With weight loss medication like Wegovy being so popular, it’s important to understand what to expect from different medicine-supported weight loss programs.
This article explores what you can expect in your first month with Embla on our medical weight loss program. We’ll cover the initial weight loss results, common challenges, and the importance of ongoing support from our health coaches. You'll learn about how Wegovy works to regulate hunger and why personalised lifestyle coaching is crucial for long-term success.
Whether you're considering Wegovy or already on your weight loss journey, this article offers valuable insights and practical tips to help you reach and maintain your goals.
The results you can expect with Embla and Wegovy
Wegovy is a powerful weight loss tool that regulates hunger by acting on the brain's appetite control centre and slowing down digestion.
This makes you feel full quicker and longer, which helps reduce the amount of food you eat, achieve better portion control and reduce uncontrolled snacking.
Although Wegovy is proven to be effective for weight loss, once you stop and lose the appetite suppressing effect the weight may creep back on. This is where the support from your assigned Embla health coach becomes a crucial part of your journey as they work with you to create lifelong habit changes to ensure this weight stays off. Your coach will create a personalised plan for you based on your preference in food, your daily routine and capabilities.
Initial results with Embla
During the initial stages of the journey with Embla and Wegovy you may notice an initial rapid weight loss. This easy success can be very motivating and exciting. However, it’s essential to continue working with your coach to improve your habits, so you can sustain your results after tapering off medication.
Weight loss results are not just about your physical appearance. Our members also emphasise how losing weight has increased their energy, mood and self-confidence. Despite facing challenges throughout their process, experiencing these positive changes encouraged and motivated them to continue working on becoming a healthier version of themselves.
Some of the most common challenges our members face is:
- Adapting to changes in their diet
- Managing cravings
- Changing and building new habits
Being on medication also brings its own challenges as side effects are quite common. Our members’ most commonly reported side effects with GLP-1 medication like Wegovy are:
- Nausea
- Diarrhoea
- Constipation
- Bloating
- Headache/fatigue
However, this is rarely a problem as our medical team always steps in to help you manage and ease any form of side effect.
How much weight can you lose in one month with Wegovy?
How quickly you lose weight depends on multiple factors such as:
- Genetics
- Sex
- Age
- Overall health
- Previous “dieting” attempts
- Lifestyle
- Environment
In theory, it’s possible to predict the rate of your weight loss if you know:
- Your estimated body composition (the ratio between fat mass and fat-free mass)
- Your actual physical activity level
- Plus how many calories you consume every day.
However, the method requires a high level of precision and effort (such as calorie counting and metabolic equivalent [MET] calculations to assess physical activity), in addition to a costly DEXA scan to measure body’s fat and fat-free mass ratio.Although a number of potential weight loss within a certain time scale could serve as a motivation to reach desired results, it could also result in disappointment if expectations are not met. Each weight loss process is unique and will differ in effort and time requirements. Here at Embla, we aim to find the most appropriate approach for our members to sustainably lose weight at the desired level without focusing on the number on scale.
What our clinical study says
In the Embla EMBRACE III study, members who joined our medical weight loss plan lost an average of 1 kg per week with Wegovy during the first month, totaling around 4 kg.
However, this initial weight loss rate may not reliably predict long-term progress for several reasons:
- Glycogen storage: Initially, the body uses glycogen stores as a primary energy source when on a calorie deficit. Glycogen, stored in muscles and the liver, is a form of glucose that also includes 3 to 4 parts water. This can lead to a higher weight loss rate at the beginning of the program.
- Shift to fat storage: As glycogen stores deplete, the body begins to use fat stores as the primary energy source. Fat contains very little water, resulting in a slower weight loss rate.
Slow but steady weight loss progress increases the chances of maintaining desired results long-term and preventing weight regain.
On average, Embla members have lost 15-20% of their body weight after 40 weeks, without the need to count calories or follow a bland, restrictive diet. This impressive change not only necessitates acquiring smaller clothing sizes but also improves several health aspects, such as:
- Cardiovascular disease risk
- Type 2 diabetes prevention
- Fertility
- Mental health
What happens when you stop Wegovy?
Now, let's dive into the phase after reaching your weight loss goals and how to sustain it.
It's completely normal to feel apprehensive about discontinuing medication, especially after achieving significant weight loss. To ease this transition, we recommend gradually tapering off with the guidance of a healthcare team. This support adds an extra layer of confidence in maintaining the positive behavioural changes you've made. While research indicates that stopping both may lead to weight regain, our findings at Embla suggest that ceasing medication while continuing nutritional support helps in preserving the achieved weight loss.
Addressing the unique behavioural and psychological reasons behind eating habits is essential. That's why an individualised, holistic approach is vital—it can target the likely multiple root causes contributing to obesity. By focusing on these aspects, you significantly improve your chances of maintaining weight loss once you transition off medication. Your Embla team which includes nutritionists, nurses, doctors, pharmacists and psychologists will help you navigate coming off this medication and what to do to maintain your new weight long term.
When does it make sense to take Wegovy?
Wegovy makes sense for people dealing with high BMI levels and health issues due to excess weight. If your BMI is 30 or more, or over 27 with weight-related conditions like diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, dyslipidemia, sleep apnea and/or known cardiovascular disease (AMI/angina) , Wegovy might be a good choice for you.
For those seriously struggling managing obesity, Wegovy offers a way out of the challenges they face. It helps to control appetite by silencing hunger signals and changing mindset around the food, which leads to consistent weight loss. Wegovy, combined with lifestyle changes, has become a game-changer for many, giving them back energy and a better quality of life. If you've been struggling, Wegovy and working with an Embla health coach could be the key to improving your life and losing weight.
How long does it take for Wegovy to work?
The response to GLP-1 differs between individuals. Some feel a considerable appetite suppression effect straight away, some need more time for the desirable effect to be accumulated.
Based on the level of appetite control and consecutive food intake reduction, our members will start steadily losing weight. It's important to note that results are often most significant when Wegovy is complemented by changes in lifestyle, including diet and physical activity.
We strongly advise all our members that they engage with their coach on an on-going basis for support and guidance, as we know this is what predicts a successful, lasting weight loss.
Conclusion
Embla pairs the power of Wegovy with personalised coaching to help you achieve and maintain life-long weight loss.
In your first month, you can expect initial rapid weight loss, but continued support from your coach is essential for building lasting habits. Our clinical study shows promising results, with members losing an average of 1 kg per week initially and 15-20% of their body weight after 40 weeks, without restrictive diets.
Wegovy is particularly beneficial for those with a high BMI and weight-related health issues. By addressing the root causes of obesity and providing a holistic, personalised approach, our program significantly increases your chances of successful, long-term weight loss.
At Embla, we are committed to helping you become a healthier, more confident version of yourself. With the right tools, support, and dedication, achieving and maintaining your weight loss goals is within reach.
References
Dabas J, Shunmukha Priya S, Alawani A, Budhrani P. What could be the reasons for not losing weight even after following a weight loss program? Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition. 2024 Mar 2;43(1):37.
Hall KD, Jordan PN. Modeling weight-loss maintenance to help prevent body weight regain2. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2008 Dec 1;88(6):1495–503.
Jetté M, Sidney K, Blümchen G. Metabolic equivalents (METS) in exercise testing, exercise prescription, and evaluation of functional capacity. Clin Cardiol. 1990 Aug;13(8):555–65.
Loenneke JP, Wilson JM, Wray ME, Barnes JT, Kearney ML, Pujol TJ. The Estimation of the Fat Free Mass Index in Athletes. Asian J Sports Med. 2012 Sep;3(3):200–3.
Kreitzman SN, Coxon AY, Szaz KF. Glycogen storage: illusions of easy weight loss, excessive weight regain, and distortions in estimates of body composition. Am J Clin Nutr. 1992 Jul;56(1 Suppl):292S-293S.
Ryan DH, Yockey SR. Weight Loss and Improvement in Comorbidity: Differences at 5%, 10%, 15%, and Over. Curr Obes Rep. 2017 Jun;6(2):187–94.
Wegovy, INN Semaglutide (n.d) https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/product-information/wegovy-epar-product-information_en.pdf
Hall KD, Kahan S. (2018) Maintenance of Lost Weight and Long-Term Management of Obesity. Med Clin North Am. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5764193/
K. Elfhag, S. Rössner (2005) Who succeeds in maintaining weight loss? A conceptual review of factors associated with weight loss maintenance and weight regain. Volume 6 Issue1 Pages 67-85 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-789X.2005.00170.x