Can You Do Keto On Ozempic?

Executive Summary

• A ketogenic diet, also known as keto, is one where you prioritize eating fats and proteins over carbohydrates with the goal of losing weight.
• There is no set verdict on whether you can start a ketogenic diet while taking Ozempic, but the risks may outweigh the potential benefits.
• Beginning a keto diet on Ozempic can come with risks like gastrointestinal discomfort, missing out on key nutrients, and a shortage of calories for energy.
• There is no substitute for a holistic approach to weight loss that includes eating healthier and incorporating positive lifestyle changes.  

When starting a weight loss journey, you likely want to try everything you can to lose your weight as fast as possible, often leading you down the path of the latest fads and popular weight loss trends. If this is the case, you’ve likely stumbled upon keto and Ozempic.

The keto diet has gained vast popularity as a diet plan for fat-burning, while Ozempic has become an extremely popular medication associated with rapid weight loss. With the strong popularity of both methods, some people consider trying these two approaches together for better results.

However, if you’re taking Ozempic, you may want to think twice before attempting the keto diet at the same time. Although they can both be effective weight loss approaches on their own, combining both may result in potential risks that you should weigh before committing. This article explores the potential safety concerns of combining these methods and whether it’s really a good idea to do both.

What Is Keto?

Keto is a popular diet strategy where you consume as few carbs as possible. The term is short for ketogenic diet. The strategy behind a ketogenic diet involves limiting the number of carbohydrates you consume by obtaining the majority of your calories through protein and fat.

The goal of keto is to put your body into a state of ketosis, a metabolic process that increases the production of ketones to be used for energy. Ketones are a chemical produced by the liver when it breaks down fats. In ketosis, the body uses these ketones as its primary energy source.

Typically, your body derives energy from glucose in the blood, which comes from consuming carbohydrates. Your body using ketones instead of blood glucose for energy eventually leads to weight loss. Essentially, this process mimics starvation, forcing your body to burn fat instead of blood glucose for energy.

Like any diet, the keto diet is accompanied by mixed results. Some people swear by a keto diet as an effective approach to weight loss, while others struggle to maintain the diet for a consistent period.

What Is Ozempic?

Ozempic is a popular medication used to manage type 2 diabetes, but it also has benefits for weight loss. Like other semaglutide medications, Ozempic mimics a hormone known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which plays a key role in regulating blood sugar.

By mimicking GLP-1, the medication suppresses appetite and slows stomach emptying to make you feel full longer. With the help of the medication, you eat less and consume fewer calories, making your body more likely to burn fat for energy.

Although there are benefits for rapid weight loss, many people find that relying on Ozempic alone can result in regaining lost weight after they stop their regimen—this is known as the “Ozempic Rebound”. This rebound comes from the fact that Ozempic doesn’t address the root causes of weight gain, like an unhealthy diet or poor metabolic health.

Ozempic is most effective when combined with healthy lifestyle changes and habits that promote metabolic repair, like eating in moderation, choosing healthy foods, and increasing physical activity.

Can You Combine Keto and Ozempic?

Everybody is different, so there is no true right answer that will be true for everyone in every situation. In theory, combining both of these approaches can result in weight loss, but that doesn’t mean it’s inherently safe. There are a few concerns to be aware of if you’re considering trying both at the same time.

Risks of combining keto and Ozempic include:

• Possibility of nutritional deficiencies – Ozempic works by suppressing your appetite so you eat less, while keto restricts the types of foods you can eat to proteins and fats. When you eat less of certain foods, you risk missing out on essential vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients, especially since fats are the least nutrient-dense food group.
• Eating too few calories – Although some calorie cutting is necessary for weight loss, cutting too many calories can lead you to feel hungry, low-energy, and lethargic while also impacting your metabolic health. Suppressing your appetite with Ozempic and then restricting your diet even further through a ketogenic diet may not give you the fuel you need for your day.
• Gastrointestinal issues – A high intake of protein and fat can be hard on the stomach, and nausea is a common side effect of Ozempic. If you combine the two approaches, you may experience additional discomfort.
• Risk of unsustainability – The number one factor in a weight loss program is whether you can sustain it. If you aim to follow a strict keto diet and an Ozempic regimen at the same time, you might lose motivation to keep up with both, leading to the risk of regaining weight.

Although there is not much research surrounding the concept of combining an Ozempic regimen with a keto diet, it appears that the risks of combining the two outweigh the potential benefits. However, if you’re strongly considering trying a ketogenic diet while on Ozempic, be sure to discuss it with your healthcare provider.

Invest in a Holistic Weight Loss Program with No Side Effects

On their own, both Ozempic and the keto diet can offer potential benefits for weight loss. In theory, you can combine a ketogenic diet with an Ozempic regimen, but it’s not clear that the benefits are worth the risks of lethargy and nutritional deficiencies. At the end of the day, there is no weight loss approach like fueling your body with the right foods.

At re:vitalize, our holistic weight loss programs are structured to help you lose weight the right way, using our BioScan™ technology to identify which nutrients are optimal for your wellness while giving you a team of expert health coaches and board-certified nutritionists by your side. Our programs are centered on healthy eating and positive lifestyle changes, boosting your metabolic health to support sustainable, successful weight loss.

To make our programs accessible to as many people as possible, we also offer virtual weight loss programs, a flexible lifestyle program, and employer weight loss programs. Each option will meet you where you are so you can build healthy eating and other positive habits into your daily routine.

Schedule a consultation with us today to learn more about our programs and how they can support your unique lifestyle.