GLP-1 is a natural hormone your gut produces in response to food. This hormone signals your brain that you’re full, slows down how fast your stomach empties, and boosts insulin production — all of which are incredibly useful for people struggling with obesity or type 2 diabetes. Scientists figured out how to mimic this hormone in medication form, creating drugs that extend these effects for an entire week at a time. That’s where GLP-1 medication comes in.

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GLP-1 medication mimics your natural GLP-1.  Another hormone called GIP is a dual-action approach to make it even more powerful for both blood sugar regulation and weight loss.

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While they all come in a simple once-weekly injection, the dosing schedules differ slightly. Semaglutide typically starts at a low dose — around 0.25 mg per week — and slowly ramps up to avoid overwhelming your system with nausea and digestive discomfort, a common side effect early on. For weight loss purposes you may reach as high as 2.4 mg per week.

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Results? They can be dramatic. In clinical trials, patients lost, on average, around 15% of their total body weight over about 68 weeks. GIP has pushed those numbers even higher, with some patients losing over 22% of their body weight within roughly a year and a half of use. These numbers don’t just represent pounds lost — they can mean reversal of fatty liver disease, improved blood pressure, better sleep, and in some cases, remission of type 2 diabetes.