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Starting GLP-1 medications like Semaglutide or Tirzepatide for weight loss or health management can be transformative. To help you get started confidently, here is everything you need to know about taking your medication safely and effectively.

1. What’s Included in Your Package

When you receive your GLP-1 medication in the mail, it will include everything needed for your weekly injection:

• Medication Vial: This contains your GLP-1 medication.
• Insulin Syringes: Pre-packaged for easy use.
• Alcohol Swabs: To keep things sterile and clean.
• Dosage & Medication Information: Detailed instructions about your dosage, schedule, and when to increase it.

Make sure to refrigerate your medication as soon as you receive it to keep it at the proper temperature.

2. Review Your Dosage and Medication Information

Included in your package is a guide outlining your specific dosage, the schedule you should follow, and when to increase the dose as directed by your doctor. Before preparing your medication, carefully read through this information to understand:

• Your current prescribed dose.
• The correct timing for taking your dose.
• When you may need to increase your dose as part of your treatment plan.

Being informed about your dosing schedule is essential for getting the most benefit from your GLP-1 medication.

3. Preparing for Your Injection Day

On the day you’re scheduled to take your dose, it’s time to prepare your materials and set up your injection.

1. Pop the Top Off the Vial: When you’re ready to inject, remove the cap from the top of your vial.
2. Sanitize the Vial: Take an alcohol swab and wipe down the rubber stopper on top of the vial. It’s important to do this each time before you inject to minimize any bacteria that may have gathered while your medication was in the refrigerator.

4. Using Your Syringe to Draw the Medication

Your insulin syringes will come with a cap on the bottom that you can remove and discard before using. The injection process will go smoothly if you follow these steps:

1. Draw Up Air Equal to Your Dose: Before drawing out the medication, draw air into your syringe equal to your dose. For example, if your dose is 10 units, draw air up to the 10-unit mark. The same principle applies for larger doses: 20, 30, 40, or 50 units.This step creates a vacuum inside the vial, making it easier to draw out the solution.
2. Inject the Air Into the Vial: Insert the needle into the top of the vial and inject the air you’ve drawn up.
3. Draw the Solution from the Vial: Turn the vial upside down and draw the solution past your dose. This ensures that you have a little extra to work with.
4. Check for Air Bubbles: It’s important to make sure your syringe has no air bubbles. If you do notice any bubbles, give the syringe a little flick until they rise to the top. While a small amount of air is generally safe since the injection goes into your subcutaneous layer (not directly into a vein or artery), it’s best to remove any excess.
5. Push Medication to the Correct Dose: Once you’re sure there are no air bubbles, push the excess solution back into the vial until you reach the exact dose prescribed by your doctor.

5. Administering the Injection

With your dose ready, it’s time to administer the injection. Here are the best areas to inject and how to do it:

• Injection Sites: The easiest places to inject are the tops of your thighs and the sides of your stomach, about an inch away from your belly button. Choose the area that feels most comfortable for you.
• Pinch and Inject: Pinch the skin and insert the needle at a 90-degree angle. Make sure the entire solution is injected before removing the needle.
• Finish and Dispose: Once the medication is fully injected, remove the needle and safely dispose of the syringe.

That’s it—you’ve successfully completed your injection!

6. Following Your Dosing Schedule

Your starting dose will be a low amount, which allows your body to adjust to the medication. Be patient with this process and do not try to increase your dose on your own. Follow the schedule your doctor has prescribed, and inject your medication only once per week (or as otherwise directed).

7. Need Help? Reach Out Anytime

If you have any questions or concerns about taking your medication, don’t hesitate to reach out to our Patient Services team or consult your doctor.

Quick Tips for Success:

• Set a Weekly Reminder: GLP-1 injections are taken once a week, so set a reminder on your phone or calendar to stay on track.
• Track Your Progress: Keep a journal of how you feel and any changes you notice each week.
• Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle: Pairing your medication with a balanced diet and regular exercise will maximize results.

By following these steps and tips, you’ll safely and effectively integrate GLP-1 medication into your weekly routine, setting yourself up for success on your health journey.

So, you FINALLY got prescribed weight loss meds. Or maybe you’re still waiting and you want to know what you can do to help kick start that weight loss. My journey with weight loss meds started a year ago, and here’s some tips that honestly, I wish I had known before I got started.

First – here’s what we know:

Semaglutide and tirzepatide are groundbreaking medications for weight loss, offering new hope for people struggling to shed pounds. These medications, originally developed to manage Type 2 diabetes, have proven highly effective in promoting weight loss by curbing appetite and improving blood sugar control.

If you’re starting on semaglutide or tirzepatide, here are five essential tips to help you kick-start your weight loss journey.

1. Ease into Healthy Eating Habits

While semaglutide and tirzepatide suppress appetite, making you feel fuller faster, it’s crucial to complement these effects with a balanced diet. Begin by focusing on nutrient-dense, low-calorie foods that keep you satisfied and support your health. Lean proteins (like chicken, fish, and tofu), whole grains, vegetables, and healthy fats should be the foundation of your meals.

I know! everyone wants the magic pill, no one wants to change their habits. But, if you are really serious about weight loss, meds are an amazing tool to help kickstart your weight loss and make you lose more, faster. But, if you’ve got a sweet tooth or are a fan of fast food (which, who isn’t am I right?), just remember moderation is key! Weight loss meds really helped keep me from binging. What they didn’t do was force me to make healthier eating choices. It took a while and started with small changes.

Tip: Try eating smaller, frequent meals to avoid feeling overly hungry between doses. Remember, these medications assist in weight loss, but they work best when combined with healthy eating choices.

Bigger tip – EAT MORE FIBER! Adding more fiber to your diet may help you lose more weight on Wegovy by increasing your satiety levels after meals and helping your body dispose of toxins. Better yet, soluble fiber binds to fat and excretes it through the digestive tract, making it is less likely to be stored in your body.

2. Stay Hydrated

Staying hydrated is key to managing side effects such as nausea, which can be common when starting semaglutide or tirzepatide. Additionally, dehydration can sometimes be mistaken for hunger, leading you to eat when your body simply needs water. Drink at least 8 glasses of water daily to help with digestion, appetite control, and general well-being.

My tip? Zero calorie water flavoring – or even better, a little soda stream action along with those zero calorie flavor enhancers. I love bubbles! And drinking something with a little flavor helped me be excited about drinking water instead of dreading it. I also found a few sparkling waters I really loved. Anything to make it feel like I’m not just drinking tap water. — Britta water filters/pitchers are a HUGE lifesaver. I can’t live without mine. Plus – I treated myself to a fancy new water bottle. Something cute and fun I could carry with me throughout the day. Zero regrets.

Tip: Sipping water throughout the day, especially before mseals, can help control appetite and prevent overeating. You can also add lemon or cucumber slices for flavor if plain water feels too bland.

3. Incorporate Light Physical Activity

While semaglutide and tirzepatide can significantly reduce appetite and promote weight loss on their own, physical activity enhances these effects. You don’t need to start with intense workouts—small, consistent steps are what matter.

Walking. That’s how I started. Going from being basically bedridden and house bound to walking 10,000 steps in a day is doable!I know it doesn’t seem like it. I know how hard it is to fit exercise into the day. But there are little ways you can do it.

Begin with light exercises like walking, swimming, or yoga, and gradually increase intensity as you build stamina. Physical activity not only accelerates weight loss but also boosts mood and energy levels, helping you stay motivated in your journey. I started walking to the grocery store. Instead of big trips once a week, i take two or three throughout the week and grab my groceries. And hey – get those kids to help if you have them – they can walk. They can carry groceries. They may roll their eyes and groan the first couple of times, but honestly, it’s been a really fantastic bonding experience for me and my kids. And, we get our steps in! If you can’t afford a fit bit or a fancy apple watch – no worries – most phones have step counters already built in. Set yourself a step goal and then meet it. My other big tip — I set up a competition with a couple of friends. Whomever took the most steps in the week won and the others had to buy them lunch on the weekend. After trading meals back and forth for a few months we decided that if we met our step goals, then we would treat ourselves to an afternoon with a long lunch at our favorite restaurants. It was a great motivator and it helped keep us accountable.

Tip: Aim for 30 minutes of moderate activity at least five times a week. If this feels like too much at first, start with 10-15 minutes a day and build up over time.

4. Monitor Your Progress

Keeping track of your progress is one of the most effective ways to stay motivated. Regularly monitoring your weight, food intake, and activity levels will help you understand what works best for your body. Some people also find it helpful to track their mood and energy levels, as semaglutide and tirzepatide can have additional benefits beyond weight loss.

Tip: Use a journal or an app to log your meals, exercise, and weekly weigh-ins. Celebrate small victories along the way, whether it’s weight loss, increased energy, or better mood. This will help keep you focused and committed. I know a journal seems tedious, but honestly, its the absolute best way to keep track of your progress and keep yourself accountable. My friends and I all downloaded the my fitness app and we trade recipes – and all have to show each other our logs during our lunches. It’s not to shame anyone, but honestly – you start to think twice about having that second helping, that snack, or that treat when you know you have to log it later.

5. Be Patient with the Process

Semaglutide and tirzepatide are highly effective, but like any weight loss journey, results take time. Patience is key to success. These medications gradually change how your body responds to food and hunger, and it may take a few weeks to notice significant results. Focus on consistency with your habits, and let the medication do its work.

Tip: Avoid setting unrealistic expectations and be kind to yourself during the process. Focus on making sustainable lifestyle changes rather than chasing quick results. Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint. It really doe take time! I know – you want instant weight loss, but that’s not going to happen. That’s not how it happens for anyone. You are making a LIFE CHANGE. You are changing all of your bad habbits you’ve spent years creating. This means its going to take a while to break them. And, its going to take some time to relearn how to eat, how to exercise, and how lose your weight. But, trust me, it works! Speaking as someone who has lost over 70 POUNDS in the last year alone – little changes go along way.

Final Thoughts

Semaglutide and tirzepatide have revolutionized weight loss treatment, but they work best when supported by healthy habits. By easing into nutritious eating, staying hydrated, incorporating light exercise, tracking your progress, and being patient with your body, you can maximize the effectiveness of these medications and achieve lasting weight loss success. Stick to the plan, and trust the process! If I can do it – you can do it. I was closing in on 400 pounds, and struggled to walk for more than 5 minutes at a time. Now, I regularly walk over 10,000 steps a day, have a whole new wardrobe, and feel better than I have in a decade. YOU CAN DO THIS!

By incorporating these five tips into your routine, you’ll not only enhance the effectiveness of semaglutide or tirzepatide but also set yourself up for long-term success. Remember, sustainable weight loss is about consistent effort, patience, and making healthy choices that fit your lifestyle. As you continue this journey, keep celebrating your progress, no matter how small, and stay committed to your goals. You’ve got this!

Keep reading for more tips, tricks and stories about my weight loss journey!