I Lost 35lbs in 3 Months Using Ozempic, I Felt Side Effects

It was back in December 2021 that I felt most uncomfortable in myself and with my weight. I had gone all the way to 200lbs, and I'm 5'7, so that was not a good place for me. The only thing that fit me were my pajamas and my sweats.

I never wanted to leave the house and I had zero confidence in myself. I just didn't feel good at all.

I'm 36 years old and have four kids so my hormones have been all over the place for the past nine years. I take anxiety medication and I have hypothyroidism, which makes it harder to lose weight.

When I started my weight loss journey, I used Weight Watchers. I've been a Weight Watchers member for a long time. I like it because of their zero points food options, and I'm also someone who eats a lot of eggs, and really enjoys fruits and vegetables, black beans, rice, and foods like that.

So it gave me a lot of options to fit within my lifestyle. I began doing Weight Watchers on and off, and started running too. I was able to lose about 10lbs or so last year. But then the weight crept back up last fall.

By January this year, I was at 200lbs again. I had gained all the weight I lost; I was back at square one.

Because of my hypothyroidism, I had been researching Ozempic and semaglutide. I went through my doctor first and I was not a candidate because I did not have diabetes. But I did have gestational diabetes throughout my last two pregnancies, so I am pre-diabetic for the rest of my life.

I went to a medical spa after getting a referral from a friend. I had an appointment with a physician assistant and they were able to hook me up with Ozempic, which contains semaglutide.

It was shipped to my door. Ozempic is a diabetes medication, but can be effective for weight loss. I qualified for semaglutide through my physician assistant because I was overweight, have hypothyroidism, and am pre-diabetic.

I started semaglutide on February 13. I remember because it was the day before Valentine's Day and that's when I took my first injection. I began at 0.05 mg, and was on this for four weeks. I then upped my dosage continuously over the following weeks until I reached 1 mg.

After around three months, I came off semaglutide because I had reached a healthy weight. I had lost 35lbs while taking semaglutide in conjunction with healthy diet and exercise.

That last part is so important to add. With Ozempic or other semaglutide products, they are not miracle drugs you can take and then lose a bunch of weight. They help to slow down digestion, making you feel fuller for longer and suppressing your appetite.

I've struggled a lot with binge eating, especially at night, and with food cravings. I was never someone who could have one piece of candy or one cookie or one donut. I would eat six donuts, or a whole bag of candy. My use of Starbucks was out of control; I was getting it every single day.

All of this started to change once I began taking the semaglutide; it had completely taken away my food cravings. I never felt hungry. Even coffee doesn't sound good to me most of the time anymore. It really slowed down all of those like compulsive eating habits I had.

I was able to align my use of semaglutide with my healthy diet and running. So I was confident knowing that after coming off of it, I would keep up with my diet, running, and working out—and that's what will stop me putting a bunch of weight back on.

I went from a size 32 jeans to 27, and from a 38DD bra size to 34DD.

The weight just melted off me. But I did experience side effects from the semaglutide.

One was nausea. I was injecting in my stomach for quite a few weeks, then in my thigh. When I injected in my thigh I did not experience any nausea at all. But when it was my stomach, I was nauseous for at least two days.

I also experienced heartburn and a lot of burping. And if I overate, I felt very sick and like I was about to throw up. So that also helped me not to overeat.

Constipation was a big thing too. I found myself having to take a laxative once a week for a while to try to flush things out. Adding more water into my diet helped that situation until I no longer needed a laxative.

I am not a doctor, and you should consult your own physician before taking medications like these. A health professional will talk you through your medical history and guide you through any other necessary processes, such as laboratory work, to see if you're a suitable candidate.

But overall, I have good things to say about semaglutide. My own experience was positive.

Now, in my diet, I've been sticking to eating to the same things every single day. But that's normal for me. I'm a creature of habit and when I like something, I like something.

My typical eating plan is some kind of breakfast bar in the morning, followed by a low-sugar yogurt smoothie along with a coffee. I find I no longer need a snack. That's something the semaglutide also helped with; I don't snack as much as I used to.

For lunch I typically do something healthy, like a salad, or a low-calorie ready meal, or a protein shake with a few tortilla chips on the side and some fruit.

And then for dinner, I'll make sure it's as low-carb as possible. I have a lot of fajita meals, or protein pasta with a tomato and ground beef sauce, or sausage and pepper, or a bunless burger with potatoes on the side or green vegetables.

At night, I have some sort of snack, like a couple of little chocolate squares and some fruit, like half a bowl of watermelon, which is one of my favorites. Or I'll do something like apple and peanut butter.

I don't actually eat eggs anymore. And after learning through a test that I have a sensitivity to dairy, I try to eat dairy-free where possible.

And so that's it; everything I've done to lose all the weight. It's helped bring my confidence back and I just feel a lot better about myself now that I'm healthy again.

Gina Schweppe is a lifestyle vlogger from California. You can find her channel on YouTube.

All views expressed in this article are the author's own.

Do you have a unique experience or personal story to share? Email the My Turn team at myturn@newsweek.com

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