It’s not hard to understand the appeal of “Oatzempic,” the trending breakfast drink on TikTok that people swear is easy to make and helps them lose significant amounts of weight.
The recipe is absolutely simple: mix half a glass of oats, the juice of half a lemon and a glass of water in a blender. It takes its name from oats and the type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic, which can cause dramatic weight loss, and is in the same family of drugs as popular obesity treatments Wegovy and Zepbound.
Trending posts on social media claim that starting each day with “Oatzempic” can help people lose 40 kilos in two months. On TikTok alone, #oatzempic has over 50 million views and counting.
“The drink here is really Ozempic,” TikTok user @ChurroKing says in a video viewed more than four million times. “This is like a food suppressant in a goddamn cup. This kills my appetite. This cuts my hunger. This is crazy to me!
Why Are TikTok’s ‘Oatzempic’ Claims Suspicious?
Despite its catchy name, “Oatzempic” is not a medicine and will not work at all like Ozempic.
Ozempic and the weight loss drug Wegovy both contain the active ingredient semaglutide. They are in a family of medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, which can help control blood sugar levels and reduce hunger. In clinical studies, semaglutide helped people with obesity lose about 15 percent of their body weight; This works out to 30 pounds for a 200-pound adult.
“First, it should be clarified that the ‘Oatzempic’ weight loss trend is in no way related to the Ozempic drug,” says Katherine Basbaum, registered dietitian at MyFitnessPal and clinical dietitian at the University of Virginia. Charlottesville
Beyond that, Basbaum adds, the weight-loss claims people say about the “Oatzempic” sound are too good to be true.
“Although drinking ‘Oatzempic’ in the morning has the potential to aid weight loss, the likelihood of losing 40 pounds in two months is very low,” says Basbaum.
How Can ‘Oatzempic’ Help with Weight Loss?
Changing what you eat for breakfast has the potential to help you lose weight. The oats in “Oatzempic” may explain why so many people on TikTok rely on this diet drink, says Amy Lee, MD, an obesity medicine specialist and chief nutrition officer at Nucific, a company that sells weight management supplements.
Dr. “Obviously, your carb intake is pretty good, plus the added fiber will help reduce the total amount of carbs your body actually absorbs and will likely keep you full,” says Dr. Lee. Lee.
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How well “Oatzempic” works as a weight loss aid may depend largely on what kind of breakfast people ate before trying these diet drinks.
“If we’re talking about a person who is used to eating the equivalent of bagel sandwiches, eggs, sausage, pastries, and sugary coffee, and then switches to something like this, then you’re probably making a serious cut in your calories from proteins.” and all of the fats that can help a person lose weight,” says Lee.
Lee adds that anyone looking to significantly overhaul their breakfast routine can make other changes to aid weight loss while drinking “Oatzempic” throughout the day. “If someone does this for breakfast every day, drinks more water, keeps calorie intake low at lunch and dinner, and exercises, I would estimate that they could realistically lose at least 15 to 20 pounds.”
How to Lose Weight Safely with ‘Oatzempic’?
All of this comes with a big caveat: Aiming to lose more than a pound or two a week is generally not safe or sustainable. Even though rapid weight loss is possible, trying to lose 40 pounds in two months with “Oatzempic” may not be realistic, says author Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, RD. Better Term Food Solution.
“If someone consumes this beverage, plus makes radical changes to their current diet and overall food choices, increases their physical activity, and more importantly, maintains excess weight, a 20-pound weight loss in one month is not unheard of,” Lockwood Beckerman says.
But while there is nothing inherently dangerous in the ingredients of “Oatzempic,” this diet approach does have its risks. “[The ‘Oatzempic challenge’ is] It “promises unsustainable and possibly unattainable weight loss; it’s certainly not a magic bullet,” says Lockwood Beckerman. “The nutritional value of a smoothie is quite limited.”
For people trying to lose weight without medication, setting a goal of about 7 to 10 pounds within two months is more realistic, says Basbaum. “Oatzempic will work best when it’s part of a balanced diet that reduces calories without eliminating essential nutrients, and when people exercise for 60 minutes at least three times a week,” Basbaum adds.
“Losing weight can be hard, but keeping it off can be even harder,” says Basbaum. “I always tell patients and clients, ‘Slow and steady wins the race.’