How Wegovy changes your relationship with food

When it comes to dieting, the failure rate is shockingly high, with the majority of dieters regaining the weight they’ve lost after a few months.¹ Diets are notoriously hard to stick to, especially when you’re restricting yourself to a very low number of calories per day. Ultimately, hunger can lead to snacking or even a binge.

This is where Wegovy can help. 

Wegovy helps you to control your hunger and avoid secret trips to the snack cupboard. It makes sticking to a healthy diet less of an uphill struggle.

The active ingredient that suppresses your appetite and reduces cravings is semaglutide.

What is semaglutide?

Semaglutide is a GLP-1 prescribed for both type 2 diabetes and weight loss, sold under the brand names Ozempic, Rybelsus, and Wegovy.

Ozempic is an injection used to treat type 2 diabetes. Rybelsus contains the same drug in tablet form, for people who don't like injecting. Both lower blood sugar and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, and both lead to weight loss.^2,3

That weight loss effect is what led to Wegovy: semaglutide developed specifically for weight management, now available as an injection or a tablet. Clinical trials combining it with a structured weight management programme have shown strong results.⁴

How does semglutide work?

Essentially, semaglutide mimics a naturally-occurring hormone released by the gut, called glucagon-like peptide-1. This hormone is triggered by food intake and acts on the appetite centres of the brain. In response, you’ll feel full and your body will slow the digestion process. The hormone also stimulates the production of insulin which stores sugar as energy for later. This process of events results in a more manageable diet, where food cravings are reduced and food intake is decreased.

Wegovy comes in two forms: an injection and a tablet.

The injection is self-administered once a week, into the fatty tissue of the stomach, thigh, or upper arm. The Wegovy Pill is taken once daily, on an empty stomach, with a small amount of water.

The tablets are a good option for people who don't like needles.

To be suitable for Wegovy, you must meet one of the two following conditions:

• Your BMI exceeds or is equal to 30 (classed as ‘obese’)

• Your BMI exceeds or is equal to 27 (classed as ‘overweight’) and you also have a weight-related medical condition such as high cholesterol or type 2 diabetes

How will Weogvy change my appetite?

As semaglutide mimics a hormone that signals to your brain that you’re full, the drug will help reduce feelings of hunger. With a reduced appetite, it will be easier to follow a healthy diet and avoid snacking or large portion sizes.

Will Weogvy help me eat healthier?

Clinical trials have proven that semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy, helps people to make healthier choices.⁵ The medication reduces appetite which results in healthier food selections and reduced food intake. After 20 weeks of dosing, participants were asked to eat a meal until they were full. It was found that participants taking semaglutide had an energy intake that was 35% lower than those taking a placebo.⁶ The results also showed that semaglutide improved eating control, reduced hunger, increased satiety and led to fewer food cravings for dairy, savoury, sweet, and high-fat foods..6

So, Wegovy will reduce your appetite and make unhealthy choices less tempting but it’s still important that you get your diet right. With so many contradictory messages about healthy food and each new fad diet claiming to shed more pounds than the last, it can be difficult to know if you’re making the right food choices.

A healthy diet includes plenty of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, fish, nuts and legumes. You should avoid fatty, sugary and highly processed foods. 

Even if you’re eating healthy food, you should still be wary of portion control. When you feel full, stop eating and save the food for later.

Why can’t I stop eating when I’m full?

If you’re eating a lot of food, despite feeling full, you may be suffering from binge eating disorder (BED) or emotional eating.⁷ This is extremely common with around 30% of people who seek weight control treatment being diagnosed with BED.⁸

For some people, food is intertwined with mood and you may have subconsciously linked sadness to eating.⁹ This is why you reach for the snack cupboard when you’re feeling low. There may also be a neurological explanation for your food cravings. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in mood regulation. Carb-rich foods are thought to boost serotonin so bingeing on comfort foods may be your way of self-medicating.¹⁰

If you continue to eat while feeling full then you need to treat your psychological triggers before a treatment like semaglutide will be suitable. Treatments for BED include support groups, guided self-help, and cognitive behavioural therapy.^7,8

The numan take

Wegovy contains semaglutide, which mimics a naturally-occurring hormone in the body. This hormone (called glucagon-like peptide-1) triggers the appetite centres in the brain, making you feel full. This is why the medication has become a valuable treatment for obese and overweight people. Taking the medication will help you to manage your diet and reduce food cravings.

References

1. Ge L, Sadeghirad B, Ball GDC, da Costa BR, Hitchcock CL, Svendrovski A, et al. Comparison of dietary macronutrient patterns of 14 popular named dietary programmes for weight and cardiovascular risk factor reduction in adults: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised trials. BMJ. 2020;369:m696

2. Andersen A, Knop FK, Vilsbøll T. A pharmacological and clinical overview of oral semaglutide for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Drugs. 2021;81(9):1003–30.

3. Marso SP, Bain SC, Consoli A, Eliaschewitz FG, Jódar E, Leiter LA, et al. Semaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. N Engl J Med. 2016;375(19):1834–44.

4. Wadden TA, Bailey TS, Billings LK, Davies M, Frias JP, Koroleva A, et al. Effect of subcutaneous semaglutide vs placebo as an adjunct to intensive behavioral therapy on body weight in adults with overweight or obesity: The STEP 3 randomized clinical trial: The STEP 3 randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2021;325(14):1403–13

5. Clinical Review. Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health; 2022

6. Friedrichsen M, Breitschaft A, Tadayon S, Wizert A, Skovgaard D. The effect of semaglutide 2.4 mg once weekly on energy intake, appetite, control of eating, and gastric emptying in adults with obesity. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2021;23(3):754–62.

7. Reichenberger J, Schnepper R, Arend A-K, Richard A, Voderholzer U, Naab S, et al. Emotional eating across different eating disorders and the role of body mass, restriction, and binge eating. Int J Eat Disord. 2021;54(5):773–84.

8. de Zwaan M. Binge eating disorder and obesity. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2001;25 Suppl 1(S1):S51-5.

9. Adriaanse MA, de Ridder DTD, Evers C. Emotional eating: eating when emotional or emotional about eating? Psychol Health. 2011;26(1):23–39.

   Wurtman RJ, Wurtman JJ. Carbohydrate craving, obesity and brain serotonin. Appetite. 1986;7 Suppl:99–103.