A woman took Ozempic after struggling to lose weight gained during the pandemic. She lost 21 pounds — and her junk food cravings.

• Mary Frances McCullar wanted to lose the weight she gained during the COVID pandemic.
• Despite exercising and counting macros, she was struggling to shift the pounds.

Mary Frances McCullar was already 10 to 15 pounds heavier than she wanted to be when she put on 25 pounds in March 2020 during the COVID pandemic.

"All of the changes in my normal life led to stress, less exercise, and weight gain," McCullar, a 49-year-old content creator and online boutique owner in Nashville, Tennessee, told Insider. The stress of the pandemic "really took a toll on my activity and health," she said.

And despite tracking her macros and working with a trainer, McCullar struggled to lose weight, she said.

So she decided to give the buzzy new weight loss drug semaglutide a go.

Ozempic has become the byword for the once-weekly shot despite the fact semaglutide is sold as Wegovy for weight loss and Ozempic for diabetes. The drug causes weight loss by suppressing a person's appetite, and has become so popular that there have been shortages.

Unlike some people drawn to the drug, McCullar wasn't troubled by "food chatter" or binge-eating tendencies. But after struggling to lose weight, she contacted a nurse practitioner about taking a compounded version of semaglutide (which doctors say can be risky). After a phone call and some blood work, she started the medication on January 4 2023.

The results have been amazing, said McCullar, who lost 21 pounds in her first 10 weeks on semaglutide.

McCullar's desire to drink disappeared on semaglutide

McCullar noticed the effects kicking in two days after she took her first dose when she realized at 3 p.m. that all she'd had was a coffee.

"My stomach hadn't grumbled, I hadn't thought about eating," McCullar said.

The effects started wearing off after a few days, so her nurse upped the dose until the effects were week-long.

After about three weeks, McCullar was at the point where she just wanted a few bites of food. "It's not like 'Christmas dinner full,' but it's where I'd be uncomfortable if I had another bite," she said.

McCullar, who goes by The Nashville Blonde online, also found her desire to drink completely evaporated. She used to enjoy a margarita or a glass of wine now and again, she said, but now finds they taste "blah."

"I never ever even think about having a glass of wine or a cocktail, and prior to semaglutide, I would have wine two to three nights a week, if only a glass," she said.

When McCullar goes out with her friends, she'll have one drink and sip on it all night or leave half a cocktail in the glass, she said.

McCullar said she can afford semaglutide because she spends less money on food

When eating out, McCullar often only orders appetizers because main courses are too big for her to finish now, she said. And while she used to go to Chick-Fil-A twice a week, she doesn't anymore because she doesn't crave it as much and prefers to eat more nutritious foods.

"I still enjoy food, but just a little bit of it, not a lot," she said.

While eating less, she aims to keep her protein intake up to preserve her muscle mass and not eat too many carbs.

"Because you're eating less food, the food you do eat, you make more conscious decisions, you eat better," McCullar said. "I'm not going to go and eat a load of ice cream for my calories for the day."

Spending less money on food and drink has in turn helped McCullar save money, which she nowspends on semaglutide, at $350 for five doses.

Semaglutide side effects included mild nausea and constipation

Like many people on semaglutide, McCullar has suffered with mild nausea and constipation, but found herbal tea helps. Other side effects include headaches, bloating, and diarrhea.

"I want to be a healthy person, and so whatever it takes for me to be healthy, I'm willing to do it," she said.

McCullar said she has been going to the gym more since losing weight because she feels more confident in her body and her joints feel better.

McCullar would like to lose 30 more pounds and then stop taking semaglutide to see how her body feels. If she needs to, she might take a maintenance dose, she said.