Cobalt-porphyrin (Co-P) complexes for use as anti-obesity agents, and compositions and methods related thereto. The Co-P complexes exhibit reduced redox activity compared to cobalt mesoporphyrin (Co-MP) and cobalt protoporphyrin (Co-PP), which alleviates the deleterious effects associated with administration of Co-P associated with oxidative stress, particularly in the context of injection site toxicity.