Pentacyclic triterpene weight loss agents are provided herein. Also provided are pharmaceutical formulations containing a therapeutically effective amount of one or more of the weight loss agents, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts or prodrugs thereof, in combination with one or more pharmaceutically acceptable excipients. The pharmaceutical formulations can be administered to a pre-obese, obese, or morbidly obese patient to induce weight loss, reduce body fat, reduce food intake, improve glucose homeostasis, prevent obesity, or a combination thereof. The weight loss agents can also be co-administered with leptin or a leptin analog.