There’s a reason everyone’s talking about semaglutide—it changes lives. This weekly shot helps people shed excess weight, manage blood sugar, and reduce risk of cardiovascular disease and complications, all of which help patients live fuller, more rewarding lives. Semaglutide weight loss shots have been an invaluable tool at LIVation in supporting our patients’ health and wellness journeys and one of our most popular treatments.

But what happens after you stop taking semaglutide, whether it’s compounded semaglutide or a brand name product like Ozempic or Wegovy? A lot of people believe that you have to stay on semaglutide for the rest of your life, and while some people may need to or want to, you can certainly stop taking it. However, there is a risk that you could gain weight. Discontinuing semaglutide will cause your brain and body to revert to how it originally responded to food, and if you’re not prepared, you may fall back into bad habits. Here, we share our tips for maintaining weight loss after stopping semaglutide—and remember, the team at LIVation is here to help you every step of the way. 

Understanding Post-Ozempic Weight Dynamics

Semaglutide helps people lose weight by making them feel fuller faster and longer than they normally would without the drug. It also helps curb cravings. As you taper off, you may find that cravings return and you’ll feel the need to eat more in order to feel full. If semaglutide was helping you manage your blood sugar, ceasing taking it will mean your blood sugar won’t be regulated. For many people, these changes can cause rebound weight gain, with some gaining all of the weight, if not more, that they lost when taking semaglutide. Understanding these changes are the first step towards maintaining the results you achieved with the help of semaglutide.

Holistic Weight Management Strategies Beyond Semaglutide

To help maintain your semaglutide weight loss, there are some critical steps to take. And while we know you’ve likely heard this your whole life, staying hydrated is essential to weight loss. The most obvious reason for this is that drinking water can help you feel fuller, which may help prevent you from overeating or drinking excess liquid calories (like soda or other sugary drinks). But drinking water can do so much more than that. Water is key to your body’s ability to metabolize fat, whether that’s stored fat or fat found in food and drink. Studies show that drinking more water can increase your rate of weight loss. Drinking water also helps your body clear waste, including toxins that are filtered by and held in the kidneys. When your body is dehydrated, your kidneys retain fluid. You may also face issues with constipation, or experience bloating. Flushing your body by consuming enough water can help you shed weight caused by waste retention.

You may be wondering how electrolytes play a role in body hydration. Electrolytes are important nutrients that help control fluid balance in your body, support muscle contractions, and even support your blood sugar. Those people who struggle to drink enough water or get enough nutrients in their diet when taking semaglutide (which is not uncommon, as those taking semaglutide consume less overall) may have depleted electrolyte levels, which can result in nausea, fatigue, cognitive issues, blood pressure fluctuations, heart concerns, and more. At LIVation, we offer LMNT electrolyte powder packets in a variety of flavors to mix into water before drinking, which will help to instantly boost your body’s electrolyte levels and restore balance in your body.

You should also be maintaining a consistent exercise routine. Doing this while taking semaglutide was important because without strength training, the shrinking number you see on the scale could be due to muscle loss, not just fat loss. Muscle burns more calories than fat and can only be gained through strength training. If you lose too much muscle and don’t build it up with resistance training, you’ll burn fewer calories—and if you’re trying to control an insatiable appetite after quitting semaglutide, this can make it easy to put the weight back on. 

Integrating Emsculpt NEO in Your Post-Ozempic Regimen

In addition to following a consistent workout routine to build muscle, you can try Emsculpt NEO, a go-to treatment of our patients at LIVation. Emsculpt is an innovative device powered by radiofrequency and muscle-stimulating technology that helps grow muscle while burning fat. This treatment can be used on the abs, glutes, thighs, arms, and more areas to counteract muscle loss, which will support your body’s ability to burn calories and promote lasting weight loss as well as enhance the results of your weight loss from semaglutide. 

Combining Semaglutide with Nutritional Guidance at LIVation

Beyond fitness and hydration, following a healthy diet is the most important aspect of maintaining weight loss. Because semaglutide helps to control cravings and prevent overeating, it can be challenging to stick to your goals and eat things that supply your body with essential nutrients rather than junk food. 

Figuring out how to eat without the help of semaglutide can be one of the greatest challenges our patients face after stopping the drug. We urge you to rely on us! At LIVation, our licensed medical providers can work with you to create a nutritional plan to ensure your body is getting the vitamins and minerals it needs without overdoing it. That plan may include lean proteins, leafy greens, and complex carbohydrates, depending on your dietary restrictions.

We formulate our compounded semaglutide with amino acid l-carnitine. This nutrient helps your body convert fatty acids into energy. We often recommend that our semaglutide patients supplement their injections with oral l-carnitine. Following this regimen is even more important once getting off semaglutide. We sell Designs For Health Carnitine Synergy, which combines l-carnitine with another form known as acetyl-l-carnitine, which supports brain health and function.

The Role of Personalized IV Therapy in Weight Maintenance

As mentioned, keeping your body hydrated greatly facilitates weight loss, whether you’re on semaglutide or off. LIVation’s origins are in IV therapy and integrating regular IV drips into your wellness routine are a great way to support the results of your weight loss from semaglutide. Our signature IV infusion therapy options  will flood your body with hydration as well as vitamins, minerals, and more nutrients to help your body function at its peak. Talk to our providers about how custom IV therapy can help you maintain your weight loss after taking Ozempic, Wegovy, or compounded semaglutide.

Maintenance Doses of Semaglutide

Everyone needs a little boost now and again. If you find yourself falling into old patterns or are struggling to manage your weight during a challenging period in your life, there’s no shame in visiting us for a maintenance dose. Many of LIVation’s semaglutide patients—as well as our founders!—choose to get semaglutide weight loss shots every few weeks rather than every week. This keeps low levels of the drug in your system, which still helps reduce your cravings and keep you feeling fuller longer, but won’t create as strong of an effect as a weekly dose would. 

LIVation's Approach to Affordable, Long-Term Health Solutions

At our clinic on the Connecticut shoreline, we offer a variety of health and wellness treatments to help our patients look and feel their best. We welcome you to contact us today to learn how we can support you on your journey and help you achieve your goals.