Am I a GLP-1 Super Responder?
Find out whether your weight loss on a GLP-1 medication is poor, typical or super for your drug, your dose and how long you have been taking it. At about one year on a full dose of Zepbound or Wegovy, losing more than 30% of your starting weight makes you a super responder, and losing less than 10% is a poor response.
Created by Dr. Matthew Weiner, bariatric surgeon with 20+ years of experience, from FDA labels and clinical trial data.
What counts as a poor, typical or super response?
These are the cutoffs at about one year on treatment, as a percent of your starting weight. A result between the two numbers (including the numbers themselves) is a typical response.
| Medication | Dose | Poor response | Super response |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semaglutide injection (Wegovy, Ozempic) | Up to 1 mg (0.25, 0.5, 1 mg) | Less than 5% | More than 25% |
| Semaglutide injection (Wegovy) | Over 1 mg up to 2.4 mg (1.7, 2.4 mg) | Less than 10% | More than 30% |
| Semaglutide injection (Wegovy) | Over 2.4 mg up to 7.2 mg | Less than 10% | More than 30% |
| Tirzepatide (Zepbound, Mounjaro) | Up to 5 mg (2.5, 5 mg) | Less than 5% | More than 25% |
| Tirzepatide (Zepbound, Mounjaro) | Over 5 mg up to 10 mg (7.5, 10 mg) | Less than 10% | More than 30% |
| Tirzepatide (Zepbound, Mounjaro) | Over 10 mg up to 15 mg (12.5, 15 mg) | Less than 10% | More than 30% |
| Wegovy pill (oral semaglutide) | Any strength (1.5 to 25 mg) | Less than 10% | More than 25% |
| Foundayo (orforglipron) | Any strength (0.8 to 17.2 mg) | Less than 10% | More than 25% |
Losing less than 5% of your starting weight in a year is called a non-responder result. Before a year, the check lowers every number in this table to match how far along you are.
How does the check work?
First, the check works out how much of your starting weight you have lost, as a percent. Then it compares that number with what people on your medicine and dose lost in the clinical trials.
Weight comes off slowly over the first year. So if you have been on your medicine for less than a year, the check compares you with where most people are at your point in time, not with where they end up. For example, 6 months into a full dose of Zepbound, most people have lost about two thirds of what they will lose that year. Your result tells you if you are on track and when to check again. If you have been on it for less than 4 weeks, it is too early to tell.
Diabetes, age, height and your highest weight do not change the numbers the check uses. But people with diabetes usually lose less weight on these medicines, and the higher the A1c, the less they tend to lose, so your result says so when it applies.
Want the full picture? Compare medications on our GLP-1 medication program page, or estimate future loss with the GLP-1 weight loss calculator. If your response is lower than you hoped, book an appointment to talk through your options.
Common questions
What is a GLP-1 super responder?
A super responder loses a lot more weight than most people on the same medicine and dose. On Zepbound, Mounjaro, Wegovy or Ozempic at the usual doses, that means losing more than 30% of your starting weight in about a year. On the Wegovy pill or Foundayo, it means more than 25%.
How much weight loss on a GLP-1 is normal?
After about a year on a full dose of Zepbound, Mounjaro, Wegovy or Ozempic, most people lose 10% to 30% of their starting weight. On a low dose, 5% to 25% is normal. On the Wegovy pill or Foundayo, 10% to 25% is normal.
What counts as a poor response or a non-responder?
Losing less than 10% of your starting weight in a year on a full dose is a poor response. On a low dose, it is less than 5%. If you lose less than 5% in a year on any dose, this check calls that a non-responder result. Before a year, the check lowers that line to match how far along you are, the same way it lowers the other numbers.
I have only been on a GLP-1 for a few months. Can I still check?
Yes, once you have been on it for 4 weeks. Weight comes off slowly over the first year, so the check compares you with where most people are at your point in time. For example, 6 months into a full dose of Zepbound, most people have lost about two thirds of what they will lose that year. Before one year, the result tells you if you are on track. At one year, it gives you your full result.
Does diabetes change the result?
The numbers used for the check stay the same. But people with diabetes usually lose less weight on these medicines, and the higher the A1c, the less they tend to lose. The check counts an A1c of 6.5% or higher as diabetes, and your result says so when it applies.
Sources
- Zepbound (tirzepatide) prescribing information
- FDA clinical review, NDA 217806 (Zepbound)
- Tirzepatide as compared with semaglutide for the treatment of obesity
- Wegovy (semaglutide injection and tablets) prescribing information
- STEP UP trial (semaglutide 7.2 mg), posted results
- FDA clinical review, NDA 218316 (Wegovy tablets)
- Foundayo (orforglipron) prescribing information
- Lilly Medical: Foundayo dose equivalents
For developers and AI agents
The same check is available as a free JSON endpoint at https://poundofcureweightloss.com/tools/glp1-super-responder.json. Attribution is a condition of use; see the API terms.
This is an automated check. Other things this check doesn't consider can affect your weight loss, so talk with your physician about your results. It is for education only and is not medical advice.