The hype around weight-loss injections like Ozempic and Mounjaro is louder than ever. But the latest research just confirmed what many of us in the weight loss coaching space already knew:
“If you don’t change your lifestyle, the weight comes back.“
I’ve made a conscious effort to look into this because recently my social media feed has been flooded with private companies advertising these ‘drugs’. I believe that is a problem in of itself but the bit that’s really frustrated me with it is that they advertise it by ‘having a pop’ at conventional methods of weight loss with pictures of ladies holding plaques saying things like…
“You gain all the weight back on conventional diets.”
I believe this kind of marketing is firstly disingenuous but also potentially harmful to the consumers long-term health and their thoughts around the importance and effectiveness for exercise, eating healthier and just generally living a healthier lifestyle.
So as a result, I wanted to see what research has been done on the effectiveness of the most recent sought after weight loss ‘solution’.
Spoiler alert… My prediction became a reality.
I should preface this with the fact that I do believe there is a place for this medication – I actually have a couple of clients taking it. I just don’t believe it should be so readily available – certainly not privately and certainly not ‘online’ or under the counter at the local beauty salon. Women are desperate to lose weight and so if they believe this to be the ‘perfect’ solution, they’ll do whatever it takes to get their hands on it.
The average person should not be relying on a drug to help them lose a stone for their upcoming summer holiday to Greece – I will debate this all day long with anyone (keeping in mind that I believe as as I say there is a place for it in the weight loss space).
Anyway, let’s get into what I found (very quickly) with a bit of research:
A recent analysis of 11 studies completed by the University of Oxford has found that people using weight loss drugs return to their original weight (or very close to) less than a year after stopping the injections (according to and and covered by The Guardian).
Let that sink in:
- Average weight lost on the drug: 16kg
- Average regained within a year after stopping: 9.6kg
- At this rate they’d gain all the weight back in around 20 months
If we compare these results to ‘Conventional Diets’:
(The diets that the weight loss jabs marketing tells us are ‘inferior’)
Whilst people usually regain the weight after conventional diets, the rate of regain was much slower with them often taking up to 5 years to return to their previous weight. Yet nobody is talking about this, nor are they moderating the marketing that these private companies are putting out there with nothing other than financial gain as their driver.
Here’s the kicker:
These drugs might suppress your appetite for a while. But they don’t:
- Teach you how to eat in real life
- Help you deal with stress, social events or slip-ups
- Rebuild your belief in your own ability to change
- Replace years of yo-yo dieting habits with something sustainable
GLP-1s are a tool — not a solution. And relying on them without building the foundation underneath is like building a house on sand.
The Real ‘Work’ Still Needs to Happen
At my gym, I’ve coached hundreds of women who’ve been through the wringer: Slimming clubs. Starvation diets. Shakes diets. All-or-nothing plans.
Many women (and men) are now watching the rise of Ozempic (and others) with cautious hope. And I get it. It’s tempting to believe this time might be different. But if you’re not making real habit changes, your body will find its way back to what it knows – your baseline lifestyle.
What’s worse? Relying on a drug and still regaining the weight hits your confidence harder than before.
So what does long-term success look like?
Not perfect eating. Not endless cardio. It looks like:
- Learning how to build meals you enjoy
- Moving your body in ways that fit your routine
- Knowing how to bounce back after off days
- Feeling supported — not judged — as you figure it all out
Medications might open the door. But it’s your habits that keep you in the room.
If you’re in the fitness or coaching industry and you’re reading this, this is a wake-up call too. We need to help clients move beyond chasing short-term weight loss and instead build lives they’re proud to live in.
Because they’re worth more than just chasing a number on a scale.
But my main gripe with this situation doesn’t lie with the consumer who is desperate for the quick solution, it’s with our government, the councils & the NHS who have really missed the opportunity to educate on what should be done alongside this, not to mention just letting every man, woman and dog sell this to the highest bidder. We have to do better firstly as coaches to help educate no doubt, but the powers that be have to do better too.
The large population of females who are so emotionally driven to achieve weight loss to feel more confident, to fit in, to simply improve their lives, deserve the right education, they deserve better than “this drug is the solution”, because on it’s own, it’s not.
Perhaps paired with improved education around what’s needed to make it a success long-term is part of the solution, but it definitely shouldn’t be so readily available to someone who simply needs to include some form of low-intensity exercise, more fresh air and healthier eating into their lifestyle – it’s the wrong message. It’s teaching people to avoid the things they actually need to do for long-term physical and just as importantly, mental health.
I’m willing to die on the hill of long-term behaviour change is the only way to achieve long-term success with weight management and overall health – unfortunately this isn’t sexy and it isn’t easy to market, unlike quick-fix solutions, so if you’re looking for that then you should look elsewhere but if you want to get results and maintain them, then I’m your guy.
If you’re reading this as a female who is sick of yoyo dieting and never maintaining your results or you simply can’t make your health and fitness stick then you can find out more about what we do here at DoTheWorkHQ inside our DoTheWork Together programme which provides a guarantee of results of your money back (and we never need to give refunds because our clients get results), then simply click the button below to learn more.
