1/8
Did Kim Kardashian slim down to fit Marilyn Monroe’s famous dress thanks to Ozempic?
Katja RichardEditor society
Just one spade a week and the pounds are already falling: Kim Kardashian (42) allegedly slimmed down her curves thanks to the insulin drug Ozempic in order to fit into Marilyn Monroe’s famous dress at the Met Gala last year. Tesla boss Elon Musk (51) publicly admits that Wegovy – a drug with semaglutide, the same active ingredient – helped him lose weight.
Since then, there has been a huge hype about the new lifestyle diet: Google inquiries are skyrocketing, there are over 444 million views for Ozempic on Tiktok, and thousands are raving about their weight loss success story on social media. The hype has also arrived in Switzerland. One who has lost weight with Ozempic is Robert F.*. The 57-year-old wants to remain anonymous. He has a furniture store, heard about the supposed miracle diet for the first time from a customer last summer – and tried it out: “The first two days I felt bad, I felt sick to the stomach. But then you get used to it.”
Slimmed down for the Monroe dress: Kim Kardashian is said to have slimmed down with Ozempic.
Losing weight without willpower
The 1.88 meter tall man lost 10 kilos within six months: from 83 to 73 kilos. With an original body mass index (BMI) of 23.5, he actually had a normal weight: “But I had way too much on my stomach and didn’t feel good anymore.” Despite initial difficulties, he raves about his experience: “It’s never been so easy for me to lose weight. The kilos just dropped.” He hasn’t changed his lifestyle.
The medication was prescribed for him by a doctor friend who specializes in hormones. Cost per month for one injection per week: around 130 francs. The smallest dose was enough for Robert, in January he discontinued Ozempic. He’s confident he can hold the weight.
Less hungry and full faster: Many people lose weight more easily with Ozempic.
Ozempic is approved in Switzerland for type 2 diabetes, only then does the health insurance company pay. “If you prescribe it for overweight, it’s a so-called off-label use,” explains David Infanger, head of the Obesity and Metabolism Center Zurich (ASZ). “The hype has even led to supply bottlenecks, which is problematic for diabetics who really need the drug.” The manufacturer Novon Nordisk confirms the unexpectedly high demand and the bottleneck last September. However, it is wrong to describe Ozempic as a “weight loss injection”, because this does not correspond to Swissmedic’s approval.
Blood sugar level is lowered
But how does the alleged miracle diet work? Semaglutid is an intestinal hormone similar to the body’s own GLP-1: It lowers the blood sugar level without leading to a dangerous hypoglycaemia. On average, patients lose around 15 percent of their body weight every year. The drug Saxenda with liraglut, which works similarly to semaglutide, is approved for obesity. Wegovy, which Elon Musk took for his diet, is not yet available in Switzerland outside of study programs. “They are all similar active ingredients and it’s a bit like petrol, sometimes unleaded or super,” summarizes Infanger.
Diet miracle cure? There are over 444 million views for Ozempic on Tiktok, and there were occasional delivery bottlenecks.
But the doctor emphasizes: “There is no miracle cure for obesity!” When you just rely on the drug without further following the rules of a conservative diet, the yo-yo effect occurs. “And two years later you’re heavier than before.” Therefore, professional support is still essential for long-term success.
Positive development for overweight people
Nevertheless, he sees the development of such drugs as positive, even if you may have to take them for life: “Diabetics do that too. Obesity is a chronic disease. The quality of life is limited and it can lead to serious complications.” So should such medication only be used if you are severely overweight or if you have a belly that hangs over your waistband? “It’s a weighing of mental and health-related suffering and the benefits,” says Infanger.
Ozempic is also used in Mandana Péclard’s aesthetic medicine practice. “But I don’t prescribe it as a lifestyle drug, i.e. if someone wants to go from a slim figure to a model weight. It’s dangerous,” said the doctor. Because the side effects could be stronger at a normal weight and, in the worst case, lead to chronic inflammation of the pancreas and gallstones. “You can lose up to five kilos with a change in diet without medication, everything about that has to be clarified individually.”
External Content
Would you like to see this supplementary content (Tweet, Instagram, etc.)? If you agree that cookies are set and data is thereby transmitted to external providers, you can allow all cookies and display external content directly.