Why Am I Not Losing Weight on Saxenda?

How fast do you lose weight with Saxenda?

In trials, users of Saxenda lost an average of 5% of their initial body weight within the first 8 weeks of treatment. Generally, most users will start to see the weight loss effects within the first 2 to 4 weeks, however, it is important to be patient with any weight loss strategy. 

You should be checking in regularly with your healthcare professional when you start any weight loss medication, including Saxenda. If you aren't losing weight effectively on Saxenda, your GP might suggest stopping the course of medication, however, this is generally only if you have lost 4% or less of your body weight in the first 16 weeks of use. 

It is important to remember that weight loss medications like Saxenda are best used in conjunction with a reduced-calorie diet and an exercise regime to maximise the weight loss potential of the medication.

Why isn’t Saxenda working for weight loss?

If you are taking Saxenda and you are not seeing the desired results, there could be a number of factors at play.

1. It's too early

If you are just getting started with Saxenda it's important you give it sufficient time to work before looking for significant results. Losing weight is not a fast process and in the first few weeks of using Saxenda, weight loss might be minor enough that it feels like it isn't happening at all - this is probably not the case. Keep using the medication as prescribed and wait to see more progress with your weight loss. 

2. Your diet isn’t optimised

Saxenda is not a one-stop solution in a weight loss journey and needs to be used in conjunction with a calorie-reduced and balanced diet in order to get the best results. If you aren't seeing the best results from your course of Saxenda it might be because of your diet. 

Try calorie counting to check if you have reduced your intake significantly enough and make sure you are eating lots of fruit, vegetables and whole foods. You might also want to consider reducing your portions further; excessive portions can be a great hindrance to weight loss with or without intervention from a medication like Saxenda.

3. You aren’t exercising enough

Just like diet, exercising regularly and effectively is essential to getting the best results from Saxenda. As a standard, adults should be exercising at least an hour a day. For weight loss purposes the intensity and/or duration of this exercise should be increased. 

If you haven’t implemented an exercise regime for weight loss this could be holding back your results. If you have implemented an exercise regime and you still aren’t seeing results, you might need to increase the regularity and intensity of your exercise to increase the calories you burn.

4. Saxenda isn’t right for you

If you have been using Saxenda for a while and have been exercising and dieting appropriately and you still aren’t making weight loss progress, it might be that Saxenda is not the right weight loss medication for you. In clinical trials, 62.3% of participants taking Saxenda saw a weight loss of at least 5% of their body weight. Some participants didn’t get the same weight loss results. 

If you are concerned that Saxenda isn’t the right fit for you, discuss your concerns with your healthcare professional.

Exploring Saxenda with Pharmacy2U

If you need support with your weight loss journey you might meet the criteria for a prescription to a weight loss medication like Saxenda. Using our online consultation process, you can inform us of your current health and medications. Then, our licensed doctors will take a look at your individual case and suggest a course of action to support your weight loss progress, which might include a prescription to a weight loss medication.