Draft for Dr. Berberian’s review before publishing. Clinical claims are conservative, but he should confirm the numbers and program details match what NJHW offers.
You’ve heard about them. Everyone has. GLP-1 medications like semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) are the most effective weight loss medications medicine has ever had, and they’re now available through our weight management program.
So instead of a sales pitch, here’s what we tell our own patients: what these medications genuinely do well, what they can’t do, and why the difference matters.
What they can do
GLP-1s mimic a hormone your body already makes, one that regulates appetite and blood sugar. In practice, that means you feel full sooner, stay full longer, and the constant background noise about food quiets down. Many patients say that’s the biggest change: the food chatter just stops.
The results in clinical trials back that up. People taking semaglutide lost around 15% of their body weight on average, and tirzepatide pushed closer to 20% in its trials. For someone starting at 250 pounds, that’s 35 to 50 pounds. Older weight loss medications never came close to that.
What they can’t do
This is the part that gets skipped in the ads.
- They can’t build habits for you. The medication quiets your appetite. It doesn’t decide what’s in your fridge or get you moving. The people who keep weight off use the medication as a window to change how they eat and live.
- They can’t protect your muscle. Lose weight quickly without enough protein and strength activity, and a chunk of what you lose is muscle. That slows your metabolism and works against you long-term.
- They don’t work forever if you stop. When the medication stops, appetite comes back. Studies show most people regain much of the weight unless the habits changed underneath.
- They’re not for everyone. Certain medical histories rule these medications out, and side effects like nausea are common in the early weeks. This is exactly why screening and dose management matter.
Why supervision is the difference
Anyone can prescribe a pen. A program manages the whole picture: screening your history first, ramping the dose so side effects stay manageable, watching your labs, and making sure you’re losing fat instead of muscle.
At North Jersey Health and Wellness, that includes nutrition support from Heather Campanile, our registered dietitian, who’s been practicing since 2005. She builds an eating plan around your life so the changes stick after the medication has done its job. That pairing, medical oversight plus real nutrition coaching, is what separates lasting results from an expensive detour.
Questions worth asking before you start
Wherever you get care, ask these: Who reviews my medical history before prescribing? What happens if the side effects are rough? How will we protect muscle while I lose weight? What’s the plan for keeping the weight off if I eventually stop the medication? If the answers are vague, keep looking. The medication is the same everywhere. The program around it is what varies.
Thinking about it?
Start with a conversation, not a commitment. We’ll go through your history, your goals, and whether a GLP-1 makes sense for you. If it doesn’t, we’ll tell you that too, and talk through what will help.
Learn more on our Weight Management Program page, call (201) 588-3491, or book online.