Have you been following the Ozempic or Wegovy weight loss drug trends that are skyrocketing in our culture? It seems like it may be the "miracle solution" every dieter has dreamed of. It's not a pill, but a shot that you can take that seems to melt the weight right off. In today's show we're going to talk about what these drugs really do to the body, what the side effects are (and there are a lot of them), and how they may not actually address the real issues behind body image issues that connect to weight.

Here are some of the important data points from today:

• Wegovy/Ozempic are semaglutide that mimic the GLP-1 Hormone to help lower your blood sugar and suppress your appetite and slows your digestion.
• You still have to diet and exercise to lose weight on these drugs.
• There are so many potentially dangerous or lifestyle devastating side effects of these drugs, it's important to understand the physical costs of these drugs.
• There may also be a risk of all the side effects that come with calorie restriction, aside from and along with the side effects of the medication. Here are the episode I did with Tracy Brown on the effects of disordered eating and eating disorders on our bodies. Did Your Dieting Hurt Your Body? Feat. Tracy Brown and Stomach, GI Tract Issues That Connect to Dieting & Disordered Eating
• These drugs are also expensive, especially if you don't have diabetes or another condition where insurance will help pay for it.
• Weight loss can't fix eating disorders, trauma, or body image issues. Check out this USA Today article: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2023/04/02/downside-weight-loss-medication-side-effects-big-pharma/11464954002/
• What "Ozempic Face" is and how it's being "fixed" and how this proves that weight loss alone doesn't fix our body image issues.
• From the USA Today piece linked above: "In the longest study, lasting 68 weeks – about 16 months – weight loss plateaued and started to climb again by the end, suggesting people's bodies had acclimated to the drugs."
• If what is most dangerous for most of us, health wise, is weight cycling, not necessarily having a higher weight, is Ozempic/Wegovy the healthiest option?
• How hard it is to watch people melt away the weight with weight loss drugs, but remember that it costs something and may not last. It certainly can't solve the issues of the heart around our body image issues, envy, or even struggles with our worth.
• **Updated 6-22: An Ozempic provider reached out to me to clarify that these drugs can be helpful for women who have truly struggled at higher weights with healthy habits and need intervention and inspiration to pursue a different lifestyle. She has seen it be effective in these cases and believes the side effects may be more nuanced than presented on the pharmaceutical company's website. This podcast is not intended for medical advice, please consult your physician.  

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