Benon Mugumbya is opening up about an earlier chapter of his weight-loss journey — and how his experience with Ozempic ultimately pushed him toward changing his lifestyle.
The Ugandan creative says he began using Ozempic around 2019, years before the medication became a major part of mainstream weight-loss conversations. During a visit to the United States, he says he purchased three pens at about $800 each.
In a conversation with Cza, Benon said the medication helped him lose weight initially. But after he ran out of his supply, he says the weight came back — and he eventually became heavier than he had been before.
“It works, but when I ran out of the pens, my body revolted,” Benon said.
According to the Swangz Avenue boss, that experience changed how he viewed the role of Ozempic in his weight-loss efforts.
Benon said he now believes medication should not be treated as a complete solution to weight management. Instead, he argues that sustainable changes to diet and exercise were ultimately more important to his own journey.
“It’s a good tool, but it has to be used as a kickstarter for you to start going to the gym so that it becomes part of your lifestyle,” he said.
Benon has since moved away from Ozempic and adopted a more intentional approach to his diet and gym routine. He credits those lifestyle changes with helping him achieve better physical shape.
His experience also comes with an important caveat: Benon was describing his personal experience, rather than presenting Ozempic as a universal weight-loss treatment.
“I found out the hard way,” he said. “Above it all, the lifestyle has to change.”
For Benon, the biggest lesson from his Ozempic chapter appears to be that losing weight was only one part of the process. Maintaining those changes required a different relationship with food, exercise and everyday habits.