Bouncing Back: Nutrition Hacks for Mounjaro Butt and Ozempic Face
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You’ve gotten great results after going on GLP-1 medications for weight loss or to control diabetes, which feels excellent, but there’s a surprise side effect (or two) that isn’t so great: a flat butt and/or saggy skin on your face! Not super fun, but those problems are common after semaglutide weight loss. In fact, searches related to the topic of how to fix Ozempic butt skyrocketed in June of 2023 after a popular article was published in Good Housekeeping.
It’s not just about looks — it’s about health, too. The decreased muscle mass that comes with appetite-suppressing weight loss medications can lead to osteoporosis and frailty during old age. And the sagging features of “Ozempic Face” correlate to decrease collagen production, which also affects joint health. That’s a recipe for a disaster if I ever heard one!
Let’s talk about things you can do to turn that around, because you deserve to have a juicy donk and a fresh-looking face. In this post, we’ll focus on nutrition, supplements and other products that can help you. Of course, you’ll want to make sure to do these glute-building exercises and facial exercises as well. Without further ado, let’s dive in and see what can help.
Causes of Mounjaro Butt and Ozempic Face
The main issues behind a disappearing butt and gaunt features caused by rapid weight loss are the lack of muscle, which fills out the skin and creates the body's curves, and saggy skin that has lost its elasticity, which increases the appearance of wrinkles. Unexpected back pain is common when people lose weight rapidly, due to decreased muscle or muscle imbalances. So let’s fix that before it becomes a problem!
Your main objectives are to:
Encourage muscle growth
Stimulate collagen production
Use rest and recovery activities to help the body repair
Grow your muscles
Protein helps build muscles, so getting enough of it is crucial for re-growing the muscles in your face and buttocks. At meals, make sure you are getting at least a palm-sized serving of protein-rich foods like chicken, fish, beef, pork, etc. If your appetite is low, this is where supplements come in handy.
Use an Amino Complex - The best supplement you can use is an Amino Acid Complex, which dissolves in water and tastes like a sports drink. Amino complexes contain all 9 amino acids necessary to build muscle, which is something that makes them perfect for vegetarians, vegans, or people without a strong appetite for meat (or without a strong appetite in general). My favorite amino complex is Thorne Amino Complex, which is made to the highest standards and doesn’t contain artificial sweeteners, which can irritate the digestive tract and cause headaches. If you can’t find and amino complex, you can also benefit from supplementing with protein powder/drinks or Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs). If you’re looking for somewhere to start, my favorite BCAA is Nutrology BCAAs, my favorite protein is Orgain Organic Plant Protein (which is a great value when you get it on Amazon).
Lift Heavy - To build muscle you need to prove to your body that it needs muscles. And to do that, you need to lift heavy weight! If you’re not sure you’re doing it right, partner with a fitness professional to get some tips on your lifting form. If you have been sedentary for a while, build up to it slowly, focusing on building your glutes first. A few pointers for when you’re ready:
8-12 reps per set. Aim for the last rep to be super difficult to complete
3-5 sets.
Use a slow, controlled tempo like 3131 or 2030. You can learn about how using tempos can get you better results here.
Focus on compound lifts like squats, lunges, and deadlifts to maximize muscle growth.
Use accessory exercises like bridges, hip thrusts, hip extensions, hip abduction, and adduction to round things out and prevent injuries.
Do specialized exercises - Do facial exercises like this Yawn to Smile breathing drill. Be sure to do specialized exercises that target the gluteal muscles as well!
Cue Collagen
Collagen is what makes your skin stretchy and (ew, gross word) supple. It is the most abundant protein in your body, plays a crucial role in skin, muscles, bones, tendons, and other connective tissues. To produce collagen, your body requires specific amino acids: proline, glycine, and hydroxyproline. Additionally, vitamin C, zinc, copper, and manganese are essential for collagen synthesis. Including foods rich in these nutrients can support your body’s natural collagen production. Here are some collagen-boosting foods:
Bone broth: Although recent research questions its collagen content, bone broth remains popular. It contains calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, glucosamine, and amino acids.
Chicken: Poultry, especially connective tissues, is a great source of dietary collagen.
Fish: Rich in amino acids, fish supports collagen production.
Eggs: Egg whites contain proline, an essential amino acid for collagen synthesis.
Citrus fruits: High in vitamin C, which aids collagen formation.
Berries: Their antioxidants promote skin health.
Leafy greens: Spinach, kale, and other greens provide vitamins and minerals.
Beans: Legumes offer amino acids and antioxidants.
Cashews: These nuts contain copper, vital for collagen cross-linking.
Tomatoes: Rich in vitamin C and lycopene.
Bell peppers: High vitamin C content.
Garlic: Supports collagen production.
Tropical fruits: Pineapple and papaya contain enzymes that aid collagen breakdown and synthesis.
As we age, less collagen is produced — unless we do something about it. You need a few nutritional building blocks and some external stimuli, and then you’ll be good to go!
Supplementation is key, so include these in your routine:
Vitamin C - While eating a diet high in vitamin C is your first line of defense, some people may wish to supplement as well. Choose a formula that optimizes intake by mimicking how vitamin C is found in nature — with flavonoids. If your intake of vitamin C foods is inconsistent due to fasting or a poor diet, you can also choose a time-release formula, since vitamin C is notorious for leaving the body within a few hours of intake. Buffered vitamin C is also beneficial for people whose digestive system is sensitive, since higher intake of vitamin C can cause diarrhea in some.
Collagen peptides - an unflavored collagen powder like Thorne Collagen Fit has added antioxidants and can be added to shakes, drinks, yogurt and other foods. If you’re looking for a flavored collagen peptides, check out Vital Proteins Chocolate Collagen Peptides.
The right kind of multivitamin - A 50+ multi (or as I like to call it, an “aging gracefully” multivitamin) is particularly beneficial for collagen production: Vitamin C supports immune function and collagen formation, while antioxidants like nicotinamide riboside and resveratrol promote healthy aging by optimizing cellular energy and metabolism. Thorne Advanced Nutrients contains these compounds and is ideal for aging individuals, those in toxic environments, or anyone needing extra antioxidant support.
You can also try these treatments for your skin:
Derma Rolling — also known as microneedling, derma rolling is a minimally invasive cosmetic procedure that involves puncturing the skin with tiny sterile needles. These micro-injuries trigger the body to produce more collagen and elastin, proteins that give skin its youthful strength and elasticity. The derma roller, a handheld device with tiny needles, creates controlled micro-injuries on the skin’s surface, stimulating the skin’s natural healing process and enhancing collagen and elastin production. As a result, dermarolling can lead to firmer, more elastic skin with improved texture and durability. Remember to consult with a dermatologist before deciding on any skincare procedure. If you need a place to start, use a .25 mm to .5 mm size and look for something highly rated like this titanium derma roller on Amazon.
Copper Peptides — small protein fragments that are known for boosting collagen and elastin production, which are essential for maintaining skin elasticity and firmness. Beauty content creators like my friend and former client Whitney Gales love The Ordinary Copper Peptides.
Red Light Therapy — A non-invasive treatment that uses low-level wavelengths of light to penetrate the skin, enhancing collagen production. This therapy stimulates fibroblast cells, which are responsible for producing collagen and elastin, essential proteins for maintaining skin's structure and elasticity. By increasing collagen production, red light therapy can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, improve skin texture, and promote overall skin rejuvenation. Additionally, it aids in reducing inflammation and accelerating wound healing, making it a valuable tool for maintaining youthful, healthy skin. This full-face mask is very popular and highly rated on Amazon. For people looking for something smaller, take a look at this one.
Hydrate
Water is the unsung hero of most health and fitness stories, and this time is no different. Plump up dehydrated skin and muscle mass with water and watch the gains happen almost instantaneously. Here are a few tips:
Fill a reusable water bottle with cool water and keep it handy at all times (here’s the one I use). Some people like water bottles with goal times marked on the sides so they can stay on track all day.
Drink several glasses of water after waking up in the morning to get a head start on your water goal
Set a reminder on your phone or use a special water app to stay on task
Optimize your hydration with an amino-electrolyte formula like Thorne Catalyte — Studies suggest that an amino acid-electrolyte formula can better increase cellular rehydration compared to formulas without amino acids. In addition to sodium, magnesium, potassium, chloride, amino acids, this formula also contains B-vitamins, Vitamin C, zinc and chromium, which are often depleted with extended exercise. Catalyte is low in sugar, free of artificial ingredients, gluten-free, NSF-certified for sport. You can get it at my Thorne dispensary (your discount will be applied at checkout) or on Thorne’s Amazon Store.
This should get you started, but for more tips on hydration, check out this blog post.
Rest and Recover
Since GLP-1 drugs work by decreasing hunger, they trick your body into a calorie deficit, which the body responds to by breaking down its own tissues for fuel. This can become a cycle that continues even after you stop taking these medications, so putting a stop to muscle loss and tissue breakdown is an urgent task. Be sure to prioritize recovery activities and get plenty of sleep, which helps your body repair and rebuild tissues between workouts.
A few tips:
Sleep a minimum of 7 hours a night — uninterrupted. Try these sleep hacks to maximize your sleep potential.
Add a recovery activity like stretching or breathing drills for a few minutes at the endo of each workout. These activities send a signal to the brain to start repairing tissues, so your body spends extra time in “repair mode.”
Spend time in nature to decrease stress. Unmanaged stress can counteract all those other healthy things you are doing for yourself, so getting ahead of the curve is important. You can read more about stress management theory and techniques here.
Remember that these are just starting points. It’s a process to reverse these unintended side effects of semaglutide weight loss, but it can be done. You’ll grow your butt back. You can tighten up your skin and lessen the appearance of wrinkles. Before you know it, you’ll be telling people your skincare routine and twerking like no one is watching!