Weight Loss the Easy Way…Take a Weekly Shot but…Just Some Food for Thought
How did obesity triple in 60 years?
Its no big secret how obesity has tripled in 60 years. How did we get here: poor diet with lots ultra processed foods, fast food eating, and sedentary lifestyles. Ultra processed foods make up about half of all the calories consumed. The Food Industry has created lots of high sugar, high salt, junk food with enticing ads. At the same time, federal government agencies like Department of Agriculture and the Food and Nutrition have sold out to the Food Industry getting lots of donations to push their products. Portion sizes are out of control selling the bigger portions as getting more for your money until you become obese and then you have to buy bigger clothes.
There used to be a great Special K commercial which talked about you can’t PINCH AN INCH when you use their product. Borrowing that idea when I was in private practice, I created a Nutrition and Exercise Wellness Program for my corporate wellness clients and one of my classes was called Pinching an Inch Before the Ring Around Your Waist Happens. It’s easier to start making lifestyle changes when you are 10 pounds over your best weight instead of trying to get a 40+ pound weight gain off.
Expensive Weight Loss Injectable Drugs to the Rescue but…
Part of the problem is that many current weight loss injectable drugs, like Ozempic and Wegovy, don’t have long enough studies when they’re initially approved by the FDA, according to Dr. Mark Hyman.
The longest study was about 68 weeks. People are going to have to be on these drugs forever or risk gaining the weight back over time. Studies show 65% of the weight that one loses while taking the current injectable obesity drugs is regained when patients stop these medications. Apparently, the longer you take these injectable drugs, the more serious long term health problems occur.
According to Dr. Hyman, there are some concerning data coming out now from Post-Market Surveillance about very serious side effects after taking these injectable obesity drugs. Post Market Surveillance looks at what is happening with patients who are using these drugs after the initial 68 weeks. The serious life-threatening side effects of these drugs don’t seem to occur until after patients use these drugs for two years or longer.
There are a lot of side effects like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea that’s in 50% of users which occurs as soon as the users begin these drugs. (Note: One might think the weight loss from these injectable weight loss drugs could be due to massive diarrhea, vomiting & nausea but…)
The serious side effects occurring after the 68 week initial study period are actually life-threatening such as gastroparesis or paralysis of the stomach, bowel obstruction, pancreatitis and even deaths.
According to Dr, Hyman, in a study of over 4,000 patients published in Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), 5 out of 1000 patients, had stomach paralysis which was an increased risk of 367% risk of pancreatitis which is an incredibly dangerous illness which causes your pancreas to be inflamed and leads to type 1 diabetes. Maldigestion went up by 900% with bowel obstruction which is very serious and often requires surgery went up by 422%.
https://youtu.be/ipZODIzJsIo?si=SUe9Oqyv5T1jsMVs
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/overweight-obesity
https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/prevalence-maps.html
https://www.forbes.com/health/weight-loss/obesity-statistics/
How do Injectable Weight Loss Drugs Affect Children’s Growth?
No research is available on how these drugs affect growth and development specifically puberty, menstruation, fertility, and immunity. These kids will have to be on these drugs potentially for their lifetime with serious long term side effects without any studies on growth! Research has shown, once adults go off the drug, many adults gain back 65% of the weight back but what about children and teens. Knowing there is NO DATA available on how these injectable weight loss drugs affect children and teens in the short term or long term, the American Academy of Pediatrics has endorsed using these drugs by children over 12 years of age, which is a total head scratcher! In my opinion this could be malpractice. Follow the money!
If eating right and exercising worked for these children and teens to lose weight and keep it off before taking the injectable weight loss drugs, why would anyone think these children and teens would eat right and exercise after they lose the weight once they go off the drug?
In adults, long term use can cause to gastroparesis (stomach paralysis) which can lead to pancreatitis. Prolonged pancreatitis can lead to Type 1 diabetes which requires insulin injections. Long term use of injectable weight loss drugs in adults can also lead to a bowel obstruction which sometimes necessitates removal of part of the bowel. These complications could happen in children and teens. Both these health situations could lead to lifelong health problems for these children and teens. One might say well these children & teens already suffer from a number of health problems…but if they stay on these injectables for life at what cost to their health and their health care costs over their lifetime.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-experts-recommend-weight-loss-drugs-obese-children-2023-01-09/
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/teens-kids-weight-loss-drugs-obesity-fda-rcna93645
What if you Lose Muscle Mass & Have Weaker Bones When on Weight Loss Injectables?
Research is very clear, patients on injectable weight loss drugs will lose muscle mass and their bone density will decrease making weaker bones and cause osteoporosis. The supporters of these drugs say that patients need to get on an effective weight training program and eat more protein but…keep in mind most of these obese & overweight people are completely sedentary and will most probably continue to be sedentary unless they have a personal trainer. How many believe these individuals will actually take up an effective weight training program? Sorry for my disbelief but…this is not my first rodeo!
https://www.foxnews.com/health/ozempic-wegovy-could-lead-muscle-loss-experts-say-prevention-possible
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/ozempic-muscle-mass-loss
Money, Money, Money
According to Dr. Hyman, healthcare costs in 2000 was about $1.6 trillion. Today, healthcare costs have escalated to $4.3 trillion. If obese Medicare patients were prescribed a weight loss injectable like Ozempic, it would cost $267 billion/year. Medicare Part D now costs $145 billion/year. That’s an increase by $122 billion/year.
With more people retiring every day that cost, of course, will escalate. Keep in mind, the longer these Medicare patients are on these injectable drugs, the more side effects will occur and the higher cost of actual patient care not related to the drug cost but from the side effects just using the drugs like chronic diarrhea, nausea, vomiting. Some of these side effects could then become long term life threatening.
Injectable Drugs Weaning to Eating Right & Exercising…
If eating right and exercising worked with these obese or overweight individuals, they would have never had to go on these expensive injectable drugs with serious long term side effects.
Gotta wonder how many of these Ozempic & Wegovy users would ever embrace a lifetime of eating right and exercising when and if they are taken off these injectable drugs?
After being in the wellness and the health promotion business for over 50+ years, I’m not really enthusiastic thinking this will ever happen but…
https://www.foxnews.com/health/ozempic-wegovy-could-lead-muscle-loss-experts-say-prevention-possible
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/ozempic-muscle-mass-loss
Pinching an inch image from:
Obesity words from: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-consequences/
Obesity roots from:
https://www.wcrf.org/the-time-to-act-is-now-accelerating-action-on-obesity-during-covid-19/
By Barbara Day, M.S., R.D. is a registered dietitian with a Master’s Degree in clinical nutrition. She is the Chief Blog Organizer for www.DayByDayLiving.net
Barbara worked as a research nutritionist with the military’s tri-service medical school & working as a performance nutrition consultant to Navy SEALS’ BUD/S Training Program and West Coast active Navy SEAL Teams. Barbara is the former nutrition performance consultant to the University of Louisville Athletic Department. She is the author of Fast Facts on Fast Food For Fast People and High Energy Eating Sports Nutrition Workbook for Active People used by the University of Louisville, University of Tennessee Lady Vols and the Tennessee football program, the LSU basketball program, the Buffalo Bills, the Cleveland Browns and by the United States Navy SEALs.
The former publisher of Kentuckiana HealthFitness Magazine, Kentuckiana Healthy Woman magazine and radio show host of Health News You Can Use, Barbara has over 50 years of experience in promoting healthy lifestyles to consumers. Barbara is a former runner who walks, a spinner, hiker a mother and grandmother to 13 grandchildren.
