Reporter Response: Fastest Way to Lose Weight Safely

Adopting a healthy diet and exercise regimen is the best and safest way to lose weight bar none. It’s also, admittedly, not the fastest method. Losing weight this way takes time and effort, and eventually, you will reach a temporary but frustrating weight loss plateau where your progress seems to simply stop. Unfortunately, if you want to lose weight safely and keep it off, we still recommend and even insist that you try and adopt a healthy lifestyle.

We can, however, help you accelerate your success with one of two prescription medications. These are semaglutide and tirzepatide.

Semaglutide is now FDA-approved as a weight loss drug and in clinical trials helped patients lose 20% of their body weight in just over a year. Tirzepatide has shown even better results with patients losing up to 30% of their body weight in the same time period. Tirzepatide is technically a type 2 diabetes medication, however, and although on the fast track for FDA approval as a weight loss drug, has not yet received it. Doctors still prescribe tirzepatide for weight loss, but it is technically an off-label use.

These two drugs can provide excellent support for your weight loss journey. But you must generally have a BMI of 30 or higher in order to qualify for them. If you have weight-related health issues, you may be able to qualify for these drugs at a lower BMI of 27.

Unfortunately, many health insurance companies still refuse to pay for these drugs unless you have type 2 diabetes. It’s also important to note that these drugs, although incredibly effective, are not weight loss shortcuts. People who don’t pair them with healthy lifestyle changes usually gain back all the weight they lost when they stop taking these medications. And they do stop taking them. Given their hefty price tags of over $1,000 a month, most people aren’t able to stay on the drugs indefinitely.

Which takes us back to a healthy diet and adequate exercise...