Zaidy’s owner, weight loss doctor introduce product to combat ‘Ozempic face’

Low energy. “Ozempic face.” Feeling like a deflated balloon.

They can be the downsides for people on GLP-1s, the increasingly popular drugs that go by the names Ozemic, Wegovy and Mounjaro.

But Joel Appel and Dr. Michael Snyder say that can be addressed through proper nutrition, which can fall by the wayside when the drugs cause those taking them to consume fewer calories.

Appel, the co-founder of OxiClean and owner of local staple Zaidy’s Deli & Bakery, and Snyder, a doctor who started and runs the Denver Center for Weight Loss and Bariatric Surgery, say the best way to maintain that nutrition is with Rock the Shot, their new powdered supplement.

“The dream would be that everybody eats broccoli and salmon and that’s all you eat. But that’s not America,” Appel said.

“So let’s give them something delicious, because I make an icy shake of this every morning and I look forward to it,” he continued, noting that he likes his shake with banana and peanut butter.

After starting Ozempic, users can see a drop of up to 1,000 calories from their average consumption, Snyder said. That can lead to drastic muscle loss, which is what causes the dreaded gaunt, sagging Ozempic face along with lasting metabolic issues.

Each serving of the protein powder-like Rock the Shot product is 130 calories and has 20 grams of protein to support muscle and metabolic health, 5 grams of collagen for hair and skin and 5 grams of fiber for the gut and microbiome. It also contains several micronutrients to help round out the diet.

Snyder said one in seven Americans is already on a GLP-1, and he thinks the number will be closer to one in four in the coming years. He and Appel said their product, which is meant to be a supplement and not a meal replacement, is the only one on the market specifically designed for users of the drugs.

“If someone comes to me for a GLP-1, I’m happy to write (the prescription),” Snyder said. “But I won’t write it without proper guidance, like dietitian support, real nutritional guidance and proper supplementation.”

This isn’t the first time Snyder has seen issues like this play out with game-changing weight loss treatments. Before this century, operations such as gastric bypass were performed in a vacuum without follow-up or nutritional and exercise guidance, he said. But that changed in the 2000s, when post-op care became more encompassing after rearranging patients’ internal organs.

He doesn’t want his field to repeat past mistakes.

“My heart sinks when I hear, ‘I feel so good. I’m losing weight. I had yogurt and a salad yesterday,’” Snyder said. “What about that is going to give you what you need to be vibrant and healthy? It’s not going to turn out well in the long term.”

Rock the Shot is available through its website and on Amazon for $40 a pop in two flavors: chocolate and vanilla. Each has 15 servings in it, and since going online in December, a couple thousand jugs have sold, Appel said, mostly to friends and family without any marketing efforts.

Snyder, who is a nationally known weight loss expert, has also gotten tubs into the hands of a dozen doctors. When they prescribe a GLP-1, the hope is that they suggest Rock the Shot as part of a comprehensive care package. He does it already at his office in Denver’s Hale neighborhood.

“You have to be refereed and supported, because otherwise the doctors are just writing scripts when people come into their offices as if they’re writing cholesterol meds,” Snyder said. “And they don’t work that way, do they? They require very careful supervision.”

Appel added: “This is a low-stakes endeavor, getting the supplement into their practice and giving access to their patients. And they can make some revenue off it, which is often quite helpful,” he said, indicating that providers will get a cut of sales.

The pair met 30 years ago through their children’ youth soccer team and have been friends since. They previously created a weight-loss bar that they recently stopped selling after 15 years. Appel said they had success with the product, which was meant to simulate bariatric surgery by taking up more room in the stomach than the typical bar. But the formula was heavy on carbs, which led to it losing popularity.