Medical Weight Loss in Naperville

What Is Semaglutide?

Semaglutide is a non-insulin medication that belongs to a class of drugs known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. GLP-1 is a hormone secreted in the gut that regulates appetite, controls blood sugar and promotes feelings of fullness after eating. Semaglutide mimics the effects of this hormone to reduce hunger and increase satiety. Unlike diet pills, it targets the root causes of obesity and has been shown to be highly effective for weight loss and continued weight management when combined with a healthy lifestyle.

Semaglutide was originally developed to manage blood sugar spikes in people with type 2 diabetes. However, doctors and patients noticed that it also had a positive impact on weight and body composition. As its reputation as a weight-loss tool grew, more providers began prescribing it off-label for this very purpose. Today, semaglutide is FDA-approved for weight loss in adults and children over the age of 12.

Semaglutide is available in the following forms:

• Ozempic: Ozempic is FDA-approved to improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes but is often used off-label for long-term weight management.
• Rybelsus: Rybelsus is a once-daily tablet used to control and reduce blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. Like Ozempic, it may be used off-label for weight loss.
• Wegovy: Wegovy is FDA-approved for weight loss in adults and children over the age of 12. It contains the same active ingredient (semaglutide) found in Ozempic and Rybelsus.

Is Semaglutide Right for Me?

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), more than 40% of Americans are considered obese, while 30% are overweight. Obesity rates in the U.S. have tripled over the last 60 years, affecting both children and adults and increasing the risk of weight-related health problems like diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. These conditions can seriously impact your quality of life and are among the leading causes of preventable death.

If you’ve tried to lose weight in the past through diet or exercise without success, semaglutide is a valuable tool that can help you regain control of your health. It is suitable for most people who struggle with excess weight or obesity and typically prescribed for those who:

• Have a BMI of 30 or higher (obesity)
• Have a BMI of 27 or higher (excess weight) and at least one accompanying weight-related health concern, such as high LDL cholesterol or diabetes
• Are diabetic or pre-diabetic
• Have an elevated A1C result (average blood sugar over three months)
• Have no history of thyroid or endocrine disorders

While extremely effective for weight loss and long-term weight management, semaglutide is not a “miracle drug” and cannot overcome a poor diet or lack of exercise. For sustainable results, it should be combined with a healthy lifestyle that includes good nutrition and regular physical activity. During your initial consultation at SMooth Solutions Medspa, our team will evaluate your needs and craft a tailored-to-you treatment plan to help you achieve your goals.

See Beyond the Scale: Data-Driven Insights With the Mediana Body Composition Analyzer

A personalized weight loss plan begins with understanding your needs and body composition. Many providers rely on BMI to measure body fat, but this is an outdated, inaccurate and overly simplistic way to assess weight and health. At SMooth Solutions Medspa, we use a more scientific method to evaluate body composition: the Mediana Body Composition Analyzer. It uses multi-frequency technology to precisely measure key benchmarks like segmental body fat percentage, visceral fat, muscle mass and more, providing an accurate picture of your health that helps us create a weight loss plan just for you and track your progress over time. The best part? All this data will be available to you on a personalized app on your phone to allow you to track your progress at your bi-weekly or monthly weigh-ins.