If you have been using Mounjaro or Zepbound for a while and initially were seeing steady weight loss results, you may now be asking, “Why am I not losing weight on tirzepatide?” There could be a number of reasons why your weight loss has stalled and you are experiencing a tirzepatide weight loss plateau.
GLP-1 weight loss injections have proven to help people lose a significant amount of weight when they are used in conjunction with a healthy, low-calorie diet and daily exercise, but the weight loss process is complicated, and everyone's body responds differently to these medications.
Today, we are going to look at tirzepatide and how it works to help with weight loss and some of the reasons you may not be losing the weight you expected and how to get your weight loss efforts back on track.
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How Does Tirzepatide Work in Your Body?
Tirzepatide was FDA-approved to treat type 2 diabetes under the brand name Mounjaro in May 2002, and then it was also granted approval to be used for the treatment of obesity and weight management under the brand name Zepbound in November 2023.
Tirzepatide copies two hormones that your body naturally makes when you eat. One of these hormones is GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1), and the other is GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide). These hormones are responsible for:
What Is a Plateau on Tirzepatide?
When you hit a weight loss plateau on tirzepatide, it means your body has reached a point where you are no longer losing weight, even though you are still using the medication and practicing healthy lifestyle habits. In the tirzepatide clinical trials, most of the participants reached a weight plateau somewhere between their 24th and 36th week.
The length of time before they reached the plateau varied depending on their gender, the dose they were taking, their age, etc. The individuals who were younger or female and taking the higher doses (10-15 mg) hit their tirzepatide weight loss plateau closer to the 36th week, which was much later than the rest of the participants.
Why Am I Not Losing Weight on Tirzepatide?
If you have been using tirzepatide injections but are not seeing the weight loss results you expected, or your tirzepatide weight loss has stalled, there are a number of reasons this may be occurring. Some of these reasons include:
1. Your Body Has Adapted
Your body has a built-in survival response that will adjust your metabolism to conserve energy and store up resources for future use. When you cut back significantly on calories, it can trigger your body to significantly slow down how fast your metabolism works and cause it to convert more calories to stored fat.
2. Your Tirzepatide Dosage Needs To Be Adjusted
When you first begin using tirzepatide, you start at the lowest dose and increase it gradually to give your body time to adjust. If you have been on a lower dose for a long time, either because you were having issues with side effects or because your doctor is being cautious, your body might not be getting the full effect of the medication. Some people’s bodies do not respond to the medication until they reach a higher dose, so if your weight loss has stalled, you should speak with your doctor about whether an increase is safe for you.
3. Your Calorie Intake Has Changed
When you first start using tirzepatide, it seems easier to eat less because the medication helps curb your appetite, but gradually, as your body adjusts to the medication, your feelings of hunger might return, causing you to eat more or to snack between meals, consuming more calories without realizing it.
Also, as you lose weight and your body becomes smaller, the fewer calories it needs to function and the fewer it burns each day. A person who weighs 250 pounds burns more calories even when they are just sitting still than someone who weighs 200 pounds, so if you are eating the same amount as before, you may begin to gain weight or just maintain the same weight.
4. Your Muscle Mass Is Changing
The more muscle you have on your body, the faster your metabolism runs and the more calories you burn each day. If you lose weight quickly or fail to eat enough protein or do not include strength training in your exercise routine, you are more at risk for losing a lot of your muscle mass. You can hit a tirzepatide plateau if your body loses enough muscle because it has to work harder to create a calorie deficit.
5. Your Lifestyle
Even if you are following the best diet and exercise plan and taking your tirzepatide injections as directed, there are certain things about your lifestyle that can hinder or stall your weight loss. Things like unmanaged stress, lack of sleep, medicines you take, and medical conditions can all make it harder for you to lose weight or can even cause weight gain.
Stress raises your cortisol levels, which is a hormone that triggers your body to store fat, especially around your belly. Poor sleep throws your hunger hormones (ghrelin and leptin) out of balance, making you feel hungrier and causing intense cravings for unhealthy foods.
Medications like antidepressants, steroids, or insulin can cause you to gain weight or make losing it much harder. Medical issues like thyroid problems, PCOS, or insulin resistance can interfere with or stall your progress, which is why working with an expert in weight management like Dr. Steven Batash can be very helpful.
6. Tirzepatide Is Not The Best Strategy For You
Some people do not respond to tirzepatide, and during the clinical trials, about 9% of the participants did not lose at least 5% of their body weight. If this happens to you, the experts at Batash Endoscopic Weight Loss Center will find the strategies or combinations that will work best for you. There are other medications, non-surgical weight loss procedures, nutritional guidance, and lifestyle coaching that can be used in combination to yield significant weight loss results.
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How to Break a Plateau on Tirzepatide
Some of the strategies that may work to overcome a tirzepatide weight loss plateau include:
Reassess Your Food Choices And Calorie Needs
As you lose weight, your body requires fewer calories to function, so it naturally burns fewer calories than it did when you weighed more. You may need to take a look at how much you are eating and the type of calories you are eating. You can track your meals and everything you eat for a few days to see if your portions have gradually crept up or if you are even creating a calorie deficit.
The type of calories you eat is almost as important as the number of calories you consume. Choices like processed foods and sugary snacks are very high in calories, but your body burns them very fast and leaves you feeling hungry again. Calories that come from nutrient-dense foods like lean protein, vegetables, whole grains, and fiber take more effort for your body to digest, so they actually use more calories to process. Consuming these “good calories” and avoiding “empty calories” can reduce cravings, stabilize your blood sugar, and help your metabolism burn more.
Prioritize Protein In Your Diet
Your body has to work harder to digest protein than other types of food. This is called TEF, or the “thermic effect of food,” and is related to how many calories your body uses to digest and process what you eat. When you eat protein, your body burns between 20% and 30% of the calorie content of that food to digest it. So if you eat 100 calories of chicken breast, your calorie intake for that food is actually only 70 or 80 calories. Carbohydrates take between 5% and 10% to process, and fats burn very little, ranging from zero to 3% during digestion, so they are the most easily stored.
Eating enough protein is also important to preserve the muscle you have because losing muscle slows your metabolism. Consuming foods like chicken, fish, eggs, tofu, beans, or Greek yogurt at every meal can keep your metabolism running more efficiently, and pairing these with foods rich in fiber like vegetables, berries, and whole grains makes the effect even stronger. Fiber slows down your digestion process, keeps your blood sugar steady, and keeps you feeling full and satisfied for longer. It helps to cut down on food cravings and excess snacking.
Be Creative In Your Exercise
If you use the same exercise routine all the time, your body gets used to it and figures out how to perform the same way but while burning fewer calories. This is part of your body’s built-in survival process, and you need to find ways to outsmart it. Adding variety to your workouts and combining both cardio and strength training is very important. Cardio helps to increase the efficiency of your metabolism and gets it running faster, and strength training builds and strengthens your muscles and increases how many calories you burn even when you are still.
Keep Your Injection Schedule Consistent
Tirzepatide works much better if the amount of medication in your body remains at a consistent level. Take your injection on the same day of the week and as close to the same time of day as possible so you stay on a consistent schedule because skipping or changing the timing can affect how well the medication works.
Work Collaboratively With Your Doctor
Make sure you stay in touch with your doctor and keep them informed of your progress in a timely manner. If you have been on the same dose for several weeks and your weight loss has stalled, it might be time to increase the strength to get you back on track.
Schedule A Routine Physical
Medical conditions like thyroid issues, PCOS, diabetes, or certain medications can hinder weight loss or even cause weight gain. A routine physical can help rule out any of these as a reason for a tirzepatide weight loss plateau.
Adjust Your Lifestyle
As we explained earlier, living with unmanaged stress, lack of sleep, and other poor lifestyle habits can negatively influence your hormones and make it harder for you to lose weight. Take an honest look at your lifestyle and make the adjustments necessary to give your body the best chance at weight loss and becoming healthier.
Are You Looking For Help With Tirzepatide?
The team at Batash Endoscopic Weight Loss Center can help you stop weight gain and help you overcome challenges like a tirzepatide plateau. They can help you identify the issues that are holding you back and create a personalized plan that will help neutralize these issues and make it possible for you to reach your weight loss goals.
Navigating through a weight loss journey on your own can feel overwhelming and can leave you feeling discouraged and totally frustrated. Sometimes making small changes like increasing your dose, changing your medication, watching the type of calories you are eating, switching up your exercise plan, etc., can successfully help get you through a tirzepatide plateau, but sometimes you may need a bit more help, and there is nothing wrong with that. Dr. Steven Batash and Batash Endoscopic Weight Loss Center can provide you with everything you need to achieve sustainable weight loss. Set up a consultation today and talk with us about how we can help you reach your goals.
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