Doctors Warn That Drugs Like Ozempic Are Making You “Skinny Fat”

There’s no shortage of concerning side effects associated with GLP-1 drugs, though some have gained more attention than others. For instance, you’ve likely heard of “Ozempic face,” “Ozempic feet,” and even “Ozempic mouth,” but what about “skinny fat?” The term was coined on the inaugural episode of the Scrubs to Stilettos podcast, hosted by doctors and former Real Housewives Tiffany Moon, MD, and Nicole Martin, MD. According to Martin, a board-certified anesthesiologist, “skinny fat” refers to someone who has a low BMI (body mass index) but lacks muscle density.

RELATED: Ozempic and Mounjaro Patients Report Potentially Fatal New Side Effect.

What is “skinny fat?”

“There’s this thing called skinny fat, where you’re skinny but have no muscle mass, and that’s not healthy,” Martin said.

This phenomenon has become a recurring theme among Ozempic patients, especially those who are using the drug off-label for weight loss. Unlike Wegovy, which is approved for weight loss, Ozempic is only approved to treat type 2 diabetes. Similarly, Zepbound is approved for weight loss and Mounjaro for diabetes.

“People are essentially, like, starving themselves. They’re ending up being nutritionally deficient,” Martin continued. “It’s this constant struggle between eating protein and making sure you’re meeting your nutritional requirements, and then taking this drug that doesn’t allow you to eat.”

Or, people utilize the drug to mask unhealthy eating habits—because, the theory is, staying calorie deficient will still result in weight loss even if you’re eating a greasy hamburger and fries. This is only further fueling the “skinny fat” trend and wreaking havoc on your internal health.

“When you’re on it, you don’t feel hungry. So then, when you do eat, you can basically eat [expletive] and still quote-on-quote ‘be skinny’ because you’re eating so little that even if it’s a cheeseburger, you’re not going to break the bank,” added Moon.

RELATED: Ozempic and Wegovy May Have Landed 25,000 People in the ER—Here’s the Scary Reason Why.

This can lead to unhealthy muscle loss or bone loss.

As Moon explained, “When you restrict your calories, and you don’t eat well, and you don’t exercise, now you’re losing lean muscle mass.”

Strong muscles contribute to osteoporosis prevention, joint protection, bone growth, and better balance. A 2024 study published in JAMA Network Open found that taking GLP-1 drugs led to decreased muscle mass and increased bone mineral density (BMD). As Best Life previously reported, “The AARP estimates that for each pound of weight you lose, 25 percent will be from lost bone or muscle mass.”

For these reasons (and many others), doctors often urge patients 65 and older not to use Ozempic, as a dramatic drop in weight can expedite their risk of bone loss.

“Significant weight loss, especially over a short time, can also contribute to a decrease in bone density, which may put older adults at increased risk of bone fractures or exacerbate pre-existing conditions such as osteoporosis,” HaVy Ngo-Hamilton, PharmD, a pharmacist and clinical consultant at BuzzRx, previously explained to Best Life.

RELATED: Gynecologist Cautions Women About This “Overlooked” Ozempic Side Effect.

There are other concerns with Ozempic, too.

Ozempic made its Hollywood red carpet debut in 2021 after it was spotlighted on The Dr. Oz Show. Since then, it’s become available–albeit at a hefty cost—to the masses. Now that it’s more accessible than ever, more and more research about Ozempic has come out.

For instance, health experts are concerned that Ozempic’s rise in popularity could trigger eating disorder behaviors and tendencies.

“You know, people who weigh 115 pounds and just don’t want to eat a cheeseburger—We need to be careful there because there are some side effects,” warned Martin.

“Our society has an obsession with skinny. To the point where they will compromise their health to be skinny, but they’re actually less healthy,” added Moon.

To that point, Martin said, “It’s better to be healthy than to be skinny. They’re not one and the same.”

When starting any new medication, especially Ozempic, the best thing you can do is be an “informed consumer,” said Moon. That means consulting a doctor (maybe even getting a second opinion!) who is familiar with your medical history, and conducting your own research.

Also, familiarize yourself with GLP-1 drugs and their properties, both the positives and potential negatives. For example, did you know that these drugs aren’t necessarily considered medications?

According to Moon, “They’re peptides that are naturally occurring in your body.” They work by “delaying gastro emptying, which means instead of food coming out of your stomach over the span of six to eight hours, it slows down to 12 to 18 hours.”

“If you are overweight, if you are a diabetic, the medications are great. They do what they do. The problem becomes when people are getting these medications prescribed and they’re taking them without being monitored,” said Martin.

“At the end of the day—I don’t care what anybody says—your body habitus is a reflection of intake and output,” Moon shared. “So, what you put in your mouth and how much energy you output. Do you workout or do you sit on your butt all day?”

“My official opinion is if you don’t need it, meaning that you do not have an indication to be on one of the drugs, then you probably shouldn’t be on it,” concluded Moon.