BUFFALO, N.Y. — For people taking drugs like Ozempic or Wegovy, the holiday season can come with obstacles. 

“Obviously during the holiday season their diet might be a little different,” said Dr. Ajay Chaudhuri, chief of endocrinology for the University at Buffalo. 

Drugs like these act on a receptor for a hormone produced by the body called GLP-1. 

“That usually helps to suppress appetite, it also helps to regulate insulin secretion and control blood sugar,” Chaudhuri said. 

But because it can also cause side effects like gastrointestinal discomfort, navigating the holidays and all the holiday food, may be a little more difficult. 

“During the holiday season if they are, again, eating more than they would normally eat or they are eating more fatty foods, it could trigger some of these symptoms,” said Chaudhuri. 

Foods high in fat, grease or sugar may be more of a trigger to some of that discomfort, especially for those just starting these medications. 

“When you start these medications, 20% of people can have these symptoms of some nausea or having some feeling of fullness in the stomach in the first two or three weeks.” 

This is why health professionals urge people using these medications to take caution before they dig in. 

“Take the cues from your body. If you’re starting to feel full stop eating,” Chaudhuri said. “If you’re eating something that has fat in it, maybe consume less of that.”

Urging people to limit things like carbohydrates and alcohol, but not having to cut them out completely.  

“It's more a question of figuring out what is the right amount of, what are the portions that give you the right amount of carbohydrates,” he said. 

Making portion control the key to happy holiday eating. 

“I think it is really portion control that they should focus on,” said Chaudhuri. “Rather than eating everything all at once, try and kind of divide it into smaller portions.”