We speak to doctors, nutritionists, health coaches and people taking the medication to find out what the 2026 Ozempic diet really looks likeIllustration by THR India
Updated on: 21 Aug 2026, 9:13 am
Every generation has its diet fads. The 1930s had people eating half a grapefruit before meals, while the ’50s brought in cabbage soup and crash diets. The ’70s popularised the infamous wine-and-egg diet, and the 2010s swore by keto, paleo and gluten-free everything. Each promising the next miracle fix and finding its own set of devoted followers, including celebrities
Nutritionist Kinita Kadakia Patel, a metabolic reset and body transformation specialist who has worked with Bollywood actors such as Alia Bhatt, Ananya Panday and Riteish Deshmukh, as well as cricketers Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav, can attest to it.
“When I was working with Genelia [Deshmukh] for an upcoming movie of hers, we barely had any time to achieve our [weight] goal,” Patel says. “The challenge of delivering results while balancing holiday festivities with professional and social obligations on a tight schedule is real.”
When she trains cricketers like Pandya, her diet plans focus on his performance and revolve around his matches, while for actors like Bhatt, it’s all about maintaining energy levels during demanding shoot schedules, especially in the case of high-octane action sequences in films such as Alpha (2026).
But the latest diet craze isn’t another viral juice cleanse or meal plan. It’s a prescription.
Approved in 2017, Ozempic is an injectable semaglutide medication developed to treat type 2 diabetes and manage blood sugar. Its most famous side effect? Appetite suppression.
“I can walk into a party and [point out an] Ozempic face,” says Dr. Vishakha Shivdasani, a physician practising longevity and disease reversal. In celebrity circles, conversations have completely shifted from detoxes and fasting to GLP-1s (glucagon-like peptide-1), a class of medication that regulates appetite.
And as more people begin taking the drug, they’re not just changing what they’re eating — they’re changing how they’re eating.
The Hollywood Reporter India speaks to doctors, nutritionists, health coaches and people taking the medication to find out what the 2026 Ozempic diet really looks like. Hint: it involves a lot of protein.
While Ozempic has become the face of weight-loss drugs, it isn’t the only option. It is a semaglutide, while Mounjaro is tirzepatide. Both are weekly injections, but the two work differently.Getty Images
Kinita Kadakia Patel, Metabolic Reset And Body Transformation Specialist.Courtesy of the subject
Over the last two decades, Patel has seen the conversation around nutrition undergo a change. “Today, with the advent of GLP-1 therapies, the focus has shifted from simply eating less to eating smarter. My role has moved beyond calorie counting and weight management to preserving muscle mass, optimising nutrient density, supporting metabolic health and helping clients adopt sustainable lifestyle habits.”
Luke Coutinho, an integrative lifestyle expert who’s worked with celebrities such as Vidya Balan, Tamannaah Bhatia, Mahesh Babu and Shilpa Shetty, has noticed the same change. “Earlier, people simply wanted to reduce weight fast,” he says. Today, they’re asking him about fat loss, body composition, insulin resistance, hormones, gut health, inflammation, muscle preservation and long-term sustainability, though the pressure for quick visible transformation still exists
Ozempic or Mounjaro?
While Ozempic has become the face of weight-loss drugs, it isn’t the only option. It is a semaglutide, while Mounjaro is tirzepatide. Both are weekly injections, but the two work differently
What that means, Shivdasani says, is that “Ozempic works on a single pathway, just GLP, while Mounjaro and even Zepbound work on a dual pathway, that is GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) and GLP. Now, a newer one is coming, Retatrutide, which will work on a triple pathway; GLP, GIP and glucagon.”
For creator Shoumik Shetty, who publicly documented his experience with Mounjaro, the biggest benefit of GLP-1s is the silence. “The biggest opportunity that GLP-1s offer is the ability to be rid of all the food noise,” he says. The drug begins to take effect within hours of the injection, he says
But not everyone’s a fan. Coutinho doesn’t question the GLP medication itself, but he does ask, “While the scale is going down, are you protecting health? Fat loss and health gain are not always the same thing. We must ask what the body is losing, what it is preserving, and what it is building.”
Dr. Vishakha Shivdasani, a physician practising longevity and disease reversal.Courtesy of the subject
Shoumik Shetty, Creator.Courtesy of the subject
A 360° Approach
Patel’s biggest concern is the growing use of GLP-1 medications without genuine clinical indication or medical supervision. These aren’t over-the-counter weight-loss solutions, she says, but prescription medications that require structured prescribing and ongoing monitoring
Shetty, too, works with an endocrinologist, clinician, personal trainer and nutritionist. He believes the biggest mistake people make is relying on medication alone
“If I just plainly take my GLPs and continue to eat the same way, I’m not going to lose weight. Since I always feel satiated, I won’t eat much and so, there’s a good chance that I’ll be undereating, losing muscle, and any micronutrient deficiency will get progressively worse,” he says
Protein, supplements and strength training are non-negotiables too
Coutinho insists that eating less is not the same as eating well. In fact, nutrition becomes even more important on these medications because the body still needs adequate protein, fibre, micronutrients, hydration, gut support and strength training
It’s important to note that GLP-1 isn’t a shortcut. The goal, Patel says, isn’t simply to lose weight but to preserve muscle, protect metabolism and sustain results long after the medication is discontinued
Coutinho cautions, as he often does, that a diet isn’t only about calories, restriction, or something you ‘go on’ and ‘come off.’ The best plans are those that one can live with, not tolerate for a few weeks
“The exit plan matters as much as the transformation plan,” he says
Luke Coutinho, Integrative Lifestyle Expert.Courtesy of the subject
The Side Effects
Perhaps the most visible side effect is also the one that has become internet shorthand: the hollowed-out ‘Ozempic face’ and ‘Ozempic butt’. Shivdasani explains that this happens because buccal fat is among the first to disappear. While facial fat pads naturally diminish with age, rapid weight loss can accelerate the appearance of collagen loss and reduced bone density as subcutaneous fat disappears
For Shetty, though, much of the conversation around GLP drugs in India is still clouded by misinformation, stigma and a reluctance to discuss them openly
“But my take on it is that this is a drug of the future. In the West, they’re saying artificial intelligence is the biggest thing that’s going to shift us in the next five to 10 years. But I think it’s AI and GLP,” he says
It’s an interesting comparison. AI bots and GLP drugs entered the mainstream at roughly the same moment, and both have sparked the same underlying debate: Is reducing effort the same as cutting corners, or is it simply another tool that changes how we get there?
As Patel points out, the answer may be simpler than the debate suggests. When it comes to diet and nutrition, “the one rule that never changes is consistency over perfection.” Perhaps that is what sets this diet trend apart from those before it. The grapefruit, cabbage soup and juice cleanse focused on restriction. GLP-1s promise something different; they inherently change the relationship people have with food
However, the real measure of the Ozempic diet won’t be how quickly people lose weight, but whether they can build healthier habits that last
This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. GLP-1 medications should only be used under the guidance of a qualified healthcare professional
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