Obesity is a major public health issue. Worldwide, nearly 40% of adults are overweight and 13% are obese.^[1] Health consequences of excess weight include cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, sleep apnea and increased mortality.^[2] Treating obesity is challenging and calorie restriction often leads to rebound weight gain. Treatments such as bariatric surgery create hesitancy among patients due to their invasiveness. GLP-1 medications are approved for weight loss by the Food and Drug Administration. These incretin drugs have revolutionized weight loss and can reduce body weight from baseline in obese patients by between 15% and 25% on average after about 1 year. Their mode of action is to mimic the endogenous GLP-1, an intestinal hormone that regulates glucose metabolism, insulin secretion and satiety. However, GLP-1 drugs carry known risks and, since their use for weight loss is recent, may carry unforeseen risks as well. They carry a boxed warning for people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. Gastrointestinal adverse events (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea) are fairly common while pancreatitis and intestinal obstruction are rarer. There may be a loss of lean body mass as well as premature facial aging. Expense is also a consideration, especially with long-term use. A significant disadvantage of using these medications is the high rate of weight regain when they are discontinued. Achieving success with pharmacologic treatment and then weaning to avoid future negative effects would be ideal. Lifestyle changes involving increased physical activity and dietary modifications are important aspects of weight reduction and weight maintenance success.