Never Diet Again with Max Lowery

The Hidden Costs of Weight Loss Injections

• Max Lowery

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The Truth About Ozempic – Weight Loss or Quick Fix?

Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro are being prescribed at record rates—but are they really the solution to long-term fat loss? Or just another quick fix with serious consequences?

In this episode, Max Lowery and Shane Copeland break down the real impact of GLP-1 medications, exposing the risks, side effects, and long-term implications that no one is talking about.

🔹 How Ozempic actually works—and why it only suppresses appetite

🔹 The shocking truth about weight regain after stopping the drug

🔹 Why food cravings, metabolism, and emotional eating matter more than a prescription

🔹 The deeper psychological and lifestyle factors driving weight gain

🔹 A sustainable, no-drug approach to losing weight for good

If you’re tired of quick fixes that never last, this episode will change the way you think about weight loss.


Watch my The Cravings & Fat-Burning Masterclass:   https://www.neverdietagain.uk/register-podcast

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/max.lowery/

Book a Food Freedom Breakthrough Call: https://calendly.com/maxlowerycoaching/food-freedom-breakthrough-call

Ozempic, Wegovy Weight Loss injections, they promise effortless weight loss, but there's a hidden cost. If you stop taking them, the weight comes back on, and no one is really talking about this right now. Weight Loss drugs are being prescribed, like sweets, celebrities, influencers and doctors are raving about them, but they don't tell you about these hidden risks, muscle loss, gut issues and psychological dependence, and for most people, it's just another fad diet in disguise. In this episode, we're going to break down the risks, the real reason people are turning to these drugs and why they won't solve the root cause of your weight gain, plus we'll show you a better way to lose weight and keep it off, which means you won't have to inject yourself every single day for the rest of your life. By the end of the video, you'll know if a Zen pick is for you or is it just another quick fix. Let's get into it. How do you create a life that allows you to lose weight, eat the foods that you love, and sustain the results? Over the last 10 years, I've helped 1000s of people do exactly that. I'm Max Lowry. I'm an author, personal trainer and weight loss coach. In this podcast, I'm going to share my top tips and tricks from within my one on one coaching program. It's my goal to give you the tools and understanding so that you never diet again. Hello. Welcome to another episode of The never die again podcast. My name is Max Lowry. I'm a weight loss coach, and I've been helping women over 40 lose weight and keep it off for the rest of their lives. I'm joined by Shane, who is the head of the live 360 program, head of client success. How you doing? Shane, very well. Max, good to be here. Excellent. We're going to be talking about a hot topic this evening, which is Ozempic, Mounjaro, weight loss, drugs, GLP, medication, whatever you want to call them. A lot of people are taking them now, and they are being prescribed like sweets by doctors. So we want to give our take. Talk about the risks, talk about who might benefit from them, and talk about why, ultimately, we think they are a bad idea. So first of all, let's discuss, what are they so essentially, Ozempic, they all work in the same way. They are what's known as GLP receptor agonists. So they essentially were originally created to manage type two diabetes. They work by mimicking certain hormones which regulate blood sugar levels and help control appetite. So how do they actually work? It's quite simple, like all weight loss drugs before these ones, they work by reducing appetite. So anyone that questions the calorie deficit and that losing weight isn't about eating less can just look at the success of these drugs, because all they do is address your appetite. They make you feel less hungry, they make you feel fuller for longer. Why are people turning to these weight loss drugs? Ultimately, because people are desperate. There is a obesity epidemic in the Western world. There's almost as far as I know, more people dying of obesity related diseases than there are people dying of starvation. It's a big problem. And the clients that we've worked with, they've tried everything. They have tried every diet. They've cut out carbs, they've cut out sugar, they've lived off shakes, they've only eaten 800 calories. They've been to Weight Watchers, they've been to sliming world. They feel like they've tried everything and as a last resort. So I'm not here to judge anyone for taking Ozempic at all. In fact, myself and Shane and our entire team, we have a deep empathy and sympathy for people who struggle with their weight, because we actually know how hard it is and how it's not as simple as just eating less, moving more and just willing your way out of out of weight loss. So we do understand and are not here to judge, but essentially, people are desperate, and that's why they're turning to weight loss injections. Plus, I think we should also caveat this. This is potentially going to be at an over trillion dollar business already. It's being prescribed by sweet like sweets by doctors, because it's a very easy way for them to improve someone's health. Like doctors aren't necessarily set up to advise their patients in the same way that we are with lifestyle related changes, habits and mindset and all that kind of stuff. So this is a really easy way for them to help their patients lose weight. So there are a whole host of reasons why people are taking them, and compared to previous weight loss drugs, I would say that these are better. I think there used to be speed and amphetamine based. Does anyone seem reckoned for a dream? Do you remember that


great movie, depressing, but phenomenal movie? Yeah,


incredible movie. And it essentially talks about different types of drug addiction. It's few of them are addicted to heroin, and then the mum gets addicted to weight loss drugs, and it's and she loses her mind and ends up being sectioned. So potentially this is a evolution in weight loss drugs. However, there are potentially still downsides to this, and I would say that another. Reason that it's become so popular is because there are a lot of celebrities, a lot of influencers, and a lot of talk on social media about how people are on this weight loss medication, on those npic and it's changing their lives. And I think can understand why, like, all of a sudden, these people are losing weight. They're not obsessing about food anymore, and they don't feel hungry anymore, which is the main way in which we help our clients. We help them lose weight, we help them stop obsessing about food, and we help reduce their cravings. But obviously we do it in a much more natural way. It

seems like a really sensible option when being overweight is such an uncomfortable and painful experience, and then all the approaches you've taken to try and lose the weight have also been all about struggle and suffering, and suddenly you have this, like, ticket out that seems like it doesn't involve those things it, yeah, it makes sense that it's so appealing,


yeah, to be honest, it is like a magic pill. It's a magic injection. Oh, I don't feel hungry anymore. So let again, completely empathize with that. And I think there certainly is really important use cases for it, and we've spoken about this before, but if you are about to die because you are incredibly obese, then, yeah, a really quick way to stop yourself from dying tomorrow is to take something like ozempic, or we go over whatever you want to call it equally. This is a really specific case, but one of my best friend's dad had a very bad stroke. He's basically bed bound, and he has put on weight because his only enjoyment is food. He would probably benefit from taking it, because the issue is, he's trying to he's doing rehab, he's trying to move more, but he's carrying extra weight, so it's even harder trying to activate muscles which haven't been used for a long time, because he's carrying all this extra weight. It's like you wouldn't walk into a gym and put on 200 kilos on a weight rack? Would you try and reduce that weight and ease into it? And he's not able to do that. So there are really specific use cases where it could be really powerful, but I think for the average person who's just trying to lose weight, it's potentially going to cause more harm than good, and want to get into that now. So no, we are not experts. We aren't experts in the side effects of ozempic. We're not medical doctors. So what we're about to say is just what's available to us with the research that has been released. But the most common side effects are gut issues, essentially, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, potentially gallstones become an issue. There are also thyroid concerns, and there might be an increase in thyroid cancer delayed gastric emptying, which is actually one of the main reasons why you feel less hungry. And muscle loss is a big one. So people aren't just losing fat, they're losing a lot of muscle, and that makes long term weight loss harder if you're a man or woman, as you get older, retaining as much muscle mass as possible is really important. So there's potential issues there, and I've heard also of osteoporosis and issues with bone density as well. There's potentially also psychological impacts of becoming dependent on it. Ultimately, if the only way that you know how to regulate your emotions is with food, and suddenly you take away a coping mechanism. That could mean that you turn to alcohol, you could turn to other destructive behaviors, because you're not really addressing the root cause of the problem, which is what we'll get into in a second. So there are all these potential physical and psychological side effects, but I think above all, the main issue with ozempic, or whatever you want to call it, is that if you stop taking it, the weight is going to come back on. This is it's a long term fix, only if you keep injecting yourself forever. And the issue is, like any drug, you do build up a resistance to it, so you need to take more and more over time, you start off with a small amount, and you increase your dose as time goes on. So if you have the money, if you have the access, if you don't become resistant, then yeah, maybe you can just take it for the rest of your life. However, because you're not actually addressing any of the root cause of why you put on weight in the first place, you're not addressing any of your lifestyle, changes, your habits, your mindset. You're not educating yourself on nutrition, you're not educating yourself on exercise. You're just not changing your life at all. If you stop taking the drug, the weight will come back on really quick one for me, guys, I don't run ads on this podcast, and I do aim to give you as many high value tips and tricks as I can for free. All I ask in return is that you help me spread the word that way I can help as many people as I can to never die again. The way to do that is to rate review and share this podcast. A review will only take 30 seconds, but it would mean the world to me, but more importantly, it could help change the life of someone else.


Yeah, this is similar to what we spoke about in the last episode. You're over reliant on something external to succeed, and it's quite a tenuous position to be in, as you've said, if that is taken away for whatever reason, you can't afford it, you move to a new look. It's no longer available. What

happens? There

is hard research on this. So research suggests that up to 66% of lost weight can be regained within a year after discontinuation. A study in diabetes, obesity and metabolism, found that patients on semaglitude regained an average of two thirds of lost weight within 12 months after stopping the drug. Do you know what that sounds like sounds like crash diets Max, sounds like any other diet. You can hear exactly the same stats on when someone does a diet and the weight come X, amount of weight comes back after X amount of time. For me and for us the team, ozempic Weight Loss drugs, they're just another diet. They're just another fad. They're just another quick fix. They're just another plaster to fix your huge this is a horrible analogy. A gaping wound. Need a surgeon. You don't need a plaster, is what I'm trying to say. Because of what we just said. It doesn't address issues with your metabolism, metabolic flexibility, long term eating behaviors, your mindset, your self belief, limiting beliefs, your lifestyle, your habits, your environment, your you don't have to address any of those things. And the way that we help our clients is by addressing the root cause of the problem. So the root cause of the problem can be the fact that our clients are stuck in what's known as sugar burning mode, or they are mentally inflexible, which means they crave food all the time. A lot of them are turning to food in times of stress, boredom, negative emotion and food is their only coping mechanism, and a lot of them are stuck in what's known as all or nothing, thinking where they feel like they need to be perfect, and if they make a single mistake, they've failed, these things can impact every aspect of your life, and by just taking ozempic, you are missing out On the opportunity to become the best version of yourself, because you can take ozempic lose weight, but still suffer from all these underlying issues. We also help our clients with limiting beliefs. We also help our clients with their identity and their overall mindset. And if you address these, you don't just lose weight. Every aspect of your life improves. Don't get me wrong, obviously, doing it our way is harder. I would say in the short term it's harder, but in the long term, much better. It's like short term discomfort, long term benefit. Yeah, I think it's probably important

to know at this point, especially for someone who has struggled with your weight for a long time, you're probably listening to what we're saying and thinking it sounds a bit intangible, and it's not something you can necessarily imagine until you've experienced it for yourself. But I think as you've touched on, it's probably worth sitting with. The idea is the fact that you have weight that you want to lose, the only thing about your life you want to improve and will and if so, then, yeah, maybe something like this is the answer. But I think every client we have come to the program realizes pretty early on that there's a lot more to this than just the weight. The weight is just a symptom of deeper issues that affect us on multiple levels, and if you address those, it's a significantly more fulfilling and satisfying process, and ultimately enhances your life in ways that, again, I know it probably doesn't feel like it. You might not be able to imagine it listening to this podcast, but improves your lives. Improves Your lives in ways you can't think of until you've been there 100%


I think that's partly the problem is that most people think their issue is their weight and the weight gain, but actually, weight gain is a symptom of underlying issues. And our clients realize that once they start working with us, they're like, Okay, now this makes sense. I need to address these root cause problems, and then the weight comes off as a byproduct of those things. But most people out there are just like, so hyper obsessed about the weight and oh, I need to eat less and move more. And that's basic surface level fixes. They are addressing surface level issues. And guess what? You get surface level results as a consequence of that. And for sure, you do have to be ready to get that kind of help and support from coaches, but when you are ready, it's yes, we have a weight loss program of weight loss coaches. But I don't know about you, Shane, but for me, I'm what keeps me motivated and inspired is the kind of psychological, spiritual and emotional transformations that happen as a consequence of addressing the root cause of the problem, 100%

that I would not be working with you if that was not the case, yeah,

if this was just a case of like, right? We've got this aggressive weight loss program, and you're going to stick to some calorie targets, and you're going to do loads of hard exercising and lose all this weight and see you later. I wouldn't be as I wouldn't be able to promote it and talk about it the way that I do on social media. I just It wouldn't sit well. So yes, it's a weight loss program, but actually, the way that we help our clients improves their lives in so many different ways. And if any of you guys who listen to this are interested in what that, what do we mean by that? Just go and listen to any of the conversations we've had with any of our clients in the podcast. There are many, and there will be many more. And you'll see in a 25 minute conversation, we spend 30 seconds talking about weight and the weight loss that they've had, and we spend the rest of their time talking about how it's impacted their lives in ways that they couldn't even visualize. As you just said, Shane, and it is incredibly rewarding. So by just going and taking something like ozempic, you're completely. Are missing out on all of those other benefits. You're missing out on becoming the best version of yourself, and you don't know that's kind of like how missing out on that is going to impact your life. It will impact every aspect of your life. You don't know how much better your life could be if you address the root cause of the problem and do and lose weight in a way where you can keep it off for the rest of your life. It's incredibly powerful. But I guess they say ignorance is bliss, don't they, you're never going to know so so we haven't yet had any clients who are on ozempic. We've had plenty of clients who've had gastric bands and gastric sleeves who are still putting on weight because they've essentially gained the system and they haven't addressed the root cause of the problem. But I think at some point we, because there's a bit of a lag there will be, we will be getting clients where ozempic didn't work for them, didn't address the root cause of the problem, this, they couldn't take, they couldn't keep taking it for whatever reason, because of side effects, and they're still stuck with the same issue. So yeah, it's a big topic. Again, we're not here to judge, just to give our perspective, and our perspective is geared on the fact that we really care about helping our clients become the best version of themselves, not just lose weight. So potentially, there is an argument for taking these drugs and getting lifestyle changes at the same time. And I've thought about talking about that and maybe becoming helping with people in that in some way, shape or form, that's still to be still, to be determined, and I think unfortunately, most people are not addressing any lifestyle changes because they're hard. Ultimately, no everyone wants the quick fix, everyone wants the shortcuts, but everyone knows where that leads. So if you want some kind of really high level tips and advice from us on how to lose weight, we'll give it to you now. All right, let's give you exactly the same nutritional advice that we give our clients. So firstly, eat more at meal times. This is going to reduce your hunger. It's going to improve your relationship with food, because you're actually feeling satisfied after each meal. And it's going to potentially lead to less craving and less snacking. You're going to fill up on protein and fiber. Again, these things make you feel fuller for longer, basically exactly like his empic does. Those two things, you're going to eat more, fill up on protein and fiber, and you will feel less hungry. It naturally without taking a drug. Next thing you're gonna do is you're gonna drop the snacks. You'll realize that when you eat more at meal times you prioritize protein and fiber, you're gonna feel less hungry, and you won't need need to snack. And snacking is a huge problem. We've gone into all of that on different episodes, and then finally, be as active as you can in a way you enjoy. So get as many steps in as you can, anywhere between seven and 15,000 steps. You're going to burn loads of calories. It's not going to raise your hunger levels. It's going to improve your mental health. The combination of those things there, you will feel so much better in so many different ways. You will feel less hungry. You'll crave food less, and you will potentially be in a calorie deficit and start to lose weight without Ozempic, right? And anyone listening to this right now, like anyone can incorporate that advice. It's not restrictive, it's not unsustainable, it can fit into any of your life. So I just challenge any of you, if you're thinking about going onto a Zen pick, or any of these weight loss drugs, just do this for six months. Give yourself six months of doing exactly what I described consistently. So larger meals, no snacking, get as many steps in as you can. You will lose weight like without a shadow of a doubt. Yeah.

And the key thing, there is six months, right? I think the temptation can be especially when you've done crash diets in the past, or you've seen results from people who've taken things like, it's empic The results are so rapid. But it's weight loss, not necessarily just fat loss, like I've touched on muscle loss and water retention in the past, and you can possibly incorporate something like Max has just suggested, and after three weeks, you've only lost only a kilo and a half, and you're like, oh, it's not working. So, yeah, give it time.

100% if anything, do it for a year like this. Stuff takes time. Take the time pressure off yourself. So to conclude, there are certainly people who can benefit from weight loss injections, but for the average person who's just looking to lose a bit of weight, and it's just looking for a quick fix. If there's potentially more harm than good, they do not address the root cause of the problem, and that means that if you stop taking the drug, the weight will always come back on. They do not allow you to become the best version of yourself, because they are not addressing the root cause of the problem. They're a short term fix to a long term problem. So if you don't have the money to pay for the rest of your life, if you don't want to deal with the side effects for the rest of your life, then it would be better to address the root cause of the problem and gets the support and accountability that you need. So ask yourself the question, are you looking for a quick fix, or are you looking for something that will create lasting change and improve every aspect of your life. So if any of you do want to create lasting change and you want to become the best version of yourselves, the quickest way to do that is to book in for a call. We've opened up these new food freedom breakthrough calls where essentially we will dive into the root cause of. Of why you've been struggling. We'll give you a in depth report and action steps of what you can do, because everyone's root cause is going to be different. So that is going to be the quickest way to get in touch with us. Or you can just watch our in depth masterclass, which will teach you how to lose weight, reduce cravings and regain control over your eating. Just again, click that link below. Thanks a lot for joining Shane. We'll see you same time next week. Cheers. Max.