Some Patients Maintain Weight Loss With Less Frequent GLP-1 Injections

A small study finds that patients can keep weight off while taking popular weight loss drugs less often.

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A small study found that some patients taking GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic were able to maintain their weight loss while taking injections less frequently than the recommended once-a-week schedule. The study looked at 34 patients who had already lost weight on GLP-1 medications and found that most continued to maintain their weight and health improvements after spacing out their dosing schedule, with some taking injections as infrequently as every 6 weeks.

Why it matters

This research could help address concerns some patients have about the need for lifelong weekly injections with GLP-1 drugs, which can be expensive and have variable insurance coverage. The findings suggest more individualized dosing plans may be effective for weight loss maintenance.

The details

The study, published in the journal Obesity, reviewed medical charts of 34 patients who had already lost weight on GLP-1 medications. After they began taking injections less often, most continued to maintain their weight and health improvements. On average, participants had reduced their BMI from obese to overweight, and by the end of the 36-week study, their average BMI was in the normal range. Patients used a variety of schedules, with 17 taking injections every other week, 6 every 10-14 days, and 7 stretching the interval beyond two weeks, with the longest gap reaching six weeks. Only 4 patients gained weight after spacing out their injections and returned to the once-a-week schedule.

  • The study was published recently in the journal Obesity.
  • The study looked at 36 weeks of follow-up data.

The players

Dr. Mitch Biermann

An obesity and internal medicine specialist at Scripps Clinic in San Diego who noticed some of his patients were spacing out their GLP-1 injections and maintaining their weight loss.

Scott McMillin

A 65-year-old patient who lost 20 pounds after starting weekly Wegovy injections in late 2023, but regained 10 pounds when he stopped the medication completely. He was later able to maintain his weight loss by taking injections every two weeks.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“By the time the third person told me they were taking it every second or third week and still maintaining their weight, I started recommending it to other patients.”

— Dr. Mitch Biermann, obesity and internal medicine specialist at Scripps Clinic (The New York Times)

“It made no difference for me whether I was taking injections every week or every two weeks, and I just thought, well, less is better.”

— Scott McMillin (The New York Times)

What’s next

Experts noted that the study was small and had no control group, so larger, more rigorous clinical trials would be needed to confirm the findings and determine the optimal dosing schedules for maintaining weight loss with GLP-1 medications.

The takeaway

This research suggests that some patients may be able to take popular GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic less frequently than the recommended once-a-week schedule and still maintain their weight loss, which could help address concerns about the need for lifelong weekly injections.