BMI & GLP-1 Eligibility Checker
So you’ve been hearing about these GLP-1 medications. Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro. Maybe from your doctor, maybe from that one coworker who won’t stop talking about it. Fair enough. Put in your numbers below and we’ll tell you, in about thirty seconds, whether you might be a candidate. We won’t ask for your email. We’re not those people.
Select any conditions that currently apply to you:
What Are GLP-1 Medications?
Let’s start with what’s already happening inside you. After you eat a meal, your gut releases a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1. GLP-1, for short. This hormone does a few useful things: it tells your brain, “Hey, we’re good, we’ve eaten,” it keeps your blood sugar in check, and it slows down how fast food leaves your stomach. A pretty good system, actually. Your body came up with it on its own.
Now. GLP-1 medications take that same idea and turn it way up. They were originally made for people with type 2 diabetes, which makes sense, since the hormone helps regulate blood sugar. But then something interesting happened. Patients started losing weight. Not a little weight. A lot of weight. Enough weight that researchers said, “Huh. We should probably study that.” And they did.
What these drugs do, basically, is flood your system with a synthetic version of that hormone at levels your body would never produce on its own. The result: your appetite drops, your cravings quiet down, you feel full for longer after meals, and your blood sugar behaves itself. For a lot of people, this combination adds up to the kind of weight loss they’d been trying to get for years through willpower alone. Which, as many of us know, has its limits.
The names you’ve probably seen are semaglutide (that’s Ozempic and Wegovy, same drug, different labels) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro and Zepbound). Tirzepatide is a bit of an overachiever. It targets two hormones instead of one, GIP and GLP-1, which might explain why it tends to produce slightly better numbers in clinical trials. But both are real, and both work.
Who Qualifies for GLP-1 Weight Loss Treatment?
Here’s where it gets practical. The rules for who can get these medications are, thankfully, not that complicated. There are basically two doors in:
BMI of 30 or Higher
If your BMI is 30 or above, that’s the obese category, and you generally qualify. No extra conditions needed. Just you and your number.
BMI of 27+ With a Health Condition
BMI between 27 and 29.9? You can still get in, but you need a plus-one: a weight-related condition like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or sleep apnea.
Now, these are the general guidelines. Your doctor, being your doctor, will also want to look at the bigger picture. What have you tried before? What runs in your family? What meds are you already on? What do you actually want out of this? All fair questions. And worth mentioning: insurance companies sometimes have their own ideas about who qualifies, which may or may not line up with what the clinical guidelines say. Such is the world we live in.
How Is BMI Calculated?
BMI. Body Mass Index. It’s a number. It takes two things you know about yourself, your height and your weight, and squishes them together into a single figure that doctors then use to make decisions about you. Is it a perfect system? No. It can’t tell the difference between a person who deadlifts four hundred pounds and a person who has never seen the inside of a gym. But it’s the system we’ve got, and it’s the one your doctor will use when deciding whether to write you a prescription.
Let’s say you’re 5’8″ and 200 pounds. That gives you a BMI of about 30.4, which places you, just barely, into the obese category. A word that carries a lot of weight (no pun intended, or maybe a little intended). Here are the categories:
| BMI Range | Category |
|---|---|
| Below 18.5 | Underweight |
| 18.5 to 24.9 | Normal weight |
| 25.0 to 29.9 | Overweight |
| 30.0 to 34.9 | Obese (Class I) |
| 35.0 to 39.9 | Obese (Class II) |
| 40.0 and above | Obese (Class III) |
The thing to remember is that this number is a starting point, not the whole story. A bodybuilder might register as obese. A thin person might be carrying dangerous amounts of fat around their organs and come back “normal.” Bodies are weird and complicated and don’t always cooperate with formulas. Your doctor knows this. That’s why they’ll look at BMI alongside everything else they know about you before making any calls.
How Much Weight Can You Lose on GLP-1 Medications?
Okay, so, the numbers. People always want the numbers. And honestly? The numbers are worth wanting.
In the STEP trials, people taking semaglutide 2.4 mg (Wegovy) lost, on average, 15 to 17% of their body weight over about sixteen months. If you weigh 250 pounds, that’s roughly 37 to 42 pounds. Not nothing. Not nothing at all.
Tirzepatide (Zepbound) went further. In the SURMOUNT-1 trial, people on the highest dose lost an average of 22.5% of their body weight over 72 weeks. More than a third of them lost over 25%. To put that in perspective: those are numbers that, until recently, you only saw after someone had surgery. And these people were getting a weekly injection.
Now, before you start planning your new wardrobe. Everyone is different. Your results will depend on your dose, what you eat, how much you move, how consistent you are, and about a thousand other things your body decides on its own. These medications are a tool. A very good tool. But they work best when you also do the other stuff: eat better, move more, check in with your doctor regularly. They’re not a magic wand. (Though, if we’re being honest, they’re closer to a magic wand than most things that have come before them.)
Frequently Asked Questions
The short version: BMI of 30 or higher, you’re in. BMI of 27 to 29.9, you can still get in, but you need a weight-related health condition riding along with you. Think type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea. Your doctor makes the final call.
Ozempic and Wegovy are the same drug, semaglutide, wearing different name tags. Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes. Wegovy is approved for weight loss. Same with tirzepatide: Mounjaro is the diabetes version, Zepbound is the weight loss version. Tirzepatide targets two hormones instead of one, which may be why it tends to show slightly better weight loss numbers. But both drugs are real, and both work.
If your BMI is between 27 and 29.9, having one of these conditions can get you through the door: type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, heart disease. Some providers also count PCOS. Your doctor will look at your specific situation and decide what applies.
It is not. This is a calculator on the internet. A useful one, we think, but still: a calculator on the internet. Only a real, licensed healthcare provider can look at your full medical history, your current medications, your goals, your life, and tell you whether GLP-1 medication is right for you. Think of this as the first question in a longer conversation.
In clinical trials, people on Wegovy lost 15 to 17% of their body weight over about sixteen months. Zepbound at the highest dose showed averages up to 22.5% over 72 weeks. Those are averages, though. Some people lose more. Some less. It depends on your dose, your habits, your body, and how consistent you are with the whole program. The medication helps a lot. It’s not the only variable.
Stomach stuff, mostly. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain. These tend to show up in the first few weeks as your body figures out what’s going on, then they usually ease up. More serious but rare side effects include pancreatitis, gallbladder problems, and kidney issues. Your doctor will monitor things and adjust your dose if you’re having a rough time.
The honest answer is: maybe. A lot of plans cover them for type 2 diabetes without much fuss. Coverage for weight loss alone is more of a mixed bag. Some insurers want prior authorization. Some want proof you’ve tried other things first. Some just don’t cover it. Your provider’s office can usually help you figure out where your plan stands and whether there are manufacturer discount programs that can help with the cost.