and fibre, putting them at risk of muscle atrophy and bowel cancer.
Toronto-based nutrition expert Abbey Sharp conducted an in-depth review of the diet of a colleague who has been taking the successful injections for seven months, losing nearly 35 pounds in the process.
The review, which lasted 25 minutes, was posted on his YouTube channel, where Sharp has more than 660,000 subscribers.
In it, the patient reveals what she has been able to digest for breakfast, lunch and dinner since taking the medication, which acts by increasing satiety signals and reducing appetite.
Previous reports have documented patients who say they “forced” themselves to eat, after the medication took away all of their natural hunger pangs.
The patient, named Ginger, told Sharp that she has been overweight “her whole life.”
She watched her father with type 2 diabetes lose a lot of weight and then learned he was taking Ozempic, which led her to consider taking the medication herself.
Ginger is taken two milligrams per week, which is the maximum dose.
‘I feel very good. “I was shopping yesterday and instead of buying XL, I bought size medium,” she said.
However, it has described worrying side effects, including hair loss, diarrhea, and “next level” exhaustion. She said: “I’m not sure if it’s related to the loss of nutrients or the Ozempic or just [because] It’s a very stressful time… but it comes out in groups while I’m in the shower, so it’s not fun.’
Ginger starts the day with a Nespresso coffee, followed by an egg with a little salt and pepper on a slice of white toast, with Earth Balance dairy-free spread and topped with a piece of gouda cheese.
Abbey Sharp, the dietician behind Abbey’s Kitchen, has more than 660,000 subscribers on YouTube. She conducted an in-depth review of the diet of a colleague who has been taking Ozempic for seven months.
Ginger has described worrying side effects while taking Ozempic, including hair loss, diarrhea, and “next-level” exhaustion.
For lunch, eat half a beef bulgogi with carrots, kimchi and rice, followed by two pieces of white chocolate.
Dinner usually consists of a plate of chicken fajitas with rice, black beans, sweet corn, guacamole, and salsa.
Ginger said: “I still enjoy everything I want to eat, the only thing I really struggle with is any of those fried foods, they just don’t sit well in my stomach.”
Mrs. Sharp estimated that Ginger’s meals during the day amounted to about 1,100 calories.
It is recommended that patients taking GLP-1 agonists eat no less than 1,400 to 1,500 calories a day to prevent muscle loss and malnutrition, Abbey noted.
For those not taking Ozempic, the recommended daily calorie intake is 2,000 for women and 2,500 for men.
‘For most people, [the Ozempic diet] there could be a pretty aggressive caloric deficit,” he said.
You need a calorie deficit, where you burn more calories than you consume, to lose a lot of weight in short periods of time, which is why Ozempic works.
Ozempic is the brand name of the drug semaglutide, which suppresses appetite and causes weight loss.
The drug binds to the GLP-1 receptor, a protein that activates hormones in the brain that keep the stomach full and tell the body to stop eating and avoid cravings.
Risks of the medication include nausea and vomiting. Doctors are also concerned that patients will need to continue taking the drug throughout their lives to maintain weight loss.
Ms Sharp warned that a diet like Ginger’s lacks protein, the main nutrient in dairy, meat and legumes that is essential for building muscle and increasing energy.
“I think I counted about 50 grams of protein a day, which is about 20 percent of the total calories,” Ms. Sharp said.
‘We need a ton of protein when we are in a calorie deficit. Basically, the greater the calorie deficit, the more protein we need.
“And this is basically to help prevent muscle atrophy, which is one of the main concerns when it comes to GLP-1 agonists like Ozempic.”
Abbey recommended about 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or about 30 percent of your total calories.
According to the dietary reference intake, the average man should eat about 56 grams of protein per day, and the average woman should eat about 46 grams, about two small chicken breasts.
Because Ginger only eats 1,100 calories, it would be “very difficult” to reach this goal, Abbey said, unless “she’s only eating protein.”
Going off the 30 percent goal, Ginger should consume about 85 grams of protein a day.
Sharp recommended increasing the protein content at breakfast by adding some egg whites, a protein shake, Greek yogurt, or cottage cheese.
Another problem is the lack of fiber, necessary to regulate digestion and prevent colon cancer.
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, women are recommended to consume 28 grams of fiber per day, which is equivalent to about three-quarters of a cup of chickpeas.
Ginger only gets five grams on her current diet, Abbey said. She advised swapping white rice for a grain with higher fiber content, such as chickpea pasta or quinoa.
“If you’re still finding it very difficult to meet your fiber needs, perhaps you would consider adding a prebiotic fiber supplement and taking it near bed so it doesn’t impact your hunger levels during the day.”
“You don’t want it to affect your appetite further and you don’t want to get enough calories or enough protein.”
Fiber makes you feel full, Abbey said, so if you take it earlier in the day, you can compromise on eating antioxidant-rich foods or protein-rich foods “because you just feel full because you’re taking Ozempic and you’re now you take a fiber supplement, you feel fuller.’
Ginger also needs to eat more fruits and vegetables, Abbey said.
“It’s obviously not realistic to consume five to 10 full servings of fruits and vegetables on a very low-calorie diet like this,” he said.
This lack of nutrients could cause the hair loss that Ginger had described.
Experts have said that not consuming enough essential vitamins such as vitamin D, iron and zinc can contribute to thinning and hair loss.