Let’s Get Educated, and a Little Update

Some Truth(s) about GLP1 Medication
 
GLP1’s are on my mind today. I am still experiencing a post-surgery weight loss plateau, but I am feeling better each week, and I am not worried about it. Pressing on and trusting the process is key.
 
Is a GLP1 dangerous? I have seen posts online saying such silly things about medications. If you want my perspective as someone who has been on Ozempic for almost 2.5 years, read on. I hope you read on anyway, because it is highly likely that someone you care about is on these medications or will be, and it is good that you understand the truth about them.
 
So much of what you are hearing about GLP1’s is that they are just for weight loss, or that they are dangerous. But the research tells us something quite different. Research shows that these drugs improve cardiovascular protection. They have anti-inflammatory effects. They help those with insulin resistance. They affect neuroprotection and joint repair. They do not just work in your stomach, they work in your brain, heart, liver, and kidneys. This is proven science, not an opinion or theory. It is fact.
 
When presented with facts like this, why do people reject it? This is about metabolic health. But the conversations I see so often online are more about judgement, shaming, and fearmongering. 
 
The accusations are plentiful - if you take a GLP1 you are lazy, cheating, and you will lose your muscle, and the side effects will ruin your life. People say these medications are unproven, brand new, and have not been researched long enough. I hear some people say that taking a GLP1 is lazy, cheating, and taking the easy way out. These lies abound (and they ARE lies.) True, there can be side effects, but for most people they are very manageable and improve in time (mine have.) Yes, some muscle is lost no matter how you lose weight, and exercise is still important. If you think I am lazy, cheating, and ruining my life, please stop and read the real science, not the opinion pieces or trolls online. Please!? If you want some things to read, just ask me and I will give you a few trusted sources of information that I have used in my own research.
 
Honestly, the least interesting thing about my journey is the weight loss. What I have benefitted from more than that is the inflammation improvement, better energy, brain fog lifting and gaining mental clarity I have not felt in many years, and less joint pain (except the knees, which I have recently had replaced due to losing all the cartilage over the years. No more pain in those joints other than surgical pain that is still improving!)
 
I would have loved to know all this a long time ago as a younger woman. But it was not available in the same way in those years, and I am just so thankful to have them now. I write all of this in hopes that maybe just one younger woman will get past the naysayers and misinformation, talk to a trusted doctor, and if she is diagnosed with obesity that she will try a GLP1 under her physician’s care, and see how her life changes, too.
 
Are these drugs for everyone? I hear this a lot - “I would rather lose weight on my own, I am afraid to try a GLP-1, I don’t trust them.” That is ok if that is what you choose. Just do not judge those who choose to take them, and do not buy the false information going around. This will help you to be a better friend or loved one to someone on a GLP1 who just needs your encouragement and support. 
 
There are a lot of ways to go on a health journey. Mine happens to be taking a GLP1, but others choose a different path. Some people who are overweight may not have the disease of obesity and can successfully lose weight without medication. Great! 
 
On a diet, reducing calories and making healthy choices, and it’s working for you? GREAT! 
 
Doing a program like Weight Watchers and having success? GREAT!
 
Working out and eating less and losing weight? GREAT!
 
Cutting sugar, carbs, and making better choices and feeling healthier? GREAT!
 
Taking diabetes medication like Metformin and your numbers improved? GREAT!
 
Did bariatric surgery and had great success? GREAT!
 
Diagnosed with the disease of obesity, so you grit your teeth and try many of the above, but success is only fleeting, if there is any success at all? Me, too.
 
That is why I decided to take my doctor’s advice and try Ozempic. My primary goal was to lower my A1c, so that my Type 2 Diabetes would be in remission. And, it has worked. Finally, something has helped me to improve my health, after years and years of feeling like a failure, a weak person, and being certain I would die at an early age. 
 
I cannot control when I die, but I can control how I manage my health while I am alive. I decided it was time. This time, I learned that obesity IS a disease and that there is no mysterious cure to be found in a program or new routine, but there is treatment. For me, the treatment has been life changing!
 
There are many ways to get healthier and many ways to lose weight. None of the things listed above were what worked for me, though. I don’t judge any of those options listed.  I am doing what works for me. I appreciate those who have supported me and cheered me on. You do what works for you, and I will cheer you on!
 
 

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