Semaglutide is one of the most studied weight loss medications available today. Body Works offers physician-supervised semaglutide therapy at our Franklin, TN and Nolensville, TN clinics for patients who want a medically guided path to sustainable weight loss, not a one-size-fits-all online prescription.
Our program is built around three commitments: lab-based candidacy screening before any prescription is written, weekly dose escalation paced to your tolerance, and ongoing medical monitoring throughout treatment. Patients across Williamson County, Davidson County, Brentwood, Cool Springs, and Spring Hill come to us because they want a real medical relationship behind their GLP-1 therapy.
This page walks through how semaglutide works, who qualifies, what the Body Works program includes, what realistic results look like, how we manage side effects, and what happens when you reach your goal weight.
Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. It mimics a natural gut hormone that signals satiety to your brain, slows gastric emptying, and reduces what patients describe as the constant background hum of food-related thoughts. The result is reduced appetite, smaller portion sizes, longer time between hunger cues, and steady fat loss without the muscle wasting common in crash diets.
In the landmark STEP 1 clinical trial, adults receiving 2.4 mg weekly semaglutide lost an average of 14.9% of their body weight over 68 weeks, compared with 2.4% in the placebo group (STEP 1 trial, New England Journal of Medicine, 2021). Subsequent real-world data has reproduced these outcomes outside of trial conditions.
Semaglutide is FDA-approved for chronic weight management in adults with obesity (BMI of 30 or greater) and adults with overweight (BMI of 27 or greater) who have at least one weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol (FDA semaglutide approval label).
Candidacy is determined by a Body Works physician or nurse practitioner after a comprehensive intake that includes medical history, current medications, weight history, and baseline labs. We screen for thyroid history, pancreatic issues, gallbladder disease, and family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN-2 syndrome, all of which are contraindications for GLP-1 therapy.
Candidacy criteria we apply at intake:
Patients with a BMI under 27 are not candidates for FDA-indicated semaglutide weight management. We also decline to start semaglutide for patients seeking purely cosmetic weight loss without a documented health basis.
A Body Works semaglutide program is a clinical relationship, not a single transaction. Every patient receives the same structured care path at both our Franklin and Nolensville locations.
Initial visit and labs. Comprehensive intake, weight history, body composition baseline, full lab panel, and physician-led candidacy review. Lab results return within 3 to 5 business days.
Personalized prescription. If you qualify, we write a starting dose of 0.25 mg weekly with a planned escalation schedule (0.25, then 0.5, then 1.0, then 1.7, then 2.4 mg) based on tolerance, side effect profile, and progress.
Weekly injections. Patients self-inject at home with our supplied teaching, or come into the clinic for in-person dose administration. Our medical staff teaches injection technique on the first dose so you leave the office confident.
Ongoing monitoring. Monthly check-ins for the first 90 days, then every 4 to 6 weeks once you stabilize. We track weight, body composition, side effects, lab markers, and your subjective hunger and satiety scores. Dose adjustments happen in the room with a clinician, never via a chat bot.
Maintenance planning. Once you reach your goal weight, we transition you to a maintenance protocol designed to preserve results long-term. This is the part most online-only programs ignore, and it is where lasting outcomes are won or lost.
Coordinated services. When clinically appropriate, your physician may pair semaglutide with testosterone replacement therapy, hormone therapy for women, or peptide therapy for muscle preservation and recovery. All under one roof at both locations.
Most patients begin to notice appetite suppression and reduced food cravings within the first 1 to 2 weeks at the starting dose. Visible weight loss typically begins around weeks 3 to 4 as the dose escalates and the medication reaches steady state.
Realistic timeline expectations:
Body composition matters more than the scale alone. We measure fat mass and lean mass at each milestone so you can see exactly what is being lost. The goal is fat loss, not muscle loss; our protocol is structured to protect lean tissue.
Most semaglutide side effects are gastrointestinal, mild, and resolve within 2 to 4 weeks of starting a new dose. The most common are nausea, mild stomach pain, constipation, fatigue during week one, and occasionally heartburn. A pivotal safety analysis of the STEP trials found that the overall safety profile is well-characterized and serious adverse events are rare (Wilding et al., New England Journal of Medicine, 2021).
How Body Works manages side effects:
Severe side effects, including symptoms of pancreatitis (severe abdominal pain), gallbladder disease, vision changes, or severe vomiting, require immediate clinical contact. Every Body Works patient gets a direct line to our medical team for symptoms that need same-day attention.
Discontinuing semaglutide without a maintenance plan is the leading cause of weight regain. Multiple studies show that without continued therapy or behavioral structure, patients typically regain two-thirds of lost weight within a year.
The Body Works approach to stopping:
We do not push patients to stop therapy on a fixed timeline. The right duration is the duration that keeps you healthy.
Tennessee patients have many options for GLP-1 therapy, including online-only providers and big-box wellness chains. Here is what is different about a Body Works program:
We are a Tennessee medical practice answering to Tennessee patients, not a venture-backed app team optimizing for monthly active users.
Learn more about our broader weight management options on our medical weight loss services page, or browse evidence-based articles on GLP-1 therapy on our blog.
Your first consultation at Body Works is free. We will sit down, review your goals, look at your medical history, and tell you honestly whether semaglutide therapy fits your situation. If it does, you can begin labs the same day.
Schedule a Free Consultation at our Franklin or Nolensville location and let us help you decide if this is the right next step.
Or call (615) 790-2548 for our Franklin clinic and (615) 941-1000 for our Nolensville clinic.
Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist, a class of medications originally developed for type 2 diabetes that demonstrated significant weight loss effects in clinical trials. Unlike older weight loss drugs that target the central nervous system, semaglutide works through gut-brain signaling. It reduces appetite, slows digestion, and lowers food cravings without the stimulant side effects of older medications.
Body Works prescribes it as part of a complete physician-supervised program, never as a stand-alone prescription. Schedule a Free Consultation at our Franklin or Nolensville clinic to learn more.
The biggest difference is the medical relationship. Online services typically operate on a one-size-fits-all questionnaire, asynchronous chat, and a mailed prescription. Body Works requires in-person intake, real bloodwork, physician-led candidacy review, and ongoing monitoring with the same medical team across your entire treatment.
If something goes wrong, you have a clinic to walk into, not a help desk to email. Patients across Franklin, Nolensville, Brentwood, and Cool Springs come to us specifically because they want that level of accountability.
No referral is required. You can call either clinic or book a free consultation directly. We will collect your medical history, run baseline labs, and have a physician determine whether semaglutide is appropriate for your situation.
Semaglutide is a once-weekly subcutaneous injection. Patients learn injection technique during their first dose at the clinic and self-administer at home thereafter, typically into the abdomen, upper thigh, or back of the upper arm. We rotate injection sites week to week to prevent skin irritation.
Patients who prefer in-clinic administration can come into either Franklin or Nolensville every week instead.
Brand-name semaglutide is manufactured under FDA-regulated supply chains. Compounded semaglutide is custom-prepared by a state-licensed compounding pharmacy, typically when there is a documented FDA shortage.
Body Works prioritizes brand-name semaglutide and only sources compounded preparations from 503A or 503B pharmacies that meet strict quality, sterility, and chain-of-custody standards. We never source from gray-market suppliers, online resellers, or international pharmacies.
It can, especially without a maintenance plan. Studies of GLP-1 discontinuation show that without continued therapy or behavioral structure, most patients regain two-thirds of lost weight within a year.
This is why the Body Works program builds in maintenance dosing, ongoing monitoring, and behavioral scaffolding from the start. Many patients stay on a lower maintenance dose long-term as a chronic disease management tool, similar to medications for blood pressure or cholesterol.
Yes, and recent research suggests it may produce greater results when paired with hormone therapy. A 2026 study published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women’s Health found that combining GLP-1 therapy with HRT produced greater mean weight loss than GLP-1 alone in this patient population.
Body Works runs both programs at our Franklin and Nolensville locations and frequently coordinates the two for women in midlife.
After your free consultation, baseline labs typically return within 3 to 5 business days. Once your physician reviews your results and clears candidacy, your first dose can usually be administered within the same week. Most new patients are injecting their first dose within 7 to 10 days of their initial visit.
Low energy, foggy thinking, and diminished strength are common signs of low testosterone. Our TRT program restores energy, rebuilds strength, and sharpens mental clarity.
Custom IV blends to hydrate, energize, and support your immune system by delivering essential nutrients directly into your bloodstream.
Personalized hormone therapy to address fatigue, mood shifts, and metabolic slowdown. Frequently paired with semaglutide for women in perimenopause and menopause.
Peptides support muscle preservation, recovery, and metabolic resilience. A natural pairing with GLP-1 weight loss for body recomposition.
Botox, dermal fillers, and aesthetic treatments to enhance your refreshed look as your weight loss journey progresses.
