Obesity Drugs – Are They the Answer?
It would be nearly impossible to find even one woman in our Sixty and Me community who hasn’t at some point disliked her body or called herself fat. This criticism and self-loathing is the direct result of a continuous deluge of impossible images of perfection put forth by the fashion and dieting industries. It has been a part of our history, going as far back as 400BC in Ancient Egypt.
With access to many forms of media, including audio and video broadcast, print, and a multitude of social media platforms, it’s hard to escape messages about weight loss and dieting. Despite all this, there are more overweight women in the world than ever before.
Why Is This Happening?
I don’t think women are soft, or too lazy to do the work of staying well. After all, how many of us constantly manage our own lives and that of the previous and next generations while also serving our neighbors and community? Women are powerful and productive. But we are given the wrong messages when it comes to our bodies. The focus is entirely on weight, when it should be on self-care, genuinely healthy foods and making the concept of home cooking both possible and attractive.
How many commercial diets can you name? Atkins, Weight Watchers, South Beach, Gluten Free, Keto, Paleo and Zone are just a few. Studies show 85% of diets fail, and ultimately cause women to weigh more after they diet than before. Are you getting the picture? With few exceptions, diets do not work.
Diets Don’t Work, So Now What?
So now we have a new magic bullet that is spreading like wildfire. You guessed it, the obesity drugs. There are several on the market and all have moved the economic needle for the companies and countries in which they are manufactured. But will they help women?
Studies show obesity drugs need to be taken long-term, otherwise you regain the weight you lost. They hold the food you eat longer in your stomach, making you feel full faster. This may seem like a good idea, but common side effects include nausea and vomiting. The process of peristalsis, of moving food and liquid through your digestive system, is interrupted.
Possible side effects include pancreatitis, changes in vision, low blood sugar, and kidney and gallbladder problems. Recent findings show a surge in blood sugar when coming off the drugs. These are potentially serious side effects. Once on the drug, if the choices are to remain on them indefinitely or to get off them and regain the weight you lost, what is the point?
Overlooking the Real Issue
As a health coach for women over 50, it saddens me that many women will put themselves through this experience. If you listen carefully to the messaging, it is singularly focused on weight. There is no mention of food or nutrition, which should be the real goal. Women who struggle with weight and obesity are actually struggling with malnutrition.
They are eating foods with few if any nutrients, triggering appetite as the brain recognizes that lack of nutrients and calls for more food. Women who are overweight need help that leads to a lasting solution, not a drug that may further complicate their suffering.
There Is a Magic Pill
In short, there is a ‘magic pill’. It is real food. It is the gradual elimination of highly processed foods that come in packages, replacing them with simple whole food like wild seafood, meat without added hormones or antibiotics, fruits, vegetables, grains and seeds and copious amounts of water.
These are the basics, and when they are a regular part of your daily menu, hunger will subside, energy will increase, and your mind will be clearer. And with the absence of highly processed low nutrient foods, your body will slowly begin to heal and lose excess weight.
Isn’t that what we all want? So while the pharmaceutical companies are flooding the market with ads for their pills, I ask you to consider what is best for you, while also remembering to honor our unique physique. Not everyone is designed to be a size 6; it would be a very boring world if that was the case.
If you’re a little rusty with your cooking skills or feel you don’t have time to cook, I have written a book of nutritional recipes you can try. They are all fairly simple and designed for quick preparation.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
Has weight always been an issue for you? Are you food and nutrient focused or diet focused? Have you considered one of those diet pills that are popping on the market? Do you know anyone who has tried them? Please share your thoughts.
I could not agree more with all of these comments. I am a “seasonal fatty” thanks to football watch parties, fall hibernation and a love of food and wine. So from July to January I gain anywhere from 15-20 lbs and spend January to July trying to get rid of them. I am now practicing an 8 hour daily fasting with my primary meal at mid day along with a whole foods and WW recipes diet. I have found the challenge in changing not only mine, but my husbands dietary behavior has been a positive thing for both of us. We added three short walks a day to our schedules and while the weight isn’t falling as fast as I would like, it is going. In addition, I have put the members of our fall watch parties on notice that this is the year of healthy food choices so our traditional favorites will have to be modified or left at home. Additionally all left overs will go home with those who brought them! I was very pleased to see that all involved agreed that this would be a great challenge for all of us this year. As a nurse I have been tempted by all these new medication options… but as you noted the side effects are not worth it. Thank you for that reminder. I do wish there were more resources for style and fashion for over 65 women who are not a size 6 or even 10 though it would be helpful to at least feel good about my style even if my size isn’t perfect.
Hi Becky, you have a realistic and comprehensive plan in place that covers all the bases – healthy meals within a specific time frame, a buddy (your hubby) in on the process and a plan for football season. Very wise. Here’s a link for a recipe I put on my site for Super Bowl back in the days when Tom Brady was a part of our team bit.ly/4ctUJdl Many other recipes are there on my blog as well.
At this juncture, some individuals absolutely need weight loss drugs. Specifically those with complicating conditions, think diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, lung disease and or functionally limiting neuromuscular and or musculoskeletal conditions. The and or more qualifier is especially important. However, for many of us we need self discipline. The ridiculous ease of buying highly processed foods, both from grocery stores and food outlets in all price ranges is not going to change unless we stop buying them and supporting their continued production. The demands of work and career, generating what we perceive to be our necessary incomes, the design of our living spaces, roadways and infrastructure all affect this obesity crisis. The reality of poor health and marginal medical treatment outcomes followed by higher health care costs and the extreme abuse of our natural world will continue. Think about it. Individual women will need to work on how they feel about their bodies. Our civilization needs to change and that effort would need to be collective.
“The ridiculous ease of buying highly processed foods, both from grocery stores and food outlets in all price ranges is not going to change unless we stop buying them and supporting their continued production” These are your words, Claude, and I totally agree. But people need help in understanding which foods are healthy and which are not, and until the manufacturers are regulated by the government we will continue to see words like ‘natural, energy, lite and low cal’ products passing as healthy. It’s a complex process that without regulation it is on every person to educate themselves, and that is not always possible given the busy lives we lead. And you’re right, we need a collective effort to facilitate change. Thank you for sharing your ideas.
The ozempic class drugs are not an option for women on Medicare unless you are diabetic. My primary MD ordered Wegovy for me but the $1400 per month was cost prohibitive for me and I am sure I am not alone. I tried to obtain via Canada or Mexico unsuccessfully. Just frustrated.
I am a grateful member of WW, cook 95% of my meals, about 75% completely from scratch. Yet I’ve plateaued in my weight loss (45# over a year) & think about food compulsively. I think about healthy foods, not just high sugar or high carb items. Eating healthy has not changed this mental state for me.
It’s a lot of work to bring food and weight into balance with all other parts of life when weight owns the spotlight in weight loss plans. Congratulate yourself for the good habits you’ve built.
I truly considered this but I am so scared of the side effects. I feel old frumpy and my marraige is in a terrible place. I think weight loss is the miracle but I do know it is a panacea.
A good place to start Suzette is to get yourself an outfit or two that you feel fabulous in. Too many women wait until they lose x pounds before they start treating themselves well. One woman I worked with went out, got a sassy haircut and a new outfit and gained the confidence to smoke and feel motivated again. Change happens in many different ways. Good luck and give yourself a big hug!
sorry for the typo. She didn’t smoke; stand up and feel motivated again. She definitely did not smoke ( :