Not everyone loses weight with Saxenda, but studies show that most people do when added to a regular diet and exercise plan over a one-year time frame.
If you consume too many calories each day, you may find that you are not losing weight even if you are taking Saxenda. You should take Saxenda as part of a weight loss plan. There are lots of resources available to help you eat and manage a healthy, calorie controlled diet.
It's not suitable for everyone and can only be prescribed to people who have a: BMI of 30 and over. BMI of 27 to 30 and have another weight-related 'co-morbidity' (e.g. high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnoea)
It's similar to GLP-1, which is a hormone that your body makes to control appetite. Saxenda (liraglutide) works by acting like GLP-1 in your body. It helps with weight loss by slowing down your gut, thus causing you to feel less hungry.
Some people start seeing results from Saxenda in the first two to four weeks. You may lose about 2%—4% of your body weight. However, during clinical trials, people taking Saxenda saw a significant weight loss of at least 5% after eight weeks of treatment.
Exercise. Another reason you may be gaining weight on Saxenda is you need more physical activity. Using medication alone is not enough, and getting enough exercise is essential to achieve weight loss results. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests 150 minutes of physical activity each week.
An easy way to manage this is to aim for 30 minutes of exercise at least 5 days a week. Find an exercise which works for you - not only for your lifestyle but for your weight and fitness level. Build up the amount of exercise you do week on week before you find the right level for you.
The study looked at how many people lost ≥5% of their body weight. At year one, 891 people on Saxenda® (56%) lost ≥5% of their weight vs 182 patients on placebo (25%). After 3 years, 747 people on Saxenda® and 322 people on placebo remained and had their weight measured.
In a 1-year study in adults, 85% of patients treated with Saxenda® lost some weight.
Obesity is NOT a 90 day disease
Obesity is now recognized as a chronic health problem much like diabetes. To date, 3 good studies on anti-obesity medications (Belviq, Saxenda and Wegovy) have demonstrated rapid regain once the medication has stopped.
Fast food. Though a general term, fast food usually includes foods that are ultra-processed and high in salt, sugar, and fat. In most cases, fast food should be limited as part of a nutritious and balanced diet. Avoiding fast food may also help to reduce the likelihood of gastrointestinal side effects of Saxenda.
Foods to avoid while on Saxenda® to reduce side effects
Take these tips from the Calibrate medical team for a spin: Avoid fried, greasy, or fatty foods and foods high in sugar: These tend to be the toughest for your body to digest and the most likely to cause nausea while taking a GLP-1 medication.
In general, men need a calorie intake of around 2,500 kcal a day. Women need slightly less, around 2,000 kcal a day.
So in summary, while individual results will vary, most people using Saxenda to lose weight as directed along with diet and exercise modifications can expect to lose 4 to 11 pounds on average in the first month, with greater losses likely for those who are most overweight to start.
Does Saxenda (liraglutide) burn fat? While the process of losing weight involves decreasing the size of fat cells, Saxenda® is not considered a “fat burner.” Saxenda is an FDA-approved weight loss medication that is categorized as a GLP1 receptor agonist.
It also decelerates stomach emptying but reacts with other drugs that may enter your system. Moreover, there are many reported side effects and risks that question its credibility as a safe weight loss solution! It is for this reason that health care professionals discourage Saxenda.
Loss of fluid and dehydration When starting treatment with Saxenda®, you may lose body fluid or become dehydrated. This may be due to feeling sick (nausea), being sick (vomiting) and diarrhoea. It is important to avoid dehydration by drinking plenty of fluids.
If you are experiencing acid reflux as a side effect from taking Saxenda, you may want to avoid or reduce your intake of common food triggers such as caffeine, alcohol, peppermint, spicy foods and acidic foods.
Eat a variety of proteins like lean cuts of red meat, fish, chicken, eggs, beans, and lentils. Eat whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, whole grain bread, and whole grain pasta. As an added bonus, these provide fiber, which can help counteract constipation, a common side effect of Saxenda.
Saxenda starts working straight away, and you should see the effects within 2 weeks.
The effects of excess alcohol consumption such as nausea, vomiting or headache are also common side effects of Saxenda. It wouldn't be advisable to increase these effects by combining the two.
How to eat to support your weight loss with saxenda. Research suggests that eating less carbohydrates when you're using Saxenda can improve your weight loss. This means limiting the carbohydrate content of all your meals to 10-40%.
Saxenda® is a once-daily, self-injectable medicine that comes in a prefilled pen. Take your medicine each day at any time that is convenient for you, with or without food.
The most common side effects of Saxenda® in adults include nausea, diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, injection site reaction, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), headache, tiredness (fatigue), dizziness, stomach pain, and change in enzyme (lipase) levels in your blood.