While weight loss is always a hot topic, it's gained even more momentum with the introduction of weight-loss drugs. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) inhibitors like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound have helped patients manage their diabetes and lose massive amounts of weight, providing an option for those who have struggled with the scale. However, there has also been plenty of conversation about the side effects, cost, and safety of these medications, which has resulted in some people discontinuing use or avoiding taking them at all. But if you still want the results that GLP-1s elicit, you're not completely out of luck. According to a new analysis conducted by Mayo Clinic, you can lose 13 percent of your body weight without them.
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The hospital's health platform, Digital Wellness, analyzed the records of 12,678 people who followed the Mayo Clinic Diet, according to an Oct. 8 press release.
According to findings, people who responded to the diet (those within the top 20 percentile for weight loss) lost up to 13 percent of their body weight, or approximately 28 pounds, in the first six months. Even better, participants lost 10 pounds (4.8 percent of their body weight) in the first month alone—and sustained their weight loss after a year.
Per Mayo Clinic, this may be even faster than for adults who are taking weight-loss drugs. The hospital notes that patients only lose about 2.3 percent of their body weight during the first month of taking a weight-loss drug.
With this in mind, it gives hope that there is a way for people to lose significant amounts of weight even if GLP-1s aren't available.
"Early weight loss may be a signal that you can be successful with lifestyle alone," Donald Hensrud, MD, MS, medical editor of The Mayo Clinic Diet. "Adults who do not want or cannot tolerate weight-loss medications can achieve significant results from a healthy weight loss program."
Wondering how they were able to lose the weight without an injection? Researchers identified five common factors in those who lost the most weight.
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First, those with the most weight loss adhered more closely to their meal plan than other participants. It's worth noting that participants followed the Mayo Clinic Diet meal plan, which the hospital says is "clinically backed by Mayo Clinic physicians and dietitians." The meal plans can be altered to include different diet styles and align with different lifestyles, the press release states.
But beyond how much they were eating, which we know to be so crucial in weight loss, those who dropped nearly 30 pounds also tracked what they ate. Per the release, they averaged five daily entries in their first month, which was 29 percent more than those who didn't lose as much weight.
They also practiced "mindfulness" around sugar and alcohol, avoiding them 14 percent more often than other participants. This was particularly pronounced in the first two weeks. Veggies and fruits were also their main source of snacking, eating them 12 percent more often than others.
The fifth and final common factor was one many of us struggle with—limiting the amount of times we dine out. Per the press release, those who responded to the diet were 11 percent more likely to avoid restaurants "unless the menu fit their diet plan."
What's even more interesting, experts say, is that respondents didn't go cold turkey with their approach and eliminate "bad" foods or habits completely.
"Practicing healthy habits is not about perfection," said Tara Schmidt, lead dietitian for The Mayo Clinic Diet, host of the Mayo Clinic On Nutrition podcast and co-author of The Mayo Clinic Diet: Weight-Loss Medications Edition. "Responders didn't completely avoid sugar or alcohol, for example—they just practiced these habits more consistently than other members."
