An injection that helps you lose weight, without constant hunger and without much effort? It sounds almost too good to be true. GLP-1 medicines such as Wegovy® or Ozempic® really can support weight management, and they are on everyone’s lips at the moment. But how exactly do they work, what possible side effects are there, and why does nutrition still remain a decisive factor for long-term success? In this article we look at all the important aspects around the so called “weight loss injections” and show how the right nutrition strategy, for example with Foodpunk, can complement their effect in a sensible and lasting way.
How to optimise the weight loss injections Wegovy® and Ozempic® for long-term success
Written by
Claude API
16 minutes reading time
27. September 2026
Table of contents
1. What lies behind the weight loss injections Wegovy® and Ozempic®
There is hardly anyone who has not heard the names Wegovy® and Ozempic®. They have been trending for quite some time now, not only on social media, they are also a topic in countless news programmes. But what actually lies behind these complicated sounding terms, which are also happily called “weight loss injections”?
Wegovy® and Ozempic® are medicines based on the same active substance: semaglutide. Alongside semaglutide there are other GLP-1 agonists such as liraglutide (for example in Saxenda®), dulaglutide (for example Trulicity®) or tirzepatide (for example Mounjaro®, which also activates GIP receptors). They work in a similar way and are used for weight reduction or diabetes therapy. In this article we still stay with semaglutide, because the basic effect, promoting satiety through insulin stimulation and delayed gastric emptying, is essentially identical for all GLP-1 medicines, so the findings here can be transferred directly.
That is why we want to take a slightly closer look at this semaglutide first. Semaglutide is what is known as a GLP-1 agonist, in other words a receptor agonist of glucagon-like peptide-1. And what is that supposed to mean? Perhaps glucagon-like peptide-1, GLP-1 for short, sounds familiar to you from our article on satiety . Here is a short recap:
GLP-1 is a hormone that is produced in the gut and released depending on our meals. In the fasted state our GLP-1 levels in the blood are low, but they rise rapidly when we eat. The GLP-1 that is released stimulates insulin secretion and slows down the time the stomach needs to empty. So the more GLP-1 is released after a meal, the longer we stay full. How much GLP-1 is released depends on the composition of the meal.
GLP-1 agonists, as found in Wegovy® and Ozempic®, imitate exactly this effect. That means insulin secretion is promoted and gastric emptying is slowed down even without natural GLP-1 being present. But why is that necessary at all, when our body can release GLP-1 all by itself? The answer sounds simple, but it is complex: it is necessary when not enough GLP-1 is released.
2. Using GLP-1 medicines such as Wegovy® and Ozempic®
Right, so now we know that GLP-1 agonists such as Wegovy® and Ozempic® can be used when the body does not release enough GLP-1. But how does this state come about in the first place?
Studies have shown that people who are overweight release less GLP-1 after a meal than people of normal weight. This means insulin secretion is stimulated less strongly and the stomach empties faster, so they get hungry again sooner. And untreated type 2 diabetes, which is a common secondary condition of being overweight and in which blood glucose levels are not under control, also goes hand in hand with a weaker GLP-1 response after eating. And this is exactly where GLP-1 medicines such as Wegovy® and Ozempic® come in.
Ozempic® has been approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes since 2018 and is used to improve blood glucose control when other antidiabetic medicines have shown no effect in the person concerned. For this, a dose of 0.5 to 2 mg of the active substance semaglutide has to be injected once a week using an injection pen. Wegovy®, by contrast, was only approved in 2022 and has been available on the German market since July 2023. It is used for weight management in obesity, or in overweight when weight related conditions such as type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure are already present. In 2012 the weight loss injection was even approved for adolescents from the age of 12.
Wegovy® is also injected weekly, at a higher dose of 2.4 mg semaglutide. Semaglutide works for as long as it is used. As soon as you stop taking it, you quickly put the lost weight back on.
Alongside the injection pens there are now also oral versions of semaglutide in tablet form, such as Rybelsus®, which is swallowed daily and produces the same GLP-1 effect. This option makes the therapy more accessible for people who dislike injections, while the effect remains identical in principle.
By the way, GLP-1 medicines also lead to a release of GLP-1 when you have not actually eaten anything, and they continue to reduce your appetite. Why that is so important to know and to take into account is explained in the next section.
3. Risks and side effects of GLP-1 medicines such as Ozempic® and Wegovy®
Besides the need to take GLP-1 medicines such as Ozempic® and Wegovy® over the long term, because the weight that has been lost otherwise often comes back quickly, there are also health risks and side effects that have to be discussed openly and responsibly. The manufacturers list official side effects, which mostly occur at the start of therapy, while further challenges are added over the long term. Transparent information helps you to accompany the therapy consciously and in the best possible way, without denying the advantages of the injection across the board:
When GLP-1 agonists such as semaglutide in Wegovy® and Ozempic® are used, stomach and bowel problems frequently occur. These include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation.
Studies indicate that the use of GLP-1 agonists promotes inflammation of the pancreas. This can be accompanied by bleeding and tissue death and may under certain circumstances also lead to death.
Patients who were treated with semaglutide have in some cases reported acute kidney damage and a worsening of chronic kidney weakness. In some cases this made dialysis necessary. The kidney damage was observed both in patients with already impaired kidney function and in patients with no known underlying kidney disease.
The use of Wegovy® is suspected of promoting a particular form of thyroid cancer that originates in the so called C cells of the thyroid.
Investigations showed that treatment with Wegovy® is associated with a higher occurrence of gallstones. If such a gallstone becomes trapped in the gallbladder, cholecystitis, an inflammation of the gallbladder, frequently follows. This can also be encouraged by losing weight too quickly and, in the investigations, was observed more often with the use of Wegovy® even when weight loss was taken into account.
As a GLP-1 agonist, semaglutide causes insulin to be released and glucose to be taken up into the body’s cells, which lowers blood glucose levels. In patients with type 2 diabetes above all, this creates an increased risk of hypoglycaemia, in other words low blood sugar.
While using Wegovy®, some patients have reported severe hypersensitivity reactions, for example anaphylactic shock or swelling of the subcutaneous tissue.
Diabetic retinopathy is a change in the retina that can develop because of vascular changes and circulatory problems connected with diabetes. It can lead to worsening vision and even to blindness. With a very rapid improvement in blood glucose control, for example through semaglutide, a temporary worsening of diabetic retinopathy has been observed.
In clinical studies an increase in resting pulse was observed in connection with the use of Wegovy®. This can lead to strong palpitations and a racing heart, even without strenuous physical activity.
Besides the physical side effects, mental health complaints can also occur. On the basis of studies with other weight regulating products, it is suspected that the use of Wegovy® can also bring about a change in mood and depressive or even suicidal thoughts.
Because Wegovy® causes delayed gastric emptying, the effect of medicines taken at the same time can be influenced.
At the same time, the strong appetite suppressing effect often reduces calorie intake to under 1200 kcal in women or 1800 kcal in men, which clearly increases the risk of deficiencies in iron, calcium, magnesium and zinc as well as vitamins such as A, D, E, K, B1, B12 or C, and encourages symptoms such as persistent tiredness, hair loss, muscle weakness or delayed wound healing.
As you can see, therapy with GLP-1 medicines must not be underestimated. Professional bodies such as the Obesity Society therefore strongly recommend proactive nutritional counselling with a protein optimised diet, targeted strength training and regular laboratory monitoring in order to minimise these risks. A structured accompanying nutrition therapy is therefore not only sensible, it is essential in order to make weight loss healthy and lasting.
4. GLP-1 diet with Foodpunk
After all this information on effects, risks and the need for long-term therapy, we would like to show you why support with a personalised nutrition plan from Foodpunk is so decisive, and exactly how this nutrition works to optimise your GLP-1 therapy. Instead of seeing lifelong injections as the only solution, Foodpunk complements them ideally by responding to the reduced appetite, preventing muscle loss, making up for nutrient deficiencies and strengthening your body’s natural GLP-1 release, for more lasting results and better health.
Sufficient protein supply
The basis of our Foodpunk nutrition plans that are created to accompany GLP-1 medicines is a low calorie, balanced mixed diet with a moderate deficit of around 500 to 600 kcal per day, exactly as the German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommends. A protein rich diet is particularly central here, and we adapt it individually to your GLP-1 therapy: proteins are essential in order to prevent muscle loss (sarcopenia), because they preserve muscle mass and keep your basal metabolic rate high. We make sure you get enough amino acids (AA) from high quality sources such as lean meat, fish, eggs, pulses or dairy products, and we combine that with satiety effects that reinforce the GLP-1 effect synergistically. You stay full for longer, lose fat in a targeted way and keep your results over the long term.
Meal frequency and eating behaviour
In our accompanying nutrition plans for GLP-1 therapies such as Wegovy® or Ozempic® we build in targeted adjustments for the delayed gastric emptying, in order to prevent side effects such as nausea or a feeling of fullness and to maximise your therapy success.
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Regular, smaller meals: we set out 4 to 5 nutrient rich meals per day, even when hunger is low, in order to prevent malnutrition and muscle loss, keep your metabolism stable and ensure a continuous protein supply.
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Slow, mindful eating: our plans encourage conscious meals and built in pauses, so that you feel the stronger satiety signals as well as possible and avoid straining your stomach.
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Reduced portion sizes: we define portions that suit your needs individually, easing the load on your stomach and minimising gastrointestinal complaints while fully supporting the effect of the injection.
Close support
Our nutrition science customer support is available to you at any time, by call or by email, and guides you step by step through adapting your eating behaviour to the GLP-1 therapy. It adjusts your plan continuously to your feedback, your progress and your challenges, so that you minimise side effects and achieve the best possible results. Where needed, our nutrition scientists give you tips for long-term optimisation and provide continuous motivation as well as quick solutions, straight from experts with well founded know how in weight loss injections and nutrition.
We would be delighted to help you take your GLP-1 therapy to the best possible result with our support, and our help does not end there. Afterwards too, our nutrition scientists are happy to keep advising you, to adapt strategies to new phases of life or to help you keep your weight without the injection. Secure your personalised plan and get started!
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