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Most people regain some of the weight they lost after stopping semaglutide. However, physical activity and a balanced diet may help you keep some weight off.

Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Wegovy, Ozempic, and Rybelsus. Currently, only Wegovy is approved for weight loss in the United States. Semaglutide is also used to manage type 2 diabetes.

The drug suppresses appetite and promotes satiety, possibly leading to weight loss. Once you stop taking it, however, you’re likely to gain some of the weight back.

You may be able to keep some or all of the weight off if you add weight management strategies to your semaglutide treatment, particularly if you keep them up after stopping the drug.

Semaglutide use and weight loss

Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist that helps balance blood sugar (glucose) levels, suppresses appetite, and promotes feelings of fullness.

Three brand names for semaglutide have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for different purposes:

  • Wegovy: FDA-approved for weight loss and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
  • Ozempic: FDA-approved for treating type 2 diabetes only.
  • Rybelsus: FDA-approved for treating type 2 diabetes only.

Healthcare professionals sometimes prescribe Ozempic and Rybelsus for off-label use in weight loss management. “Off-label” means a drug is used for purposes other than those it’s been approved for.

It is possible to keep weight off after using semaglutide, but long-term success requires other weight management strategies.

Even with healthy lifestyle interventions, many people still experience weight gain after stopping semaglutide. It’s an experience commonly referred to as “Ozempic rebound,” although it happens with all brands of semaglutide.

“The research is clear that it is very difficult for most people to keep the weight off after stopping Wegovy,” said Dr. Lauren Lemieux, a lead physician and obesity medicine specialist in Boston. “This is despite trying to stick with the healthy eating and regular physical activity that was helping them lose weight in the first place.”

Lemieux said weight gain after semaglutide use doesn’t mean you did something wrong or lack willpower. It’s the natural consequence of increased appetite and reduced feelings of fullness once the medication has left your system.

If you’re concerned about gaining weight after stopping semaglutide, the following tips may help:

Keep up your exercise routine

Although weight gain after stopping semaglutide is common, keeping up with physical activity may help minimize the amount of weight (if any) you regain.

A post-treatment analysis from 2024 found that keeping up with exercise after stopping GLP-1 receptor agonists was associated with less weight regain.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise weekly and 2 days of strength training.

However, you’ll most likely need more exercise to help maintain weight loss after stopping semaglutide.

“I always encourage my patients at FORM to build physical activity into their routines from the very beginning,” Lemieux said. “Our long-term goal is to work up to at least 250 minutes weekly of moderate intensity physical activity, which has been shown to be helpful for weight loss maintenance.”

Mimic fullness through food choices

Semaglutide slows down gastric emptying, creating the sensation of being full for longer.

Once you stop semaglutide, Lemieux said you can mimic this sensation by adding protein to meals.

Lemieux explained that meals containing protein may help slow digestion. She also recommends eating “lots of produce, which takes up more space in the stomach but with fewer calories than other foods due to the extra water and fiber content.”

Continue with professional guidance

Working with a team of professionals, such as an obesity specialist, personal trainer, and registered dietitian, may help you keep forward momentum for long-term weight management.

Semaglutide has been used for weight loss in clinical trials for up to 104 weeks, or 2 years.

Ozempic and Rybelsus are intended for long-term use in managing type 2 diabetes. The duration of Wegovy use for obesity may vary depending on individual goals and needs, underlying health conditions, and side effects.

The prescribing doctor will work with you to create a treatment plan that can be reassessed and adjusted as needed.

You could start semaglutide again if you stop its use and regain weight after your initial treatment. However, the drug is not a short-term weight loss option to be used multiple times or to lose a few pounds every so often.

“Wegovy is intended for long-term use for weight loss and weight loss maintenance,” Lemieux explained. “Therefore, it should not be started with the intention to stop and then restart if the weight comes back on. Be wary of working with any provider who promises that it can be used short-term and have permanent results.”

She suggested approaching Wegovy use as you would any other medication for a chronic condition.

“Obesity is a chronic disease, and when using medications for treatment, they are intended for long-term use just as with other chronic diseases,” she said. “If you think about high blood pressure, for example, we don’t stop medications once the blood pressure is well controlled.”

Learn more about Wegovy for weight loss.

If you gain weight back quickly after stopping semaglutide, Lemieux recommends taking a close look at everything that’s changed since discontinuing the medication.

“Have they moved away from the behaviors that were helping them lose weight in the first place, like tracking foods?” she proposed.

You may not realize just how much your lifestyle has changed after stopping semaglutide.

To help you identify patterns that might contribute to rapid weight gain, consider keeping up with daily food tracking and an activity journal, as well as speaking with a doctor to rule out underlying causes of weight gain.

While a doctor may place you back on semaglutide, Lemieux added that not everyone responds to Wegovy. Other weight loss medications may be a better fit.

What happens if you overeat on semaglutide?

Semaglutide helps reduce your appetite and promote satiety by slowing the emptying of your stomach contents. Overeating may cause you to feel full, possibly leading to symptoms like abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, acid reflux, sleepiness, and vomiting.

What happens if you eat sweets on semaglutide?

Semaglutide helps reduce blood sugar levels, which is important if you have diabetes. It increases insulin release after eating a meal, so you most likely won’t experience blood sugar spikes if you eat sweets.

Many people notice they regain weight after stopping semaglutide, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to keep the weight off.

Staying proactive about other weight management strategies, such as exercising, eating a balanced diet, and working with a team of weight loss professionals, can help minimize weight regain after stopping semaglutide.