Experts pinpoint formula for preventing one of Ozempic’s most feared side effects – it just involves a simple lifestyle change

Experts have revealed the simple lifestyle change that could prevent dreaded side effects of weight-loss stimuli, such as frailty and ‘Ozempic face’.

Muscle loss is one of the most common problems associated with taking the ‘game-changing’ weekly injections – which occur as a result of rapid weight loss.

When the body shifts weight quickly, it breaks down muscle to increase energy levels in the absence of extra calories.

However, this can have disastrous consequences, including poor balance, an increased risk of bone fractures, and cosmetic problems such as loose skin on the face and body.

Research shows that muscle loss can account for up to 39 percent of a person’s total weight loss while taking the drugs – which work by mimicking the ‘fullness’ hormone GLP-1.

But now specialists have told about a very effective way to prevent muscle loss while taking the shots, which involves a simple adjustment to the daily diet.

According to US obesity experts – Dr Caissa Troutman and Dr Anila Chadha – increasing your protein intake will limit the adverse effects of the drug.

Dr. Chadha told Medscape she recommends eating at least 30 grams of protein with each meal – about 7 grams more than the recommended amount for those not taking GLP-1 medications.

This equates to approximately one chicken breast at each meal, or two cans of chickpeas.

Patients should also “plan each meal around a high-quality protein source,” she added.

The general population is advised to eat roughly 0.8 grams of protein per kg of weight per day.

This translates to about 70 g of protein for a 90 kg person, or two chicken breasts.

Experts also say that those taking weight loss medications should exercise more to maintain their muscle.

“Studies have shown that exercise contributes very little to weight loss, but it is very important for cardiovascular health, mental health, weight maintenance and preventing excessive loss of muscle mass,” says Dr. Catherine Varney, an obesity specialist based in Virginia, the USA

“So when we look at the risks and benefits of exercise, we sometimes hold off on cardiovascular exercise at first, but we always emphasize the importance of strengthening exercise.”

Strength training includes any exercise that works the muscles, including weight lifting, pilates and cycling.

Walking can also help build muscle mass, says Naveed Sattar, professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow.

Patients can also lose muscle mass by not eating as much protein, the building block of muscle, as they did before taking the drug

Dr. Troutmad advised patients to engage in 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as a brisk walk.

These simple lifestyle changes can also help prevent some of the drug’s aesthetic side effects.

Users of the slimming injection have previously warned of unwanted consequences such as ‘Ozempic face’ and ‘Ozempic butt’.

The buttocks are one of the main areas where subcutaneous fat (fat directly under the skin) accumulates.

As a result, the fat in this area is among the first to be lost after rapid weight loss.

It also contains a group of three large muscles called the glutes, which can also shrink if a person takes the drug without exercising and eating a high-protein diet.

In a video posted to TikTok under the hashtag ozempicbutt, social media user @jocelyngarcia3514 shared a full-body video showing the loose skin around her buttocks.

“What does an ozempic/semaglutide butt look like?,” she wrote in the caption.

“Keep in mind that I had a BBL about seven years ago and this is what my butt looks like after my sixteenth injection of compounded semaglutide,” she added. “What does an ozempic/semaglutide butt look like?,” she also wrote. ‘You guessed it? loose skin and cellulite (nothing to brag about, results vary)’

‘You guessed it? Loose skin and cellulite (nothing to brag about, results vary).”

Those who use the drug may begin to develop thinner arms and legs and an overall less curvy body.

‘Ozempic can change appearance and for some people this may not be welcome,’ warns Professor Alex Miras, consultant endocrinologist at Ulster University.

He previously told MailOnline that this was not a side effect specific to semaglutide – the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy – and similar effects have been seen with other forms of calorie-restricted weight loss, such as gastric bypass surgery.

“The appearance changes, such as what people call Ozempic face and Ozempic buttocks, are not just an Ozmepic effect, which can occur with any form of weight loss,” said Prof. Miras.

‘It doesn’t matter what the cause is, but weight loss changes the appearance of the face because you are mainly losing fat. The same thing happens with the buttocks and it happens throughout the body.’