I Gained 5 Pounds on Thanksgiving Last Year Despite Taking GLP-1 Medication (And Why You Should Not Panic This Year)

Understanding GLP-1 Medications and How They Work

For anyone unfamiliar with these medications, GLP-1 receptor agonists have become incredibly popular for weight management over the past few years. Medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound work by mimicking a hormone your body naturally produces. This hormone does several important things: it tells your brain you are full, it slows down how quickly food leaves your stomach, and it helps regulate your blood sugar levels.

Before Thanksgiving, I had been taking my GLP-1 medication for six months with remarkable results. My portions had shrunk naturally. The constant food thoughts that used to dominate my day had quieted down. I had lost steady weight each week, and for the first time in years, I felt like I had found something that actually worked with my body instead of against it.

I walked into Thanksgiving week feeling confident, perhaps overconfident. I told my family that this year would be different. I genuinely believed my medication would act like a shield against the holiday food onslaught. I had read the studies. I understood the science. What could possibly go wrong?

The Thanksgiving Day Reality Check

The Appetizer Ambush

Thanksgiving at my family’s house starts early, and so does the eating. By 3 PM, the kitchen island was covered with what my aunt calls “little bites” but what any reasonable person would recognize as a full meal. Cheese cubes, crackers, spinach artichoke dip, stuffed mushrooms, bacon-wrapped dates, and a charcuterie board that could have fed a small village.

I started with good intentions. One small plate, I told myself. Just enough to be social. Twenty minutes later, I looked down at what can only be described as Appetizer Plate Number Three, and I realized the medication that had been so reliable for months was no match for food that had been prepared with love, butter, and complete disregard for calorie counts.

The interesting thing was that I did feel full. My stomach was sending all the right signals. But my brain had apparently decided that Thanksgiving operated under different rules than regular Thursday dinners.

The Main Event

Dinner was served at 5 PM, which gave me exactly two hours to convince myself I had room for a full meal despite the appetizer situation. My family does Thanksgiving in the traditional style: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, cranberry sauce, rolls, and at least three dishes I cannot even remember because the table was so crowded.

On a normal day, my GLP-1 medication acts like a very polite but firm maitre d’ at an exclusive restaurant. Halfway through a meal, I get a clear message that I am satisfied and should probably stop eating. The signal is gentle but unmistakable.

On Thanksgiving, that signal showed up right on schedule. I ignored it completely.

My grandmother had made her famous mashed potatoes with what I suspect is an entire stick of butter per potato. My aunt had brought her sweet potato casserole, which is less a vegetable dish and more a dessert pretending to be a side. The stuffing had sausage in it. The green bean casserole had those crispy onions on top. Even the cranberry sauce, which I normally skip, seemed essential to the full experience.

I went back for seconds. Oh my dear friends, I am not proud, but I am honest: I went back for thirds on the mashed potatoes.

The Dessert Decision

By 7 PM, I was uncomfortably full in a way I had not experienced since starting my medication. My stomach felt like I had swallowed a basketball. Every rational part of my brain was screaming that dessert was unnecessary, inadvisable, and possibly dangerous.

But this was Thanksgiving. The dessert table had six different options. My grandmother had made her pecan pie, which she only makes twice a year. My aunt had brought her pumpkin cheesecake that everyone talks about until the next Thanksgiving. There was apple pie, chocolate cream pie, and something called a “turtle brownie trifle” that I am still not entirely sure how to categorize.

I ate dessert. I ate multiple desserts. I added whipped cream to things that already had whipped cream. I made choices that future me would have to deal with, and present me decided that was future me’s problem.

The Morning After: When the Scale Tells the Truth

Waking up the morning after Thanksgiving felt like emerging from a food coma into harsh reality. My rings were tight. My face felt puffy. Even my shoes felt snug, which seemed biologically improbable but was nevertheless true.

The scale delivered its verdict with no mercy: five pounds heavier than Thanksgiving morning.

Five pounds. In less than 48 hours.

I went through the classic stages of scale grief. First, denial: clearly the scale was broken, or I needed new batteries, or the floor was uneven. Second, anger: how dare this inanimate object judge my life choices. Third, bargaining: maybe if I weighed myself without my wedding ring, the number would be different. Fourth, depression: I had ruined six months of progress in one day. Fifth, acceptance: I probably needed to understand what had actually happened to my body.

The Science Behind Thanksgiving Weight Gain

After my initial panic subsided, I did what any reasonable person would do and started researching. What I learned made me feel significantly better about the situation.

That five pound gain was not five pounds of actual fat. It would be physiologically impossible to gain five pounds of real body fat in two days. To do that, I would have needed to consume approximately 17,500 calories beyond what my body burns. Even my enthusiastic Thanksgiving eating had not reached those levels.

What I had gained was mostly water weight, and here is why: Thanksgiving food is typically very high in sodium and carbohydrates. When you eat more salt than usual, your body retains water to maintain proper sodium balance. When you eat more carbohydrates than usual, your body stores them as glycogen, and glycogen holds onto water. For every gram of carbohydrate stored, your body holds about three grams of water.

So that five pound gain represented temporary water retention, some extra food still being digested, and probably a small amount of actual weight gain. But the majority would disappear within a few days as my body processed everything and returned to normal.

Why GLP-1 Medications Are Not Foolproof

One of the hardest lessons from my Thanksgiving experience was accepting that GLP-1 medications are powerful tools, but they are not magic. They work incredibly well for daily appetite management and reducing food cravings. They help you feel satisfied with smaller portions. They make it easier to make healthy choices most of the time.

But they do not rewire your brain to resist special occasions. They do not eliminate emotional eating. They do not make you immune to family pressure or the genuine pleasure of sharing a holiday meal with people you love.

The medication was still working. I did feel full. But I made conscious choices to keep eating anyway because it was Thanksgiving, because the food was special, and because I decided that one day of celebration was worth it. That is not a medication failure. That is being human.

How to Recover After Holiday Eating on GLP-1

If you are reading this because you searched for “weight gain after Thanksgiving on Ozempic” or “why did I gain weight on Mounjaro after the holidays,” let me reassure you: you are completely normal, and you have not ruined anything.

Here is how to get back on track:

Increase Your Water Intake Dramatically

This sounds counterintuitive when you are already retaining water, but drinking more water actually helps your body release the excess it is holding. I aimed for 10 to 12 glasses per day for the next week. Plain water is best, but herbal tea and sparkling water count too.

Return to Your Normal Eating Pattern Immediately

The biggest mistake people make after overeating is trying to “make up for it” by restricting food or skipping meals. This usually backfires. Instead, go right back to eating the way you were before Thanksgiving. Let your medication do its job. Trust the process that was working before the holiday.

Add Gentle Movement

I am not talking about punishing yourself with intense workouts. A 20 to 30 minute walk after meals helps with digestion and can reduce bloating. Some light stretching or yoga can help too. The goal is to feel better, not to burn off every Thanksgiving calorie.

Give It Time and Trust the Process

Within three days, I was down three pounds. Within a week, I was back to my pre-Thanksgiving weight. By the time the first week of December rolled around, I had resumed losing weight at my normal pace. The Thanksgiving spike was a temporary blip, nothing more.

Practice Self-Compassion

This might be the most important step. One day of eating differently does not erase months of progress. Your body is not a bank account where one withdrawal ruins everything. Weight loss is not a straight line. Holidays are part of life, and learning to navigate them without guilt or shame is actually an important skill.

Looking Forward: Preparing for the Rest of the Holiday Season

Thanksgiving taught me valuable lessons about managing expectations and being realistic about what medication can and cannot do. As we move through the rest of the holiday season, here is my plan:

I will continue taking my GLP-1 medication as prescribed. I will make healthy choices most of the time. I will probably eat more than usual at Christmas dinner, and I will not panic about temporary water weight gain afterward. I will drink plenty of water. I will keep moving. And I will remember that weight loss is measured in months and years, not in individual days.

The holidays come every year. Learning to enjoy them without derailing your health journey is possible. GLP-1 medications make it easier, but they work best when combined with realistic expectations and self-kindness.

Final Thoughts for Fellow GLP-1 Users

If you are living in fear for the holiday season this year or gaining weight over Thanksgiving, you are in good company. You might eat more than you are planning. Welcome to being human. If you are worried that one holiday meal is going to ruin everything, let me assure you it will not.

These medications are powerful allies in weight management, but they work best when we treat ourselves with the same compassion we would offer a friend. Progress is not perfection. Success is not never having setbacks. Success is getting back on track after holidays, celebrations, and the occasional five pound Thanksgiving surprise.

You will survive Thanksgiving. Your medication is still working. Your progress is still real. And yes, there will be more opportunities to overeat before the new year arrives. That is okay. You know how to handle it now.

Just maybe go a little easier on the sweet potato casserole at Christmas. Love your Journey!