She's a Doctor Who Lost 40 Pounds on Mounjaro and Here Are the 5 Things She Wishes You Knew First

You've seen the dramatic before-and-after photos. Maybe you've heard the success stories from friends or colleagues. When it comes to weight loss medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro, the results can seem too good to be true.

"People like me are problematic," admits Dr. Emma Anders, who lost 40 pounds rapidly on Mounjaro. "I come on social media and talk about my huge and very quick weight loss. That is unusual." As a doctor, she saw patients making critical mistakes with GLP-1 medications—mistakes she wishes she'd known about when she started.

Ready to learn what really matters before starting Mounjaro or other GLP-1s? Here are the five crucial things Dr. Anders wishes every patient knew.

"Don't quit too soon," Dr. Anders warns in her post. "Most of my patients do not lose weight anywhere near as rapidly or respond quite so quickly to the medication." The first week, she didn't feel any different. By weeks three to seven, everything changed at the same dose.

Tirzepatide has a five-day half-life and builds up in your system for about 30 days. "It takes a few weeks to reach a steady state," Dr. Anders explains. "You might find that how it benefits you increases week on week." Semaglutide takes even longer with its seven-day half-life.

"There are so many different causes of obesity and yet the medicine is that we do the same thing for everyone," Dr. Anders notes. A Mayo Clinic study found success grouping patients into Hungry Brain, Hungry Stomach, Emotional Eaters, and Slow Burners. "If you target the actual causes of obesity with your management you are much more likely to have a positive outcome."

"If you eat a lot of refined sugar, if you eat a lot of fat, some people will tell you that they don't have any side effects on these meds unless they eat really badly," Dr. Anders shares. While this won't work for everyone, eating healthily might reduce your risk of side effects.

The GLP-1 community often pushes unnecessary supplements. "These medications are expensive already," Dr. Anders says. "Unless your clinician recommends that you need additional supplements, they are not necessary." She only takes vitamin D because blood tests showed she needs it—no electrolytes, no special powders. And if you enjoyed this article, don't miss 20 Incredible Ozempic Success Stories of All Time.